Despite its rather pleasant feeling, sunlight is actually considered a carcinogen. Excessive exposure to solar UV radiation, particularly its UVB component, may lead to the appearance of several skin conditions such as redness, inflammation, hyperpigmentation, photoaging or even regular beach-goers’ dreaded skin cancer.
Hence, measures are needed to protect the skin. One of these measures is to provide enough antioxidants to the skin before exposure to the sun. These antioxidants will act as a shield, attenuating the hurtful effects of UV exposure, so you should try to include in your diet, as much as possible, these important botanical antioxidants:
– Green tea contains an ingredient with an antioxidant activity about 25-100 times more powerful than Vitamin C and D, extremely effective for illness prevention, hence the phrase “as long as you are healthy add green tea to your daily routine”.
– Pomegranates are another powerful antioxidant. They are rich in tannins and flavanoids, which prevent cell damage and confer this fruit its unique characteristics. You can add the seed or pulp to your kitchen recipes or simply juice them.
– Turmeric, which we know commonly in its yellow powder form, has been known to have powerful medical properties since the dawn of recorded history. With a huge spectrum of pharmacological properties such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antimicrobial and wound healing properties, it should certainly be included in your diet regularly.
Other foods that should not be overlooked are broccoli, widely agreeable red wine, and also tomatoes, carrots, onions, olives and lemons.
Let me add that all fruits and vegetables have positive properties, however I chose these ones in particular because of their wide culinary applications and notably high content of antioxidants and anticarcinogens. These well-known everyday products will help prevent cancer, osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases and skin aging due to UV exposure.
So if you are going to indulge yourself in the pleasures of sunbathing (or not), always remember that what you eat is a great line of defense against prolonged exposure.
