How to naturally protect your skin from the sun

We all know the basic practices to protect our skin from the sun, wear a hat, protective clothing and sunscreen but did you know there are certain foods you should add to your diet that have a dramatic effect to protecting your skin.

FOOD #1 OILY FISH AND NUTS: 

You have probably heard about Selenium supplements for your skin, hair, and nails. This is found in Brazil nuts and oily fish such as herring and mackerel. Selenium protects skin cells, boosts immune system, as well as acts like an antioxidant. 

FOOD #2 CHOCOLATE:

This is music to the ears…. Eating a few bite-sized pieces of dark chocolate a day has been shown to produce ‘anti-cancer activity’ in the skin cells. Being high in antioxidants and polyphenol is helps protect our cells against sun damage. Chocolate also has a flavonoid compound called epicatechin, which studies have shown can prevent chemically induced skin cancers in test mice.

FOOD #3 BLACK TEA:

Drinking 3 cups of black tea a day leads to a 40% drop in developing a type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma. It’s thought polyphenols in the tea cause cancer cells to self-destruct. Why not add a bonus squeeze of lemon to also dramatically boost vital cancer fighters, which found to reduce the risk by up to 70%.

FOOD #4 BROCCOLI AND LEAFY GREENS:

What can’t our greens do! They are a great way to get in antioxidant Vitamin E, eating enough Vitamin E over a long period of time helps increase sun protection.

FOOD #5 CARROTS:

Carrots, Apricots, rockmelon, spinach and mangoes all contain Beta-Carotene, an antioxidant that gets rid of free radicals and also helps the body create Vitamin A which helps protect the cells from damage.

So next time your doing your grocery shop why not throw these foods into your trolley for some Sun protection!