While it’s true that regular sunblock use can help protect your skin on the outside, there are several delicious foods and drinks that you can consume to help you fight back against skin damage from within.
Before you head to the store, make sure to add these skin-friendly items to your grocery list:
Salmon
Salmon and many other fish contain omega-3 fatty acids, which serve as a powerful anti-inflammatory and can protect your skin from free radical damage caused by the sun’s rays. According to the Mayo Clinic, adding omega-3 to your diet may have a powerful effect on reducing heart disease and other health issues.
Cruciferous Vegetables
Vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and kale are referred to as cruciferous vegetables and are packed with skin-friendly antioxidants. These antioxidants can help prevent free radical damage caused by UV rays, and according to a Care2 report, broccoli sprouts contain sulforaphane, which has the ability to protect eyesight and help prevent neurodegenerative diseases.
Red Wine
Red wine is rich with polyphenols, an antioxidant that is commonly found in the skin and seeds of grapes. Evidence also exists that polyphenols can reduce skin inflammation, and reports have shown that polyphenols can protect cells from damage caused by free radicals while boosting the immune system.
Green Tea
Like red wine, green tea also contains polyphenols. Regular consumption of green tea has been shown to reduce mild sun damage and can offer protection from melanoma. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is an antioxidant in green tea that has been shown to fight inflammation in the skin and may also help prevent the development of wrinkles.
Dark Chocolate
As if you needed another reason to enjoy chocolate, this delicious superfood contains flavonoids that are known to improve the skin’s ability to protect itself against sun damage. Studies have shown that long-term consumption of high-flavanol cocoa can improve protection from harmful sunrays, increase blood flow to the skin, increase skin density and increase hydration in women.
Make sure to enjoy these amazing skin-friendly foods, but don’t forget about the sunscreen. A combination of proper skin protection and a nutritious diet filled with potent antioxidants will help keep you and your family healthy while you enjoy some fun in the sun!
Do you have any other tips for keeping your skin healthy? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below – we’d love to hear from you!Resources:
Care2: 5 Foods That Actually Offer Skin Protection
Rodale Wellness: 8 Foods to Protect Your Skin From the Summer Sun
Greatist: 6 Food Groups That Will Protect You From the Sun
Medicine.net: Cancer Prevention and Red Wine
Yay for dark chocolate making the list! 🙂 I drink green tea pretty regularly too. I don’t drink and I could certainly do more veggies and salmon!!
What are broccoli sprouts?
Remember that it is essential to block the uv sun rays with a good sunscreen & to reapply per the instructions. The anti-oxidant foods mentioned above are good for us, but without sunscreen cannot protect our skin from the damage caused by uv sun rays.
Wine, chocolate, and salmon!?! You totally made my day… I only needed one little excuse to put those on my shopping list!
Just remember that it’s only 1 oz of dark chocolate per day. LOL
One thing that was told me when I was a young girl was to make sure you don’t use a lot of product on your face. The more product you use on your face the more chance of clogging pores and irritating the skin. Keep it simple…of course with Norwex body cloths and water you can’t get much simpler.
So much yum on this list!
Yummy! Gotta love chocolate!
Great news for 4 of the 5 great for your skin foods. The red wine I know is good, but I can’t drink it or I sweat all night long and get a poor night’s sleep. Rather have my sleep and forgo the wine. Love the other items on the list.
Coconut oil is great for the skin! It helps topically or when ingested.
I read somewhere (sorry, don’t remember where) that watermelon is also a natural sunscreen, true or not?
Love all these foods/drinks and pretty much have them all regularly.
I’m happy that wine and chocolate are on the list (haha) but one of the best things you can do is to eat clean (avoid unnecessary sugars) and stay hydrated!
Some of my favorites on this list!
I love all of these! Yay!
So many of my favourites on this list! Who knew!
We love salmon
So glad I found these item’s on the ‘good list’ for I’ve ate n drank these for much of my life! Only I don’t eat much salmon or drink wine.
I have been adding more greens and salmon to my diet. Good to read these reminders.
What great info! My teens use the baby cloths to wash their faces twice daily. Their skin is becoming clearer and less oily!! My 17 year old was so excited after only a few days using it she noticed fewer pimples and a dramatic reduction in redness.
Love red wine and chocolate. Guess I’m on the right track!
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Thank you for your comment. We try to always make sure spelling, grammar and punctuation are accurate, but the occasional typo does slip through every now and then. Please let us know the specifics so we can get them corrected. And thanks for your input!
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Careful what sunscreen you use though… some are quite harmful!
This was good information. I’m not a fan of salmon but do eat some fish but need to increase it to onc a week or more.
More broccoli and green tea, please. And I will be delighted to make a piece of dark chocolate a daily habit rather than a special treat!
Salmon is delicious – after reading this I’m committed to eating more!
Just washing my face with the Norwex body cloth and water has improved my complexion. I retain more moisture on my skin and it is less dry.