Can Foods “Help” Keep You Safe From The Sun?
How can foods help keep you safe from the sun? How can foods help your skin stay safe from UV ray damage? What foods can help in keeping your skin safe from the sun and healthy?
This does not mean you can ignore your sun-safe practices and keep your skin healthy. Your skin is a living organ, and as such can be damaged beyond repair. If your heart was damaged, you would be busy getting that diet centered around a heart-healthy diet. You would find it easy to remember the healthy life habits your Dr recommends. https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/sun-safety.html
No, you won’t be able to throw away the sunscreen and sun blocking clothes for you or your family. You will still need breaks in the shade. Adding good for your skin foods like watermelon will help keep your skin healthy.
Your healthy skin may take a bit longer to start a sunburn and it will heal faster. Eating foods that are naturally red, pink and orange can help build some natural sun defense.
These so-called protection foods will help you age slower if you choose to stay in the sun a great deal.
Why Your Skin Needs Help
When UV light damages your skin, antioxidants from foods will help your cells heal, and be healthy. If your cells get enough damage to alter the DNA, they will not have a normal regrowth that allows them to heal back as they were. Why Talk About Sun Dangers?
When a skin cell is damaged enough to change the DNA, you can end up with a scar, or possibly skin cancer. Cancer happens when skin cells grow out of control. The DNA is damaged enough that the pattern that was there to stop growth at a certain point, will no longer be able to work. This results in skin cells growing out of control.
The cells keep growing even though they run out of room. Out-of-control growth is the beginning of skin cancer. The cells may not have a place to attach themselves properly and you will have a “weak” spot on your arm or face or wherever, and an open lesion. You may have a bumpy place on your arm or leg or back.
The sun is really dangerous and we must stay aware.
Healthy Skin Heals Easier
The foods that are important to keep your skin healthy and heal faster if you do get sun damage is in a healthy diet. The antioxidants found in plant-based foods give your skin a healthy diet base. Remember, you get most of your antioxidants from plant-based foods.
Studies show it may help to eat more foods that have a plant base.
- Oranges and other citrus fruits are full of the antioxidant vitamin C
- Carrots and squash are good sources of beta carotene.
- Watermelon, tomatoes, and pink grapefruit have high levels of lycopene (which causes the fruit and vegetables to have more of red colors) Studies show lycopene may help curb your risk of cancer and diabetes as part of a healthy lifestyle. Watermelon has more of this nutrient than any other fruit or veggie, even tomatoes. Remember to load up on lycopene, choose a melon with bright red flesh rather than yellow or orange. And the riper, the better
You get other types of antioxidants including omega-3 fatty acids when you eat seafood:
- Tuna
- Salmon
- Mackerel.
One of the best sources of selenium, which helps defend against free radicals that damage your cells:
- Brazil Nuts
Your body needs antioxidants from foods. Supplements fail to work, and some are known to pose dangers to your body. A healthy diet is your best protection.
Cut Your Risks
The lycopene in watermelon may make it less likely that you get a sunburn. While it is known that lycopene does protect your skin, it is not known how much you may need, or how fast the body can make enough lycopene. Don’t stop using your broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher.
Choose Foods To Help Protect You
Proof of how protective food may not be available yet, we do know to stay out in the sun and make sure to include a healthy diet. A diet that may help your skin if you are overexposed.
Food can help you keep your skin healthy. Lack of proof makes wearing sun blocking clothing a better idea for a safe time in the sun. A wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, a long sleeved sun blocking shirt, and sunscreen on all exposed skin is the best way to take care of your skin.
Choose your times to be out in the sun wisely. Remember to break up the time in the sun with breaks in the shade. Remember the water as you will need to hydrate often.
Is Your Child Getting Too Much Sun?
Is your kid a lifeguard this summer? Please make sure they have the sun blocking clothing with their sunscreen and that they understand the importance of taking care of their skin. A healthy diet is always a good idea.
Is your child looking forward to being in summer sports? In our part of Central Texas, it gets hot and humid. Your child needs to have some basic knowledge of how to protect himself or herself. About the importance of breaks, sunscreen, and drinking enough water. Wearing sun blocking clothing.
Youngsters often try to impress others with what they can do. Your child needs to know that he can get sick when he gets too much sun. Help them take care of themselves.
Hydration Warning
A juicy watermelon is 92% water. This makes watermelon a simple way to help stay hydrated.
Every cell in your body needs water. Visit with your child about how even a small shortage can make you feel sluggish. Make sure they have water for any sports practice.
If your child should get really dehydrated, it can become serious enough that they need to get fluids by IV. Help your child become aware. We are living with more climate extremes. We all should be aware and alert.
Just an FYI fact, about 70% of senior citizens who find themselves in the emergency room are in need of hydration! We are not talking just like a sun-related visit to the ER. We are talking about all reasons they are less than healthy. Get in the habit now of drinking enough water. Teach your family to do the healthy stuff automatically. Don’t be a statistic because you don’t drink enough water.
Myth Buster
Did you hear when you were a kid, that if you swallow watermelon seeds, they’ll grow in your belly?
Not true! After all, your stomach has no sunlight or soil, plus a lot of gastric acids. Many melons are seedless these days but don’t worry if you do swallow a seed. They’re actually full of nutrients!
Help Aging Skin With Food
Did you know that these 6 sun-protection foods will help turn your skin into an anti-wrinkle fortress? You don’t think you have to worry about that now? Foods that help keep you safe from the sun as well as help your skin stay younger are a double win.
Remember the statement above about senior citizens and visits to the ER? Not having strong water drinking habits make a difference sooner than you think. Careless anti-aging lifestyles are hard to change. Make good choices early in life. You will be glad you did when you look in the mirror.
It just so happens that our favorite summer fruits are also the ones that help protect us during summer, too. This list is a great start for good skincare diet needs:
- Blueberries. Strawberries The vitamin C and the phytonutrient act like a natural sunblock and helps to prevent you from burning
- Watermelon.
- Pomegranate This fruit is extremely rich in antioxidants, ellagic acid and has anti-inflammatory agents, which can help your skin to resists cell damaged caused by UVA and UVB rays. The pomegranate is also good when it comes to fighting against ageing and sun-damaged skin. Two birds, one stone. Ideal.
The Foods That Surprised Me
- Nuts and seeds.
- Carrots Your body converts the beta-carotene in carrots, to vitamin A, which allows it to reduce your skin’s reaction to sunburn. So that’s a good one to note if you already have some damage and you find yourself with a sunburn.
- Leafy greens.
- Green tea. According to a study, drinking two cups of green or matcha tea a day could lower the incidence of melanoma. Remember the caffeine dehydrates you, so you should limit your intake, and make sure you’re swigging lots of water in between.
- Cauliflower.
- Potatoes It’s the starch in potatoes that makes the difference here, as it helps reduce the harm of sunburn. Sweet potato is a healthier option and is just like carrots high in the skin-protecting beta-carotene and vitamin C.
- Oatmeal Important because oatmeal contains a free radical-fighting antioxidant. Don’t worry, I didn’t know what a free radical was either until I googled it. Basically, it’s a molecule that causes damage to your skin. The plus side of antioxidants: Briefly, as skin ages and exposure to UV radiation increases, skin cells lose their ability to regenerate. Antioxidants help with this, to help with anti-ageing.
- Cucumbers containing mostly water, which helps your skin to stay hydrated (and is also why it feels soooo good when you put it on your eyes). The vegetable also helps to produce collagen, which is a good anti-cancer property.
Tomatoes
These are full of antioxidants too, so they are great for helping to protect skin from UV radiation. But also, we have bonus points for the humble because of the tomato’s Vitamin C and the lycopene ( its red color) also found in tomatoes helps to keep the skin hydrated. Good help from food.
Dark Chocolate
Long recognized as a source of antioxidants, dark chocolate has its place for a skin healthy diet.
Non-Foods Help Keep You Safe From The Sun
White vinegar
This is another one to take note of if you’ve already suffered the sunburn and are looking for a way to soothe it. Spray the white vinegar directly on the affected skin or use a compress. You should notice it calming down soon.
Skin Safety Awareness
Sami’s Take A Way
Good eating habits can help protect your skin and make your skin healthier, thereby healing quicker and with less damage.
Awareness of when you are going to be out and putting your skin in danger of the damage and ageing of too much sun is important.
In addition to a good skin healthy diet, sun blocking clothing and sunscreen can help you protect your skin.
Keep the damage from happening that will quickly lead to skin cancer and melanoma. Compared to skin cancer ageing seems a bit unimportant. However, visiting with those who went for tans in their younger life and are now spending fortunes to take care of skin that aged too quickly, I am aware of the price they are paying.
Skin cancer and melanoma are diseases that are preventable by limiting sun exposure. We haven’t lived sun safe in our family. Have you? Do you plan to change some of the sun careless practices you and your family have?
Staying aware and keeping safe can make a difference. We will be adding foods that help keep us safe from the sun.
Having a good healthy diet will add layers of protection to your skin safe in the sun. Making sure to include the red family foods has been proven to help add some more strength to your skins ability to protect itself.
You must keep the healthy diet, the sun blocking hat, sunglasses, shirt and sunscreen going. Add your shady spot breaks and staying hyderated to your Safe In The Sun Tool Box. Food Alone is not enough.