7 Foods That Help To Repair Sun Damage

Everyone knows that applying sunscreen to block the sun’s UV rays is crucial.  However you should ensure you don’t miss a step in your sun-protection routine which includes the food you consume.

Your diet is an important yet overlooked part of how we adapt to our external environments throughout the seasons. Eating antioxidants helps to protect skin from sun damage.  Certain foods contain nutrients that help it repair and replenish itself. The number of antioxidants in your blood decreases when your skin is exposed to sunlight.  So it’s important to ensure there is a consistent presence of antioxidants.

Amanda Von Dem Hagen, skin specialist at Glo Skin Beauty UK has shared the top 7 foods which can help repair sun damage.

Crimini Mushrooms

Crimini mushrooms have one of the highest selenium contents. This trace mineral is needed to make one of the body’s most potent antioxidants, glutathione peroxidase.  It fights damaging compounds called free radicals that form in the skin during sunlight exposure. They are also a great source of B vitamins, which are needed to create new, youthful-looking skin cells.

Pomegranates

Pomegranates have a high antioxidant content and have been found to offer anti-inflammatory benefits to the skin. Scientists have discovered that nutrients in pomegranates can reduce the ability of UVB radiation to cause cancer-promotion damage in skin cells.

Pomegranate seed oil works to protect against skin cancer because of ellagic acid, a polyphenol antioxidant found in large quantities in pomegranates.  Researchers have found it inhibits the growth of skin tumours.

Cherries

Tart Montmorency cherries are your best source of the antioxidant melatonin. Melatonin protects the skin against ultraviolet radiation. Researchers have discovered that the nutrient helps to repair sunburned skin since it stimulates new skin-cell growth.

Cherries are also a great source of vitamin C which is needed to build collagen. Cherries never tend to come cheap but they are in season during late spring and summer, so they’re lower in price and tastier to eat during this time of year.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are packed full of an antioxidant called lycopene which protect the skin from damaging UV rays. Lycopene gives the tomatoes their colour and neutralises harmful molecules produced in skin exposed to the sun’s ultra-violet rays.

Damage inflicted by the free radicals on skin structures and DNA can lead to premature ageing and skin cancer. They are also an anti-inflammatory which means soothing any redness from being in the sun all too long.

Carrots

Carrots are full of beta-carotene which not only protects against sun damage but also can help to reverse it as it has natural sunscreen properties. As well, they also contain biotin, a type of B vitamin which promotes healthy hair and rapid nail growth.

Almond Butter

With high amounts of Vitamin-E, almonds reverse sun damage and keeps skin hydrated and smooth. This can make any smoothie taste like a dessert and is great paired with bananas.

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are loaded with beta-carotene like carrots. The antioxidant is converted to vitamin-A in the body which keeps skin smooth and healthy whilst promoting collagen production.

By eating sweet potatoes you are giving yourself a good lather of natural sunscreen in conjunction with physical sunscreen too.

This piece was brought to you by Glo Skin Beauty UK.

For more information, please contact jayna@datadial.net.

Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash.