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Here are six foods that act as natural sunblock:
#1: Chocolate. Women who drank a hot cocoa high in “flavanol” antioxidants daily for three months had25% less reddening after UV irradiation and more moist, less scaly skin than women drinking low-flavanol cocoa, says new German research. Another source of flavanol is dark chocolate. The downside: It can have a lot of calories.
#2: Watermelon and tomatoes. German research also finds that lycopene (the antioxidant in watermelon and tomatoes) reduces sensitivity to sunburn. Drinking tomato juice or taking10 mg of lycopene daily for three months cut signs of sunburn from a UV lamp25% to48%.
#3: Pomegranate. At the University of Wisconsin, antioxidant-rich pomegranate extract inhibited changes in human cells exposed to UV light.
#4: Fatty fish. EPA, which is an omega-3 fatty acid in fish, reduced signs of UV damage in skin cells, says a recent Korean study. In a British test, taking4,000mg of omega-3 a day (the amount in about12 ounces of salmon) for three months cut sunburn damage30%.
#5: Green tea. Several studies show drinking green tea helps prevent sunburn and precancerous changes. In a small study, drinking about2 cups of green tea reduced UV skin damage.
#6: Tomato. Even better? Tomato paste, which is higher in the UV protecting antioxidant, lycopene.Researchers from New Castle University recently examined the skin of women,20 women, half of whom were given55g of tomato paste (five tablespoons) with10g of olive oil every day for12 weeks and found that the skin of women who consumed the tomato was able to better protect against UV radiation
