Submitted By Niki Whiting for Radiance Herbs and Massage
You’ve found a full-spectrum sunscreen. You’ve got your broad-rimmed hat and long-sleeved shirt. What more can you do to boost your sun protection?
You can start by thinking of sun protection from the inside out.
By making a few healthy changes to your diet you can boost your body’s natural ability to resist sun damage and repair from damage when it occurs. Reducing inflammation and oxidization is key for skin protection.
- Increase the amount of colorful foods you eat. Antioxidants, which are abundant in
these pigments, can limit UV damage and assist the body’s ability to prevent or repair the consequences of cellular stress. Load up on dark green leafy greens, red and orange foods. Blueberries and other summer berries make for delicious protection.
- Good fats are anti-inflammatory. Oily fish, nuts and seeds and their oils—like walnut or hemp seed oils—are especially beneficial.
- “Bad fats” promote inflammation. Eliminating fried oils, hydrogenated fats, and refined foods is essential.
- Get appropriate amounts of Vitamin D. Salmon is an excellent source of this (along with quality fat, too!). Vitamin D can be supplemented when needed to boost individual levels.
- Selenium also helps protect the skin from UV-induced damage. This trace mineral can be found in cooked (never raw) mushrooms and Brazil nuts.
- Consider drinking 2-3 cups of green tea a day. ECGC is a compound extracted from green tea that is can be supplemented when higher concentrations are needed.
Sometimes, getting enough fresh food in your diet can be a challenge—for example,
when you are camping or traveling and don’t have access to fresh ingredients or with small kids who refuse veggies. Radiance Herbs & Massage carries a variety of organic fruits and veggies as freshly freeze-dried powders. You can add these to smoothies, sauces, or simply mix them in your foods. Radiance offers powders of stinging nettles, kale, spirulina, turmeric, beets, tart cherries, a potent blend of berries, and numerous other choices.
For those who are outside for significant portions of the day or particularly sensitive, what, beyond beneficial foods, might be the single best place to start protecting oneself from the sun in this way? Carol Trasatto, resident herbalist at Radiance, recommended taking grape seed extract in capsule form to help make the skin less reactive to UV stress.
With any of these powders or extracts in capsules, please always be guided by the recommended dosages on the label.
Our cells and tissues are constantly undergoing stress and repair and these nutrients support and enhance the ability to respond effectively to UV exposure. A pro-skin dietary approach can enhance the protection of topical sunscreens. Adding healthy, whole foods and supportive nutritional extracts can assist the body to protect itself from the inside out.
