We've written quite a bit about of the importance of protecting yourself against skin cancer now that the summer months are upon us. While making sure you apply sunscreen and simply keeping yourself properly covered are good ways to start, there are a few foods, believe it or not, that can boost your skin's natural SPF.
And leading the way on the list of these foods, you ask? Well, you can start with a quarter cup of tomato paste every day. And to be sure you're paying attention, don't rub it on your body, just eat it.
The Athens Medical School in England recently released a study that reports that people who ate a quarter cup of tomato paste suffered fewer incidences of sunburn by raising their skin's natural SPF by as much as a third.
The study also claims that the antioxidants in dark greens like spinach can also disperse in your body and destroy free radicals from the sun.
There are those in the field nutrition, outside of the researchers that worked on the report, that agree with the findings in the Athens Medical School study.
"Antioxidants such as carotenoids give foods their vibrant colors, and are critical to the photosynthetic process, protecting a plant from damage by light and oxygen," said Sara Vance, a Clinical Nutritionist in the Encinitas, CA. "By consuming plants or organisms that contain these pigments, people can gain a similar protective benefit."
Add carrots, sweet potatoes, green tea and yes, even dark chocolate to the list of foods the study claims contain antioxidants that can help boost the natural sun protection ability in your body.
And while we're on the subject of foods that can be tied in to helping reduce the risk of cancer, The International Journal of Cancer released a study that claims a simple serving a leafy greens a day can also reduce the recurrence of tumors in skin cancer patients by more than 50 percent.
While it appears that eating the right foods will help protect you from the threat of skin cancer, we still suggest a good sunscreen when you're planning on spending an extended period of time outdoors. Remember to follow a few simple rules when it comes to buying and applying sunscreen this summer.
• As a general rule, SPF 15 blocks 93 percent of UVB rays, SPF 30 blocks 97 percent and SPF 50 blocks 98 percent. Doctors now typically recommend at least SPF 30 -- at least being the key words.
• When applying, use a shot glass-size dose, and all our experts recommend applying two coats. Squeeze a line of lotion down your arms and legs and rub in, then do it again. Ditto for spray formulas: hold the nozzle close to your skin and spray, moving slowly up and down until you see a sheen, then go back over the area.
• For your face, apply a pea-size drop to each cheek, your forehead and your chin, then smear in. Don't forget your nose, as many people often do. Repeat!
