Tomato paste and sun protection
Introduction
Other excellent food sources of antioxidants
References
Introduction
For sun protection and a younger-looking skin, don't bother with high-priced face creams or hours of work every day. Just buy some tomato paste.
Did you know that the level of antioxidants in your diet can have a dramatic effect on your resistance to sunburn? I have tried it myself. Eating antioxidant super foods for a couple of months allowed me to stay in the sun for about twice the time that I could previously, without any sign of redness on my skin the following day. (sunlight is highly beneficial).
Eating a little tomato paste mixed with oil every day is an excellent way to protect against sunburn, skin cancer, wrinkles, and to slow your aging. In a study (1) one group consumed 40 grams (2.5 tablespoons) of tomato paste mixed with 10 grams (2 teaspoons) of olive oil every day for 10 weeks, while the control group got only the olive oil. Both groups were exposed to a sun lamp at the beginning, middle, and end of the study. The UV exposure was just sufficient to lightly burn their skin. At the beginning of the study, and after four weeks, those who were eating tomato paste had little additional resistance to the sun. But after ten weeks the tomato-paste group showed 40 % less sun damage than the other group.
Tomatoes are one of the best sources of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant present in the red pigment. Interestingly, the tomato must be cooked and eaten with oil before you can absorb the lycopene. We can thank the Italians who developed Marinara sauce centuries ago, for the delicious combination of tomato, olive oil, garlic, basil, sage and thyme!
Other excellent food sources of antioxidants
- Spinach contains a terrific cocktail of micronutrients (including vitamins A, C, and E; folate, and two carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin)
- Berries. Raspberries, blueberries, gooseberries, blackberries, black grapes and most other dark or purple berries are loaded with vitamins and antioxidants. While all berries are good cancer fighters, black raspberries are the all-stars. Try to eat a few most days
- Pomegranates. These brilliant red fruits are loaded with flavonoids and antioxidants. They boost your immune system, protect against inflammation, cancer, and of course, sun damage
- Dark chocolate already has a reputation as a feel-good food, helping to release endorphins.
It improves blood flow (good for your skin as well as the rest of your body), and helps some women through PMS.
It has cancer-fighting chemicals, potent flavonoids, and antioxidants. A daily cup of cocoa, or 85 grams / 3 ounces
of quality dark chocolate (70% or more cocoa) will protect you from the sun, and give you a thicker, moister, smoother
skin
Buy Raw Organic Cacao - Astaxanthin (pronounced as-tuh-zan-thin) is a colourful, fat-soluble pigment found in microalgae, yeast, salmon, trout, krill, shrimp, crayfish, crustaceans, and the feathers of some birds. It is harvested from the sea, and sold in capsules. One of the richest sources of antioxidants available, it gives noticeable protection from the sun after a couple of months of regular use
Sunscreen - read why I don't use sunscreen
References
1. Stahl W, Heinrich U, Wiseman S, Eichler O, Sies H, Tronnier H.
Dietary tomato paste protects against ultraviolet light-induced erythema in humans.
Journal of Nutrition, May 2001. 131(5):1449-1451.
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