4 Foods that May Actually Help Prevent Sunburns

by Lexi Petronis

Romulo A Yanes
Romulo A Yanes

With warmer weather (woohoo!) comes even more chances to spend time outdoors. And while wearing sun protection every day is a definite "do," no matter what time of year it is--one person dies every 57 minutes of melanoma--it's kind of neat to know that you can get some additional artillery against the sun's harmful effects through certain kinds of foods you eat too.

Tomatoes: They're filled with lycopene, an effective antioxidant that research has shown can help provide an additional layer of sun protection. And it's not just fresh tomatoes either--tomato sauce, paste, soup, and other tomato-based products actually contain concentrated amounts of lycopene.

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Cherries: The tasty little globes are bursting with vitamin C, which can stimulate your skin's collagen production and help reduce the free-radical damage that can be caused by UV radiation.


Broccoli: The veggie (and its relatives, such as cauliflower and kale) are packed with antioxidants, which also help fight UV damage. Broccoli contains sulforaphane, a compound that's linked to helping boost your skin's ability to protect itself from cancer.

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Dark chocolate: Studies have found that cocoa high in flavonoids may give your skin added protection against the sun's UV rays.


Eating these aren't an excuse to skip the sunscreen, of course--but it couldn't hurt eating them either! What do you think?

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