One note of caution before I begin. I am not suggesting that you abandon using healthy sunscreen. None of the internal sunscreen suggestions below are intended to replace topical sunscreen. But they can help your skin not to burn as quickly and decrease some of the aging effects that sun has on your skin. You may want to consider “eating your sunscreen” during the summer when your skin is exposed to more intense UV radiation from the sun.
Astaxanthin
Astaxanthin is a carotenoid. A carotenoid is a pigment produced by plants algae, bacteria, and fungi. The function of a carotenoid in plants and algae is to absorb light energy and provide photoprotection. In simpler terms, carotenoids protect plants and algae from being damaged by sunlight.
When flamingos, salmon, and krill eat plants or algae containing the carotenoid astaxanthin, this is how they get their beautiful red color. They also get the sun protective benefits of astaxanthin. So you are probably wondering, if humans eat astaxanthin containing foods or supplements can they also get sun protection?
According to a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study, astaxanthin was protective against UV-induced skin deterioration. Also, it helped subjects retain more moisture in their skin and improved their skin’s texture.
You can get astaxanthin from eating salmon, krout, Krill, and Shrimp. But if you don’t eat those foods regularly, consider a supplement if your doctor approves. My daughter and I both start taking a astaxanthin supplement 2 months before summer starts. It needs time to build up in your system to work as an internal sunscreen. Once the strong summer sun ends, we stop the supplement and just rely on the astaxanthin we get from our food.
Red Palm Oil
Red Palm, like astaxanthin, is another carotenoid which are known to protect skin against solar UV radiation. It comes from the fruit of palms that grow in parts of Africa and Asia. The Egyptians regarded it as a sacred healing food.
Dr. Oz says, red palm oil “can slow down the premature aging processes by protecting the skin against damaging UV rays.” According to Roxy Dillon, author of the book Bio Young, you can “take two teaspoons of red palm in the morning, at noon, and in the evening for all-day sun protection.” I don’t do this every day, but I try to remember to do it if I am on vacation and out in the sun a lot more than usual.
In addition to acting as an internal sunscreen, red palm is a good source of antioxidants and healthy fats, both of which are key to maintaining young looking skin. It is high in coQ10 which has a myraid of anti aging benefits. According to Roxy Dillon, MSc in biochemical pharmacology, CoQ10 may:
- Help with energy production in all of your cells
- Increase the number of eggs in your ovaries
- Reverse your egg’s aging process so that they’re young again and increase egg activity
- Significantly increase follicle count
- Stimulate your ovaries and transform them to their youthful selves
- Reverse menopause (there have been some documented cases of a woman’s cycle returning after regular supplementing with CoQ10)
You can cook with red palm oil. I suggest you try it because according to Dr. Oz, it fights heart disease and lowers cholesterol. Here are some good recipe ideas on how to cook with red palm oil. Make sure you buy a red palm oil that is cold-filtered, unrefined, fair trade, and comes in a glass jar.
Tomato Paste
Tomatoes contain a magical substance called lycopene which is high in antioxidants. Lycopene has been shown to protect our skin from UV damage. There was an interesting study done in the UK where a group of women were asked to eat 55g of tomato paste every day for 12 weeks (giving them 16mg of lycopene). These women were compared to a group of women who did not eat tomato paste when exposed to UV radiation. They found that the women on the lycopene diet had a 30% increase in skin protection.
Luckily, most of us love eating fresh tomatoes when they are in season during the summer so its easy to get our internal sunscreen! And it is very easy to incorporate tomato paste (the food source with the highest content of lycopene) into recipes. So, during the summer, when your skin is exposed to more intense rays from the sun, try to include tomato/tomato paste into one meal every day for extra sun protection.
According to Very Well Health, other potential health benefits of Lycopene in tomato paste include:
- Improved eyesight
- Prevention of breast, lung, and prostate cancer
- Improved heart health
- Prevention of stokes caused by blood clots
Chocolate
I usually find myself craving a nice hot cup of hot chocolate during the winter. But, it turns out that we should drink our cocoa in the summer because eating chocolate can significantly protect our skin from UV light! The reason for this is that chocolate is high in flavanols which are antioxidant and anti-inflammatory molecules that could play a role in preventing UV damage. Flavanols also increase blood flow which also can improve the health of your skin.
According to Doug Cook, RDN, cacao (not cocoa) has the highest flavanol content. You’re probably wondering what on earth cacao is! Well, to make chocolate, you have to start with cacao beans from the Theobroma cacao tree. Theombroma comes form the ancient Greek and translates as “food of the Gods.” The reason for this is that the Mayans and Aztecs who discovered cacao believed that it was a gift from the gods. It was highly valued in their society.
For a really detailed explanation of how cocoa vs. cacao are made and the health differences between them, check out this post. But the bottom line is that cacao is less processed than cocoa and has higher flavanol content, so that’s what you want to eat for maximum internal sunscreen.
How I Eat Cacao
My daughter and I love cacao nibs sweetened with organic coconut sugar sprinkled on ice cream/yogurt or as a stand alone dessert. We have also used unsweetened cacao nibs to make our granola more interesting. Smoothies, hot chocolate, and baked good are great with unsweetened cacao powder. WARNING: sweetened cocao nibs do not taste like the chocolate you’re used to. Do not be under the illusion that they will taste like a Hershey’s Chocolate Bar. They are much more tangy and not nearly as sweet. Unsweetened cacao nibs are quite bitter (think unsweetened baker’s chocolate but even more bitter) but they are good when added to something with sweetener in it.
If you don’t want to try cacao, and you already have some cocoa powder in your pantry, Roxy Dillon says, “you can take 4 teaspoons of pure cocoa powder as a sun protecting supplement every day while exposed to the sun.”
In addition to protecting your skin from the harmful effects of the sun, cacao may protect against wrinkles. Yay!
Squalene
I learned all about the sun protective effects of squalene in Roxy Dillon’s book, Bio Young. She says that squalene makes it possible for emerging plant life to thrive instead of being burned up by the sun. Similarly, if we eat squalene, we too can benefit from its sun protective effects. How cool! Roxy says the richest sources of squalene are:
- Amaranth oil
- Olive oil
- Rice bran oil
- Red palm oil
- Shark liver oil
She goes on to say that squalene doesn’t block ultraviolet radiation but instead, it makes radiation (UVA or UVB) harmless to you. Roxy recommends using it both internally and topically for maximum benefits. She lists other anti aging benefits of squalene which include:
- Improving wrinkles, loose skin, and uneven pigmentation
- Brightening skin tone and reducing redness
- Controlling free radicals to prevent collagen damage
- Protecting the eyes from cataracts
The way I eat my squalene is by consuming olive oil every day throughout the year. This is easy for me because I love salad with a simple olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing. Then I add in red palm oil just when I go on vacation or know I am going to be out in the sun.
Other Ways to Boost Your Internal Sunscreen
According to Gaia, there are several other ways to eat your sunscreen through your food choices:
- Black, white and green teas all contain polyphenols that help fight the battle against UV rays.
- Broccoli is rich in sulphoraphane that helps protect our cells against UV radiation (eat 1/2 cup per day).
- Omega 3 fatty acids (salmon, hemp, flax, chia) can reduce inflammation, protect your skin from sunburn and melanoma.
- According to L.A. dermatologist Howard Murad, pomegranate can enhance skin’s sun-protective properties by 25 percent (drink pomegranate juice or eat the fruit)
For a detailed “how to” on reversing sun damaged skin and what to do if you accidentally get sunburned, check out this post!
No information on this site should be used to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease or condition. Please consult a qualified health care professional for medical advice.