What to eat to protect your skin from the sun

Stay safe in the sun

The damaging effects of the sun are well documented and even in the UK melanoma is the fifth most common cancer, with 48 new cases diagnosed each day. UV rays are the part of sunlight that causes this harm but don’t be fooled into thinking you’ll know when your skin is being damaged – UV radiation burns and damages without you feeling hot and sweaty, and it even happens on cloudy days. It’s not just the skin that can be affected either: UV rays damage proteins in the eye’s lens and this may lead to cataracts. As we age, damage from the sun accumulates and, if you’re fair skinned, you’re more likely to accrue more of this damage because you have less protective pigment. With age comes a decline in collagen and elastin, the proteins that act as the skin’s natural scaffold. Sadly the days we spend in the sun fast-track this breakdown, leaving us more likely to face premature wrinkles and sagging. Plus, as a sun worshipper you’re more susceptible to pigmentation and sun spots called melasma, as pigment builds in the areas of your skin most exposed to sunshine.

Skin-friendly foods

Of course, slathering on the SPF should always be your first line of defence but the good news is that what you eat may provide some helpful protection, too. That’s because some foods contain sun-savvy nutrients that are thought to offer the potential for whole-body protection.

1. Oily fish

Oily fish, like salmon, mackerel and trout, are rich in a skin essential – omega-3 fatty acids. Often described as the skin’s internal moisturiser this fat is likely to protect the skin against UV damage through a number of different mechanisms and, if you do happen to burn, it’ll help ease that discomfort. Oily fish are a great source of vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, that bestows a number of anti-aging and light-protective effects on the skin.

2. Prawns

Prawns are a source of protective astaxanthin, a carotenoid that gives prawns and other seafood, like salmon, their pink colour. Astaxanthin helps protect our skin against moisture loss and may even mitigate the changes that lead to skin cancer.

3. Eggs

Eggs offer a readily available source of two key carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, which play an important role in protecting both your eyes and skin from light-inflicted damage – just one egg a day seems to be enough to make a difference.

4. Avocado

Avocado is a source of all manner of skin-supportive nutrients, from healthy fats to carotenoids, including lutein and zeaxanthin. It also provides vitamin E. This antioxidant vitamin helps reduce sun damage by mopping up the unstable molecules that damage skin cells. Exciting research is underway to determine whether an avocado a day may help reduce sun damage and support the skin’s youthful elasticity.

5. Tomatoes

Tomatoes are rich in a compound called lycopene; this helps protect the tomatoes from the effects of the sun, and luckily it does the same for us. Studies suggest that after regularly eating tomato-rich foods for a period of 10-12 weeks, volunteers experienced a decrease in sun sensitivity. More recent evidence suggests lycopene may improve the appearance of skin pigmentation, too.

6. Carrots

Carrots, like other orange fruit and veg, are loaded with carotenes, including beta-carotene. These compounds provide a light-harvesting effect for the plant as well as for us and in so doing protects against excessive light exposure and sun damage.

7. Summer berries

Summer berries are rich in plant compounds called polyphenols – examples include anthocyanins and resveratrol in blueberries, and ellagic acid in strawberries and blackberries. These compounds may protect collagen by minimising its breakdown and may also ease the inflammation caused by excess sunlight exposure.

8. Citrus fruits

Citrus fruits are packed with vitamin C and this effective antioxidant helps neutralise the sun’s UV rays and strengthens collagen, as well as the capillaries that serve the skin. A word of warning, though: handle citrus fruits out of the sun and wash your hands after use because a chemical on their surface may cause sunburn when left on sun-exposed skin.

Don’t forget...

A varied, balanced diet, rich in sun-protective nutrients is a helpful add-on to your sun-safe strategy, especially given that most of us tend to underapply our sunscreen, or re-apply it too infrequently. That said, enjoying these foods in your diet should never replace the use of sunscreen or other sun-safe measures such as wearing appropriate clothing, like a wide-brimmed hat, or simply taking a break in the shade.

Skin-friendly recipes

Enjoy a sun-safe summer with these delicious recipes.

Mexican prawn soup

Check out our hearty Mexican soup with tomatoes, avocado and king prawns. This easy one-pot dish is packed with flavour and has under 300 calories for an easy midweek meal.

SERVES 4 | PREP 15 MINS | COOK 50 MINS | EASY

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
400g can chopped tomatoes
180g raw king prawns
1 avocado, chopped
½ a small bunch coriander, leaves torn
1 lime, cut into wedges

1 Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the carrot, celery, chilli and three-quarters of the onion with some seasoning for 10-15 mins or until soft. Add the garlic, spices and oregano, and cook for 1 min, then stir in the tomato purée and cook for another minute. Tip in the sweet potato, tomatoes and 350ml water, and simmer gently for 25-30 mins or until the sweet potato is completely tender.

2 Add the prawns and a little seasoning, and simmer for 5 mins until they have turned pink and are cooked through. Stir the remaining onion through the avocado and spoon over the soup, with the coriander. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.

Blueberry smoothie and granola bowls

If you forget to freeze the bananas, don’t worry – chuck them in and add a few ice cubes to help get the right texture. This makes more granola than you need for two but it keeps for a couple of weeks in an airtight container.

SERVES 2 | PREP 25 MINS PLUS OVERNIGHT FREEZING COOK 35 MINS | EASY |

3 bananas (about 250g), chopped 170g blueberries
220ml unsweetened almond milk 2 tsp dried raspberries
1 kiwi, sliced and quartered
4 strawberries, halved
handful of raspberries
handful of edible flowers (optional)
2 pinches of shaved coconut 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds GRANOLA
3 tbsp coconut oil
4 tbsp maple syrup
100g rolled oats
50g flaked almonds
50g pecans, chopped
2 tbsp sunflower seeds

1 Put the banana pieces into a freezer bag and freeze overnight – try to keep them as flat as possible so that the pieces don’t stick together. Give the bag a shake after 2 hrs to help keep them separate.

2 To make the granola, heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Melt the oil and maple syrup in a small pan over a low heat until combined. Tip the remaining ingredients into a bowl with a pinch of salt, pour over the warmed liquid and mix well until everything is coated. Tip onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 30 mins until golden and crunchy. Stir every 10 mins so the whole mixture toasts evenly. Allow to cool.

3 Keep 40g of the granola for the bowls and put the rest in an airtight container for another day.

4 Tip the frozen banana pieces into a blender or food processor and add 150g of the blueberries with the milk. Blend until smooth and tip into two bowls.

5 Make a ring of granola around the edge of each bowl and cover one end with the dried raspberries. Arrange the fruit and remaining blueberries in the middle and scatter over the edible flowers (if using), shaved coconut and pomegranate seeds.

Avocado and mixed berries pot

Think of this fruity gluten-free dessert from chef Martin Morales as a sort of Peruvian eton mess. Frozen berries work just as well in this recipe if fresh berries aren’t in season.

SERVES 4 | PREP 45 MINS | COOK 2 HRS | EASY | GF

basil cress or baby basil leaves, to serve
LIME MERINGUE
2 egg whites
90g caster sugar
1 lime, zested and juiced to make 25ml
1 tsp cornflour
AVOCADO CREAM
2 ripe avocados, halved, peeled and stoned
120ml condensed milk
50ml lime juice
MIXED BERRIES
300g mixed berries, defrosted if frozen
30g icing sugar

1 To make the meringue, whisk the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment until they double in size. While whisking, gradually add the sugar 1 tbsp at a time until you have a stiff, glossy meringue.

2 Whisk in the lime zest and juice, and cornflour until well combined. When you lift the whisk from the bowl the whites should be very thick and hold stiff peaks.

3 Heat the oven to 110C/90C fan/gas ¼. Fill a large piping bag fitted with a small plain nozzle with the meringue. Remove any air pockets by squeezing the mixture in the piping bag before you start.

4 Stick a piece of baking parchment to a baking sheet by dotting a little of the meringue in each corner of the tray and putting the parchment on top. Pipe the meringue, making both small tear drops and long strips. Put the tray in the oven and cook for 2 hrs – they should be dry and crunchy. Leave to cool.

5 To make the avocado cream, put all the ingredients in a blender and whizz until you have a smooth paste. The sweetness and acidity can be adjusted by adding more lime juice or condensed milk.

6 For the berries, mix the fruit with the sugar and leave for 15 mins until the fruit starts to give up its juice.

7 To assemble, put a layer of the avocado cream at the bottom of four pots or glasses, then layer on the berries with some of their juice. Garnish with the meringues and basil cress.

Grilled mackerel fillets with lime mojo

Mackerel is always best fresh and the season runs from July until February, so you’ve got plenty of time to enjoy it. During the summer we love grilled mackerel fillets with lime mojo – the acidity of the lime and orange works so well with this oily fish.

SERVES 4 | PREP 20 MINS | COOK 5 MINS | EASY

4 mackerel fillets
a little olive oil
handful each of watercress, rocket or lamb’s lettuce
1 orange, peeled and segmented
MOJO
125ml olive oil
3 limes, 1 peeled and segmented
2 oranges, 1 zested and 2 juiced to make 90ml
1 garlic clove, crushed
½ tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin

1 Make the mojo by whisking together all the ingredients, except the lime segments, and seasoning well. Add the lime segments just before serving.

2 Brush the mackerel with a little olive oil and season well. Heat the grill to high. Grill the mackerel for 5 mins, skin-side up, until the fillets are just cooked through – the skin should be nicely blistered. Mix the leaves and divide between four plates, add the orange segments and a mackerel fillet to each, then spoon over the mojo.

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Kerry Torrens – NutritionistNutritionist

Kerry Torrens Bsc (Hons) PgCert MBANT is a registered nutritionist with a postgraduate diploma in Personalised Nutrition & Nutritional Therapy