Lycopene-rich tomatoes, watermelons and strawberries protect us best from damaging solar radiation, along with plenty of water to keep our bodies hydrated and better able to cope, nutritionist/biologist Haris Dimosthenopoulos – the chief of the relevant department at Laiko Hospital – told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA) radio station on Saturday.
Favourite summer foods like tomatoes and watermelon contain lycopene, which has antioxidant action, Dimosthenopoulos said, meaning that they help protect from the so-called free radicals released by solar radiation and protect human skin.
“Of course, there is also vitamin C for carotene, which helps in generating melanin, the substance that protects from the sun. We find it in carrots and coloured fruits and vegetables, such as apricots, mangos and coloured peppers, aubergines etc, and vitamin E, in olive oil, which is considered supreme for protecting the skin,” he said.
A handful of dried raisins, prunes or other dried fruits contain ample quantities of vitamin C, protecting the body against free radicals, while nuts contain polyunsaturated fatty acids that protect from sunlight. Fatty fish like sardines, mackerel, salmon and bream are also good sources of fatty acids while strawberries are not only a powerful protection against the sun’s rays but are also rich in tannins, helping to relieve the pain of sunburns.
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