In the 18th and 19th centuries, tanning was thought of as unsightly \u2014 that is until Coco Chanel completely turned tanning on its head in the 1920s…
\nReturning from a cruise in the French Riviera sporting a tan, Coco\u2019s bronze glow electrified the world.
\nBy the next summer, tanning began to signal how a lot of us see a healthy tan today \u2014 one sign of a carefree or active life.
\nCoco Chanel showed the world that a summer tan was fashionable. She may not have realized it was also a sign of one of the best healthy habits a person can have.
\nAnd modern science proves she\u2019s right. When ultraviolet B (UVB) rays touch our skin and unlock vitamin D, you have a:
\n Reduced risk of breaking a hip by a whopping 69%.
\n Lower risk of dying from 15 types of cancer.
\n 11% lower death rate from heart attacks.
\nBut the tanning craze was short-lived after doctors around the world wrongly connected tans with skin cancer. As the panic spread, I had a flood of patients come to me terrified of the sun.
\nThen, after Australia had an \u201coutbreak\u201d of skin cancer in the 1970s, the idea of tanning went back to the Dark Ages.
\nSunblocks and sunscreens were born\u2026 depriving us of one of the most vital vitamins you can get for all aspects of health. And I\u2019ve seen the effects of this on my patients.
\nI\u2019m talking about vitamin D.
\nAfter sunblocks and sunscreens came into vogue, vitamin D levels plummeted, and that\u2019s when vitamin D deficiency-linked diseases really took off.
\nBut you don\u2019t have to choose between pale vampire skin and lobster-red sunburns. Research has uncovered a way to protect and beautify your skin from the inside out.
\nYou can harness your body\u2019s \u201cinternal sunscreen\u201d power using a breakthrough antioxidant formula made in France.
\nWhat you could call the new French revolution…
\nI\u2019m talking about a patented antioxidant formula made in France called GliSODin. One of nature\u2019s most powerful free radical fighters, it\u2019s \u201cthe enzyme of life.\u201d
\nYou\u2019ve heard me mention it before: It\u2019s called superoxide dismutase, or SOD. As we get older, the body stops making enough of it to properly fend off the harmful effects of too much sun.
\nSaliva and stomach acids broke down previous incarnations of this SOD supplement. That is until French scientists found a way to \u201cwrap\u201d the SOD in a protective sheath made up of natural vegetable protein.
\nStudy participants who took the \u201csunscreen capsule\u201d experienced significant sunburn protection \u2014 even fair-skinned people required eight times more sun exposure to produce sunburn than did people taking the placebo.
\nIn another study, 150 people took GliSODin every day for two months during which they also followed a sunbathing routine.3 Overall, 82% of volunteers said their skin was well prepared for sun exposure \u2014 and this even went for folks who usually redden or flush right after being out in the sun.
\nA smaller study using SOD found similar results: People could handle sunlight better or were less likely to redden, flush or experience skin irritation.4
\nSo why do we even have problems with too much sun?
\nWhen our skin is exposed to sunlight, it produces melanin \u2014 a hormone that acts as our body\u2019s built-in sunblock. And we get tan, just as Coco Chanel reminded the world about in the 1920s. The problem is we live in a different world than our ancestors.
\nOur ancestors spent a lot more time outdoors than we did. They would walk around naked in the sun and their foods were rich in natural sun-protective nutrients.
\nI encourage my patients to get out in the sun every day if possible without sunscreen. I let them know that they can build up many of the same sun defenses that our ancestors had.
\nMy Top 3 Red Foods for Beautiful Sun-Kissed Skin from the Inside Out
\nTo condition your skin for a day in the sun without sunscreen, eat more of these red foods:
\n Wild-Caught Salmon. Wild-caught salmon is rich in a rare nutrient that provides a natural defense to the sun\u2019s burning rays. It\u2019s called astaxanthin. And when you consume this pigment, it keeps you safe from the kind of DNA sun damage that burns your skin.
\n Salmon is by far the richest source of astaxanthin. Just make sure it\u2019s wild-caught. A typical 6-ounce serving of Wild Pacific sockeye salmon gives you 4 mg to 5 mg.
\n I also recommend astaxanthin supplements. Take up to 10 mg per day.
\n Tomatoes. Red or orange fruits and vegetables like tomatoes have high levels of lycopene. When you eat these foods, lycopene settles into your skin\u2019s outer layer.
\n It acts as a natural sunblock and repairs cells damaged by sunlight. Lycopene prevents sunspots, dryness and wrinkles from UV radiation. In a study published in the Journal of Nutrition, people who ate tomato paste every day for 10 weeks showed less damage when subjected to UV radiation.
\n Hibiscus Tea. Hibiscus is one of the richest sources of antioxidants in the entire plant world.6 And it is also a natural sunscreen. Studies show it absorbs UV rays from the sun.
\n Look for any tea that lists hibiscus as the first ingredient. You might also see it called sour tea, red tea, flor de Jamaica, sorrel or roselle.
\n Just place 4 tea bags in 8 cups of water and let it steep overnight in the refrigerator. Remove the bags in the morning and add the juice of one lemon. The brewed tea will have a tart taste. You may want to add some honey or stevia as a sweetener.
\nTo Your Good Health,
\nAl Sears, MD, CNS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the 18th and 19th centuries, tanning was thought of as unsightly \u2014 that is until Coco Chanel completely turned tanning on its head in the 1920s… Returning from a cruise in the French Riviera sporting a tan, Coco\u2019s bronze glow electrified the world. By the next summer, tanning began to signal how a lot … <\/p>\n