Get a glowy tan from within for the summer with these foods

Springtime means one thing: Summer is almost here! For most people, summer means having a great tan. This summer, there are certain foods one can eat to have an even better tan. The secret ingredient here is: Carotenoids! 

Foods that have carotenoids might be giving the tan-ready skins a slight bronze glow already. Sun-tanning and the protection that comes with it is still essential to the summer days, but your diet might improve your experience during the hot months. 

Antioxidants in colorful food improve your skin

Carotenoids (beta-carotene & lycopene) are compounds that help improve your skin, especially found in colorful vegetables and fruit. Many carrot lovers have most likely come across an orange hue at some point. This is due to the fact that these compounds are not only helping improve the skin, but they are also full of color pigments! 

Can food really help you tan?

Food can not actually give you the tan that the sun does, at least not in the same way. Through sun-tanning, the skin receives a strong bronze look, but with carotenoid rich foods, the effect is  gaslight warmer glow, or tone.

Which foods give the skin a warm glow?

Carrots are the first choice for anyone who has consumed a lot of the crunchy treat. In addition, sweet potatoes, squash, pumpkin, cantaloupe melon, red bell peppers, beets - basically almost all food that packs orange-red pigmentation, with the healthy skin compounds. The skin friendly eligible foods list can be expanded to other examples like kale, spinach, tomatoes, and watermelon too! 

The recommended dose is around 15-30 milligrams a day to reach the “warm glow” food tanning will give your skin. That means around one sweet potato and one and a half carrot a day, or a fruit/veggie salad with spinach, cantaloupe melon, and red bell pepper, one cup each.

It’s important to combine most of these foods (the red heavy vegetable/fruits), with leafy greens. And lastly, it’s always safe to start slow with “food-tanning”, and see how your body reacts. Step by step, and bite by bite to a great summer!