I have almost all the risk factors for contracting skin cancer: pale skin, blue eyes, freckles, an immediate relative who has been diagnosed with skin cancer and a history of being burned several times over.  To add fuel to the fire, I live between Southern Cali and Australia, I love the outdoors and I hate putting on sun block!  All this considered, I still have a fantasy that I can not only eat to protect my skin, but also perhaps, ingest my way to reversing the skin damage I already have!  Here’s what the experts say I’ll have to eat if there’s any chance of making my dreams reality.

• Vitamin A - Found in carrots and low-fat dairy products such as yogurt.  A vitamin A supplement is also recommended for it’s dramatic benefits to the skin, however use caution in taking it if you’re pregnant - it can harm the baby in large doses.
• Antioxidants - The best sources are berries: blueberries, strawberries and blackberries.  These protect skin cells from DNA damage.
• Essential Fatty Acids - Found in salmon, walnuts and flax oil.  Some women prefer to take fat from their butt and shoot it into their face to look younger.  I think I’ll try eating more salmon first.
• Oils - Make sure it’s cold-pressed, expeller processed or is extra virgin.  Commercial oils are full of crap and heated when processed which ruins the good stuff.  Oil is high in calories however so you only need two tablespoons per day.
• Selenium - has been proven in some studies to prevent skin damage.  Brazil nuts are a high in selenium.
• Green Tea - can be useful if put on the skin as well as digested.  Green tea has been proven to prevent and reduce the risk of skin cancer.
• Water - An oldie but a goodie.  Make sure you drink at least 8 glasses per day.  Your skin will thank you!

Check ou WebMD for a full report on healthy foods for skin.

Red wine has been credited with health attributes from slimming down to lowering cholesterol. Imagine my surprise when I read in an article in Mother Earth News that it may also fight cancer. That’s because the most powerful cancer-fighting compound we can get from food is resveratrol, found in the skin and seeds of red grapes. Apparently, resveratrol not only protects the heart but also has been proven to help fight cancer in it’s early reversible stage by preventing cancer cells from developing and growing.

Red wine might be the most fun way to get these amazing benefits, but eating the grapes or drinking plain grape juice is just as good. A tip when buying grapes is to choose the seeded variety for maximum health benefit. If you chew and swallow the seeds as well as the skin and pulp you get the added plus of an antioxident called oligomeric proanthocyanidin which researchers claim slows the aging process and protects the skin and internal organs from the bad effects of stress and toxins.

I love when my evening relaxation habits turn out to have proven health benefits. We can all rest assured that there are some things that are fun and taste good that are also good for you!