Foods To Soothe Your Sunburn

By Kerri-Ann Jennings, Associate Nutrition Editor for EatingWellMagazine

I try to slather on the sunscreen year-round (after all, UV rays shine on gray days too), but in the summer I'm particularly careful to avoid getting burned. And when I read that the FDA recently passed more stringent regulations on sunscreen labeling, as well as reminders to take other precautions to avoid sunburn (hats, staying out of the midday sun), I started thinking about what else I could do to protect my skin. As a registered dietitian and associate nutrition editor for EatingWell Magazine, I know that there are some foods that can help protect your skin and soothe sunburn if you do get scorched.

1 of 3

Carrots

1 of 4

First Slide

Previous Slide

@

People aren't the only ones who need sun protection -- plants do too. And the compounds that plants make to protect themselves from the sun can also protect us, says Amy Paturel in EatingWell Magazine. One example is carotenoids, found in carrots and dark leafy greens, such as kale. Eating carotenoid-rich foods helps to protect our skin against sunburn, according to Gene Lester, M.S., Ph.D., a plant physiologist with the USDA's Agricultural Research Service. Try this Lemony Carrot Salad and more healthy carrot recipes. More from EatingWell: Good Foods for Glowing Summer Skin Foods to Shield Your Eyes Foods That Fight Headaches and Pain Naturally

6 Moves For A Rock-Solid Stomach

How To Have Healthy Summer Feet

Spices and Herbs That Promote Longevity

How Work Hurts Your Health

Highest Obesity Rates In 2030

Food Pyramids Of The World

People aren't the only ones who need sun protection -- plants do too. And the compounds that plants make to protect themselves from the sun can also protect us, says Amy Paturel in EatingWell Magazine. One example is carotenoids, found in carrots and dark leafy greens, such as kale. Eating carotenoid-rich foods helps to protect our skin against sunburn, according to Gene Lester, M.S., Ph.D., a plant physiologist with the USDA's Agricultural Research Service.

Try this Lemony Carrot Salad and more healthy carrot recipes.

More from EatingWell:
Good Foods for Glowing Summer Skin
Foods to Shield Your Eyes
Foods That Fight Headaches and Pain Naturally

comments(2)

Total comments: 2 | Post a Comment

1 of 4

This Food

Rank #2  |  Average: 4

I'll skip it. Adding this to my diet!

• 
  1
• 
  2
• 
  3
• 
  4
• 
  5
• 
  6
• 
  7
• 
  8
• 
  9
• 
  10

Top 3 Foods

loading...

Top 3 Foods

UserName

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Top User Slides

← Prev|Next →

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Users who voted on this slide

← Prev|Next →

loading...

What foods do you use to prevent or soothe sunburn?

Kerri-Ann, a registered dietitian, is the associate editor of nutrition for EatingWell magazine, where she puts her master's degree in nutrition from Columbia University to work writing and editing news about nutrition, health and food trends. In her free time, Kerri-Ann likes to practice yoga, hike, bake and paint.

 

Follow EatingWell on Twitter: www.twitter.com/eatingwell

Comments

[Frank Larkin]

10:32 PM on 08/18/2011

Egg whites are supposed to be very good for burns, just brush it on and let it dry. I bet it would work for a sunburn too.

[warmhrt195]

10:26 AM on 08/18/2011

The best food for a sunburn is milk. I know this sounds stupid, but it really works. While on vacation at MB, SC, my friend got a terrible sunburn all over. She was so red, it was a blueish color. My daughters husband saw TJ and immediately went to the kitchen in the condo, got a 11x9 glass pan, poored half a gallon of white milk and then added ice cubes. He then got a towel and put it into the milk. We had no clue what on earth he was doing. To make this shorter, he laid the milk towel on TJs legs and within 10 min, the burning pain she had was completely gone. We then proceded to apply more milk towels to her shoulders, etc. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it. After returning home, I stopped by my local pharmachist, asked her if she had heard of the milk towel. No, was her reply, but wanted to know exactly how to do it, she has 3 young blonde sons. So the new son-in-law proved to be an asset to the family