Whether
you are in the Northern Hemisphere or in the Southern Hemisphere will depend
upon whether it is sun and summer time for you right now, but as those summer
months grow closer, the skin experts will be telling us all to slap on the high factor sun protection when we are outside.
A golden tan can look lovely and feel wonderful - but the downside of over-exposure to the sun is the appearance of ageing wrinkles (and the possibility of a very nasty skin disease). Not a pleasant thought on a beautiful summer's day!
BUT - what has this to do with Colour?
Research by The Human Nutrition Research Center on Ageing in Massachusetts, USA has discovered that by eating
red and orange fruit and vegetables, you can improve your skin's resistance to sun damage by up to 20 percent. It works like this:
Free radicals
are things that cause damage to body cells. UV rays from the sun penetrate the skin and free these radicals to do their worst. This, in time, can result in unsightly wrinkles and skin disease. That's the bad news!
But - here is some good news! Antioxidants help to mop up the free radicals. High levels of these antioxidants are found in fresh fruit and vegetables.
Red and orange fruit and veg - like strawberries and
raspberries, tomatoes,
red peppers and carrots, oranges and other citrus fruits are particularly high in anti-oxidants.
They also contain the vitamins C and E, and betacarotene. Betacarotene is a member of the (plant pigment) carotenoid family and it is carotenoid which protects the plants from sun damage. When we eat betacarotene, we also eat
the pigment AND obtain the antioxidant protective benefits - just like the fruit and veg. Pure sun protection from the inside out!
(N.B. Scarlet Pixel does not advocate sun-bathing. Avoid exposure to the sun from 12 noon until 3PM if possible. Always wear a suitable factor sun screen protection and cover up where possible).
Eye Eye!!
Professor Geoffrey Beattie of Manchester University, England has recently undertaken some research on eye colour. He discovered that women consider
blue eyes to be more attractive, intelligent and friendly than
green, brown or
hazel eyes. Men think the same - when the owner of the eyes is smiling!
But... then isn't a smiling face always more attractive than a miserable one!
Whether
you are in the Northern Hemisphere or in the Southern Hemisphere will depend
upon whether it is sun and summer time for you right now, but as those summer
months grow closer, the skin experts will be telling us all to slap on the high factor sun protection when we are outside.
A golden tan can look lovely and feel wonderful - but the downside of over-exposure to the sun is the appearance of ageing wrinkles (and the possibility of a very nasty skin disease). Not a pleasant thought on a beautiful summer's day!
Research by The Human Nutrition Research Center on Ageing in Massachusetts, USA has discovered that by eating
red and orange fruit and vegetables, you can improve your skin's resistance to sun damage by up to 20 percent. It works like this:
But - here is some good news! Antioxidants help to mop up the free radicals. High levels of these antioxidants are found in fresh fruit and vegetables.
Red and orange fruit and veg - like strawberries and
raspberries, tomatoes,
red peppers and carrots, oranges and other citrus fruits are particularly high in anti-oxidants.
They also contain the vitamins C and E, and betacarotene. Betacarotene is a member of the (plant pigment) carotenoid family and it is carotenoid which protects the plants from sun damage. When we eat betacarotene, we also eat
the pigment AND obtain the antioxidant protective benefits - just like the fruit and veg. Pure sun protection from the inside out!
(N.B. Scarlet Pixel does not advocate sun-bathing. Avoid exposure to the sun from 12 noon until 3PM if possible. Always wear a suitable factor sun screen protection and cover up where possible).
Eye Eye!!