The arrival of summer is the time for many people to start getting a tan. UV rays are harmful, though, and can cause skin cancer.
Those who want to have slightly more golden skin can achieve it without spending hours in the sun or in tanning salons and without using tanning creams. Just eat more cantaloupe, apricots, carrots, peppers and spinach. These foods include green and orange carotenoids. The New York Daily News says these are the organic pigments found in many plants that give the appearance of a perfect tan.
According to Ian Stephen from the University of Bristol in England, there are two types of pigments that affect skin colour. First off, there’s melamine which is associated with exposure to UV rays, and carotenoids contained mostly in green and orange foods. They can give a soft glow to the skin in just a few months.
Another significant element to consider is that carotenoids are also powerful antioxidants. They have long been recognized for their beneficial effects on the human body.