Summer, sun and liquid sunscreen – prepare for a holiday from within

As a child of the 80s sunscreen-sceptical Hawaiian Tropic culture, I see it as one of my life’s purposes to recover what I can of my skin. And it is actually possible to mitigate the sun’s harmful effects and repair parts of already damaged goods.

Prepare for a holiday in the sun by eating beauty food, which provides extra protection against beauty-sabotaging rays, and applying creamy sunscreen, then you will be rewarded both on a long-term basis and more immediately with a more beautiful tan that won’t peel as soon as you board the flight home. Antioxidants betacarotene and lycopene boost the skin cells’ own defence against sun damage, so before and during the sunny season, fuel up with red, yellow and orange veggies such as carrot, mango, tomato and watermelon. The lycopene in tomato is best eaten in heated form, so foods like watermelon are a better raw source.

Beach bunny juice

Like drinking a suntan, without the sun!

1 GLASS

5 carrots

2 lemons

2.5cm piece of fresh root ginger

250g frozen mango chunks

Peel the carrots, lemons and ginger, then push them through a raw juice extractor. Transfer the juice to a bowl and add the mango, then blend with a hand-held blender (or use a high-speed blender) until velvety smooth.

BEAUTY BONUS

Carrot and mango are bursting with betacarotene, which enhances your sun-kissed tone and gives the skin’s natural sunscreen extra muscles. Start boosting the betacarotene in your daily menu ten weeks before a holiday in the sun.

From Beauty Food by Maria Ahlgren