5 foods that protect your skin from the sun

1. Take to tea

Brew a giant pot of green tea (at least a litre) — and start sipping. Drinking four cups a day, for at least 12 weeks, helps reduce the sun's aging effects by up to 25 percent. And antioxidant polyphenols help fortify red blood cells to protect against UV damage. 

2. Look to the trees

Move over, aloe. French Maritime pine bark has similar sunburn-fighting qualities. German researchers found popping a daily supplement (sold over the counter as Pycnogenol) can soothe irritated, red skin.

3. Swear by chocolate

The darker the better! Research reveals the flavanoid compounds in dark chocolate can protect against skin cancer.

Bonus: They also help hydrate skin by bumping up beneficial blood flow and oxygen circulation.

4. Dig into anything red, pink and orange

Go to town on watermelon, tomatoes, mangoes, grapefruit and apricots. Lycopene and beta-carotene, two carotenoids responsible for seasonal produce's bright colours, help block cell-damaging free radicals brought on by spending time outdoors. And vitamin C in citrus speeds up the skin's repair mechanisms as it tans.

5. Flex some plant power

An extract derived from the humble fern is a promising skin saver. Within a day of taking it as an oral supplement, people exposed to UV rays increased their skin's ability to resist a sunburn at a DNA level, says a new study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Look for HelioCare or Fernblock at a health food store near you.

Read more: 9 sunscreen secrets every woman should know