Food to get and keep a glowing and tanned skin

Summer means sunshine, beach and tanning. But unfortunately, we are not equal when it comes to tanning. However, there are some foods that can get you a better and longer tan. 

First, you should understand how do you tan. We get our skin color from a pigment called melanin. The concentration of melanin determined the color of your skin (i.e. fair skin having less, dark skin having more). When our skin is exposed to the sun or artificial rays, our body produces more melanin to protect it from burning. How does food impact that? Well you must know that there is an amino acide called tyrosine that is implied in melanin production. By consuming foods containing this amino acid, you can boost your melanin production. You can find it in:

• Chicken & Turkey
  
• Avocado 
  
• Banana
  
• Soy products
  
• Pumpkin & Sesame seeds
  
• Peanuts & Almonds
  
• Milk, Yogurt & Cottage Cheese

However, keep in mind our melanin is mostly determined by our genes. Fair skin will never become olive or tanned with such diet, but there are other foods that can give you a glow similar to a tan, and all year long! 
“Tanning foods” are full of antioxidants called carotenoids: alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and lycopene. Did you ever notice people having carrot juice at the beach? Carrots for example are full of  beta-carotene. When you consume a lot of these foods, the excess of carotenoids gets stored beneath your skin and their pigments add colors to your skin reproducing a tan. 
Beside their tanning virtues, they also enhance your immune system, prevent wrinkles and even protect you against some cancers. 

Here's your health & beauty best friends:

• Yellow-orange vegetables & fruits: carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, apricots, cantaloupes, papayas, mangoes, nectarines, and peaches.
  
• Dark green and/or leafy vegetables: kale, broccoli, spinach, collard greens, turnips and their green leaves, beet leaves, mustard and dandelion greens, watercress, cilantro, chicory, endive, escarole, asparagus, avocado, green peppers (but you can eat red too).
  
• "Red” fruits: tomatoes, pink grapefruits, and watermelon.

You should eat these with some healthy fats (olive oil, avocado, raw nuts….) because beta-carotene and lycopene are better absorbed with fat. Such fat (almonds for example) contains a lot of vitamin E which will also moisturize your skin from the inside. Also, don’t forget to eat them as fresh as possible so that they keep all their benefits.