Alkalinity a Natural Treatment to Stop Sun Damage

Did you know that the sun’s rays are actually healthy and good for you under certain conditions? The good news is that the sun’s rays are actually alkalizing to the body. The problem arises when the dietary and metabolic acids emerge on the skin and “interrupt” the sun’s rays causing skin damage. Researchers at Manchester and Newcastle Universities in the United Kingdom found that eating alkalizing foods made with tomato sauce helped protect against both sunburn and premature aging.

Researchers studied the skin of twenty people. Ten of them were given five tablespoons of tomato paste to eat(the equivalent of five or six cooked tomatoes) with olive oil and the other ten were given just olive oil. At the end of the twelve week study, the group that had eaten the tomatoes had a protective boost to the skin of 33 percent. In addition, the tomato group also had an increase in pro-collagen levels, a molecule that helps keep skin firm and looking youthful.

Collagen is healthiest in a slightly alkaline body condition. There are fifteen different types of collagen in the body so any way to keep them healthy is an anti-aging benefit.

The helpful ingredient in tomatoes is actually an antioxidant called lycopene which neutralizes the harmful skin-damaging free radicals created from what you eat and how your body processes your food, especially when combined with sun exposure. Although lycopene is found in many fruits and vegetables, it is most abundant in tomatoes when it is released during the cooking process. Spaghetti sauces, antipasto, salsa, tomato juice, tomato sauces and pastes all contain generous amounts of lycopene. 

You don’t have to eat an excessive amount of cooked tomato to benefit from its effects. If you put tomato sauce on your vegetables, drink tomato juice, eat it on spaghetti squash, or eat it as salsa with veggie sticks, you are getting plenty of lycopene in your diet suggests Newcastle University dermatology scientist Mark Birch-Machin.

Eating tomatoes is going to give you the protective benefit but it is still important to build up your sun exposure tolerance slowly and to use sunscreens, shade or long sleeve clothing and hats during peak ultraviolet times. Your skin is your first line of defense against any damage so it needs to be tough but still look delicate.

By neutralizing metabolic acids with Cerra calkaline, ionized water you will maximize lycopene’s effect on your skin. After all, beauty comes from the inside out.