No Sunburn Watermelon Shake

Watermelon Can Stop a Sunburn

Each day it amazes me how we can eat, drink and be merry with delicious foods that also serve a purpose. Instead of synthetic dyes and sugars, we can pull from creation to get more palatable and beautiful foods. There is a divine season for foods as well.

I’m in the southeast area of the United States where it gets pretty hot in the summers and mildly cold in the winters. Our winter crop of oranges and collards provide us needed nutrients through this season. Likewise, the peppers, coconuts, and watermelons provide a different set of nutrients to carry us through the humidity and heat. It’s pretty amazing when I take a moment to appreciate the cycle of seasons and its produce.

Lycopene

As our summer begins, Lycopene is a valuable component in our seasonal foods. Studies show lycopene can help prevent heart disease and a sunburn…or at least reduce the potential. With the humid heat kicking up in Florida, the increase all sorts of issues occur when not hydrated. Just ask the Theme Parks; guests get so excited to be on vacation they forget self-care and do not drink enough water with electrolytes nor eat enough nutrients. The consequence is evidenced in the increase of heat strokes by 100-fold in the summer.

Foods that are high in lycopene include; watermelon, tomato paste, and cabbage. I believe that all of these foods are in my cookbook, Real Food Recovery, along with many other nutrient dense foods.

To celebrate a new summer season, here is a fun watermelon recipe from page 70.

Natural Sunscreen

Also, cooked tomatoes, cabbage, and fresh watermelon are great items to incorporate into your menus anytime. Cooked tomatoes are famous for their lycopene content, but watermelon actually contains even more lycopene. There are studies shown that these ingredients absorb both UVA and UVB radiation so that our bodies are protected. Plus, the vibrant red color of this watermelon drink contains no red dye #40, which is condemned in the United Kingdom, and known to cause many noticeable issues with kids (and adults).

We hope you enjoy building health while experiencing delicious foods. This is the beautiful gift of life!

~Mandy

Sources

*M. Rizwan et al., “Tomato Paste Rich in Lycopene Protects Against Cutaneous Photodamage in Humans in Vivo:

A Randomized Controlled Trial,” British Journal of Dermatology 164, no. 1 ( January 2011): 154–164, doi:10.1111/j.1365-

2133.2010.10057.x; Aruna Poduri et al., “Citrullus lantus ‘Sentinel’ (watermelon) Extract Reduces Atherosclerosis in LDL

Receptor Deficient Mice,” Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry 24, no. 5 (May 2013): 882–886, doi:dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.

*https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5506060/

*https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8626194/

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Mandy

Mandy is the force behind the nonprofit advocacy portal Real Food Recovery. Seeing the need for children at risk to have better foods and education to handle their trauma, Mandy founded a nonprofit organization using real food, real discussion, and encouragement. A Wife, Mom of birth and adopted children, author, BSc., Functional Nutritional Therapy Practice, Mandy shares simple food tips online and volunteers at local Group and Orphanage Homes.

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