When it comes to sun safety, lathering on sunscreen, sporting a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses and staying in the shade surely come to mind. After all those precautions, is there anything more you can do to avoid skin cancer?

One other key strategy you can use is simply to eat as healthy as you can.

The major cause of skin cancer is ultraviolet (UV) rays. UV exposure wreaks havoc on the skin by generating free radicals that produce inflammation and damage cell function and your skin’s DNA. This DNA damage can cause changes in your genes called mutations that lead to skin cancer.

While virtually all experts agree that eating foods rich in these compounds is good for your overall health, studies have shown that antioxidants, including vitamins and other nutrients, may help fight off free radicals and prevent the damage they do that can cause skin cancer.

Here’s where to find Antioxidant Rich Foods

  • Beta Carotene: Look for orange-colored vegetables and fruits, including carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, apricots and mangos
  • Lycopene: This red-pigmented antioxidant is in tomatoes, watermelon, guava, papaya, apricots, pink grapefruit, blood oranges and other foods.
  • Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring and albacore tuna are chock full of omega-3s. Walnuts and flaxseed are good vegetarian sources.
  • Polyphenols in Tea: In freshly brewed green or black tea.
  • Selenium: Just one to two Brazil nuts a day provide all the selenium you need. Meats such as chicken and grass-fed beef are also rich in this mineral.
  • Vitamin C: Get your C from oranges, lemons, limes, strawberries, raspberries and certain vegetables, including leafy greens, broccoli and bell peppers.
  • Vitamin D: If you can stomach the taste, one tablespoonful of cod liver oil has more than twice the recommended daily allowance of vitamin D. Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and tuna are excellent sources as well. Common foods such as milk and orange juice are often fortified with it. And you can get small amounts in egg yolks, beef liver and cheese.
  • Vitamin E: Rich sources of vitamin E include almonds and other nuts, sunflower and other seeds, spinach, soybeans and wheat germ. almonds and other nuts; many oils, including safflower and corn
  • Zinc: You can find high amounts of zinc in beef and lamb, shellfish and legumes such as hummus, chickpeas, lentils and black beans.

This Lemony Kale Pasta Salad with Pistachio Nuts is super simple to make, and packed with flavor. Make it with your pasta of choice ~ gluten free, grain free, or legume based for a nutritious boost of protein and fiber. So delicious!

Lemony Kale Pasta & Pistachio Salad

  • 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 8 oz gluten free pasta
  • 4 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 clove garlic – minced
  • 4 cups chopped kale
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup pistachio nuts – chopped
  • Salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes to taste
  1. For the dressing: Combine olive oil, lemon juice, and minced garlic in a jar. Shake well to combine and set aside.
  2. For the pasta salad: Cook the pasta according to directions, then drain. Pour the pasta in to a large bowl, and add the chopped kale, parmesan cheese, and pistachio nuts. Pour dressing on top and toss well. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.
  3. You may serve the pasta salad right away, but we recommend letting the dressing infuse the pasta and kale for 10 or more minutes. You may also keep it in the refrigerator and serve it cold the next day.