Superfoods to prep your skin for summer

As you probably know, but if you don’t, one of my mantras is beauty inside out and I believe that beauty is just as much about what we put into our body as what we put onto our body. After all, how can we expect to look great if we don’t feel great on the inside?

You’ll be relieved to know that to get feeling super, you just need to jump on the superfood bandwagon. Why? Because superfoods contain all important anti-oxidants which benefit you in the following ways:

• They minimise cell damage which can lead to life-threatening diseases
• They combat signs of ageing by preventing skin oxidisation
• They encourage healthy cells

Anti-oxidants are essential in the months leading up to summer, because it’s a season that can be particularly rough on the skin. For instance, skin is vulnerable to damage when exposed to UV radiation. Plus, chlorine and salt water can be drying, whilst sand and sun cream can irritate the skin and lead to blocked pores. Not ideal, especially when you just want to relax and absorb some happiness-inducing vitamin D.

The beauty of introducing anti-oxidants into your diet means the chances of skin damage are reduced. By forming a protective barrier over the skin, anti-oxidants can counteract harmful UVA/UVB rays.

The good news is that anti-oxidant superfoods are plentiful and inexpensive. Here are our top 3 picks:

Green tea: there are a huge variety of green tea infusions to choose from if you’re not the biggest fan of the original, so even the pickiest hot beverage consumer can be won over. Green tea is positively bursting with angelicantioxidants such as EGCG, which is extremely effective at combating free radicals (the atoms that cause cell damage).

Tomatoes: whether you blend them in a smoothie, mix them in a salad, or make a cheese and tomato sandwich – it doesn’t matter – you need to get tomatoes into your diet. They contain an antioxidant called lycopene, which has been linked to good bone health, especially in women, as it decreases the chance of contracting osteoporosis.

Blueberries: unfortunately, that blueberry muffin isn’t going to cut it, as blueberries need to be consumed raw for the biggest boost of antioxidants. With health benefits including prolonged cognitive health and positive heart activity, you’ll wonder how you lived without them. Ever wondered what makes blueberries blue? That’ll be the anti-oxidant pigments called anthocyanins.

Once your skin has been suitably boosted with anti-oxidants from the inside, it’s time to address the outside.

The Antonia Burrell Mask Supreme 7-in-1 is full of skin-loving anti-oxidants such as phoridium extract, a micro-algae which slows down ageing and prevents sun damage by encouraging cell renewal. This translates into a fresh, glowing complexion with super smooth, summer-ready skin. Mango butter protects from UV radiation whilst giving some TLC to weather-beaten skin, whilst vitamin E from safflower oleosomes hydrates and maintains elasticity, creating a barrier against oxidisation. Mask Supreme is the warrior of skincare that laughs in the face of oxidisation, and does wonders for yours.