You may be coming to this blog wondering how you can prevent sunburns. Good thinking, since it hints at that right in the title. Sunscreen. The answer to your question is sunscreen. If you are at the beach, enjoying time on a boat or simply mowing the lawn before your significant other starts giving you the stink eye, you should always, always wear sunscreen. Your skin is easily damaged, sometimes irreversibly, by even just minutes in direct sunlight.

Now, if you’re  looking for sunburn prevention tips to stack on top of a finely applied sheen of sunblock, you’re at the right place.

We love food. From unlimited wings at the local sports bar to Mom’s famous spaghetti, there is no question that food is a pleasure that easily ranks up there with boating and marathoning your favorite Netflix shows (in one weekend, no less). But, did you know that food was holding out on you? It’s true! Many foods you may have at your house right now can not only cure your hunger-related grumpiness but also may prevent and relieve nasty sunburns from your day out on the water.

Which Foods Assist in Sunburn Prevention and Relief?

• Guavas: Vitamin C doesn’t just stave off scurvy, it also may help your skin from sun damage. Packed with more vitamin C than about five oranges, guavas are filled with antioxidant goodness that may help you stay medium instead of well done.
• Strawberries: Though you may look like Carrie on prom night after smearing mashed strawberries on your sunburns, you’ll be thankful for the soothing, sting-reducing properties of tannin, which the berries are rich in.
• Cucumbers: Already burned? If you’re fresh out of strawberries but just finished assembling a killer mixed salad, you may be in luck. Mashed cucumbers are an organic and well-known remedy for painful sunburns, providing over-the-counter relief without an unpronounceable list of chemicals.
• Oatmeal: Looking for a reason to soak in the tub? If you’re already burned, grind up a cup of oatmeal and add it to a cool bath for full-body relief.
• Potatoes: Cut a raw potato and rub the slice onto especially painful burns for some quality relief provided by the potato’s starchiness.
• Pomegranate: As both an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, pomegranates are not only delicious (and pretty fun to eat to boot) but help protect skin from UVA and UVB skin cell damage.

With this info in hand, check your pantry, plunder the fruit basket and inspect your veggie drawer for all you need (other than sunscreen) to help prevent or overcome a cooked-lobster-like exterior. Never forget, sun protection is serious business, especially when our passion keeps us spending hours in the great outdoors. We pulled much of this info from a very interesting article on Prevention.com, which you should check out if you want to learn more about these alternative sunburn prevention remedies. Enjoy your time on the water and make sure you don’t end up extra crispy.