How to Protect Your Baby’s Skin This Summer

Summer is almost here and it’s time to start thinking about how you can protect your baby’ skin from the suns powerful rays. Believe it or not, you can help protect your infant from the harmful effects of UV radiation by incorporating high antioxidant foods that work to repair damage caused by the sun. One reason I love Baby Gourmet products is because every meal option includes ingredients known to protect against skin and other cancers as well as repair damaged tissues right down to a cellular level.

Truth Be Told:

Although most people know how important sunscreen is, many people are not as aware of the important role nutrition plays in protecting babies' skin.. A food can either be filled with vitamins, minerals, enzymes and phytochemicals or void of all these things. I truly believe that we are what we eat and our children are what we feed them. Below, I have highlighted a few fruits and vegetables that are known to protect the skin against free radical damage caused by the sun. If you notice, all of these foods can be found in one or many of the variety of Baby Gourmet products.

Sweet Potato:

Sweet potato’s are rich in vitamins B₆ and C. Vitamin C is essential for immune function, reduces inflammation and produces collagen that helps maintain skin’s youthful elasticity. Vitamin C is known to protect against cancer including skin cancer. The orange color of sweet potatoes is due to their high carotenoid content. Beta-carotene and other carotenoids are powerful antioxidants that ward off cancer and prevent premature aging due to chronic sun exposure.

Why not try Baby Gourmet's Apple, Sweet Potato Berry Swirl and Baby's Sweet Potato Pie

Carrot:

Like sweet potato, carrots are rich in carotenoids. The high vitamin A content in carrots protect the skin from sun damage as well as premature wrinkling, pigmentation and uneven skin tone.

Why not try Baby Gourmet's Orchard Apple, Carrot & Prune

Pear:

Pears are powerful free-radical fighters. They are naturally high in Vitamin C, Vitamin K and copper. Pears also contain Quercetin, which is a natural anti-inflammatory abundant in pear, apple and onions. It is another antioxidant that is protective against all cancers including skin cancer.

Baby Gourmet incorporates pear in both Harvest Pear, Pumpkin & Banana and Juicy Pear & Garden Greens

Spinach:

Spinach contains a multitude of nutrients including folic acid, vitamin A, C, and E, and a variety of carotenoids that boost the skin’s natural defenses against UV damage. Studies have found that eating spinach can reduce a person’s risk of developing skin cancer by 55%.

Baby Gourmet makes spinach taste great in their top seller: Juicy Pear & Garden Greens

Blueberry:

Berries are an excellent source of Vitamin C and are one of the highest antioxidant-containing foods. Blueberries and other berries have been well studied for their cancer protective qualities.

Baby Gourmet's Apple, Sweet Potato Berry Swirl includes delicious, healthy blueberries.

Of Course, Lets Not Forget:

Even though we can significantly improve the skin’s ability to repair and regenerate following sun exposure, it is imperative to ensure you are taking other measures to protect your baby’s skin as well as your own.

A Few Extra Tips:

- Infants under 6 months should be strictly limited from the sun.

- Wear Sunscreen with at least an SPF of 30 and with the fewest chemicals as possible.

- Wear a hat, long sleeves and sunglasses

- Sit in the shade

- Moisturize following sun exposure

- Stay hydrated

Shelly Reitkop is a Naturopathic Doctor serving patients in the Greater Toronto Area. Her goal is to inspire health by educating, motivating and empowering people to take an active role in their health care journey. Shelly works with people of all ages and although she has an eclectic practice, she has a specialized clinical focus in pediatric health and women’s health, including perinatal care. Shelly believes in an integrative approach to optimal health and works closely with Medical Doctors and other health care providers to provide the most elite form of comprehensive care. She utilizes a number of different modalities including: Nutrition and Nutritional Supplementation, Botanical Supplementation, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, Homeopathy and Lifestyle Counseling. Her emphasis is on whole family nutrition and believes that ‘you are what you eat’ and ‘small changes make big differences.’ Her goal is to guide families on how they can be their happiest and healthiest.

Shelly is a graduate of The Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM) and is an active member of the Board of Directors of Drugless Therapies. She is pleased to be a member of the Association of Perinatal Naturopathic Doctors (APND), Canadian Society of Orthomolecular Medicine (CSOM) and Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors (OAND).