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Add orange and red vegetables like carrots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, acorn squash, and red bell peppers to your diet, along with fruits like pumpkins, papayas, and cantaloupe. While beta-carotene doesn't technically spur on melanin production, this fat-soluble pigment will accumulate in your skin to give you a natural golden glow. The effects of beta-carotene on skin pigmentation have been found most effective on lighter skin tones. Many of these foods also contain Vitamin A, an antioxidant that helps support the production of melanin. Mix dark green vegetables like broccoli, spinach, and some lettuce varieties into your diet. Despite their color, these foods also contain beta-carotene. Cooking these vegetables won't decrease the amount of beta-carotene you ingest, so feel free to get creative in the kitchen. Vitamin E can be found in nuts, whole grains, seeds, and many fruits and vegetables including asparagus, avocados, and corn. You can get Vitamin C from citrus fruits (such as oranges, grapefruit, and clementines) as well as pineapples and bell peppers. Foods rich in both vitamins include green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, berries, and broccoli. These foods have antioxidant properties, meaning they can help protect your skin from cell damage while encouraging balanced melanin production. To get the highest vitamin levels from fruits and vegetables, eat them raw. Increased melanin production reduces the skin's ability to take in Vitamin D from natural sunlight exposure. It's a crucial vitamin for keeping the bones and blood healthy, so you should supplement your diet with a few of the foods that contain the vitamin. Incorporate fish like salmon, catfish, mackerel, and herring into your diet. Canned fish like tuna and sardines are good sources as well, as are fish oils including cod liver oil. Use moderation and eat these foods a few times a week to reduce your overall consumption of fat and mercury.
Consume foods with high levels of beta-carotene and Vitamin A. Eat foods containing Vitamins C and E. Add oil-rich fish to your diet to boost your Vitamin D intake.