Sunny bright days and lots of time outdoors to enjoy the beauty of nature are the perfect way to get your Lutein. I love the sun’s warmth, and how energizing it is, but those rays, in excess and without proper protection can do damage and accelerate aging of our skin as well as our eyes. 

During my search for a gentle and easy way to protect our skin and eyesight, I discovered that India has the world’s best source of pure lutein, the powerful skin, and eye health nutrient. You know those pretty little marigold flowers, bursting with reds, oranges, and yellows that are as vibrant as Indian culture and as appealing to the senses as their fragrant food? Well, turns out they are not only fun to look at but they’re also a powerful source of antioxidant-rich lutein as well. Lutein helps your body fight free radicals, which ages your skin and damages your eyesight. 

Lutein is helpful for an age-related eye condition called macular degeneration (AMD). When my eyesight started to diminish it personally hit me how important it is to help adults protect their eyesight from blue wave light from the sun and even more importantly, from all of our screen time. AMD may be the most common reason for blindness among older adults and scientist say it is only going to get worse in the coming years. 

Lutein protects the eyes by acting as a buffer between short-wavelength UV light rays and our retina. Researchers have shown that even 6 mg of lutein daily can be instrumental in protecting your eyes. But that’s not all – lutein also helps protect the skin and ward off skin cancer by filtering out the UV rays, which is why I wanted to tell you about this as summer starts. 

In my appreciation of the marigolds, I searched deeper to their healing power and discovered that the lutein in them also prevents elevated blood sugars. And as you know from following me, anything that spikes our blood sugar causes major inflammation downstream, leading to heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer. So, not only do you need lutein as part of your beauty regimen, but it just may be a key to living a longer life with more health and vitality too. 

Here are three easy ways to get more Lutein into your summer beauty routine: 

1. Wake up sunny. Start your day with sunny side up eggs, so you enjoy the yolk and add lightly sautéed greens, such as spinach. (Make sure to use at least 2 cups of spinach, I know it’s a lot, but it’s needed to get enough lutein). The yolks and the greens both provide a great source of this antioxidant. 
2. Enjoy a high-quality lutein supplement, especially if you are taking a trip and need to ensure you’ll still get the nutrients you need while your routine is thrown off!
3. Make a papaya smoothie for lunch or a snack wit: 1 cup kale, 1 cup spinach, 1/2 cup papaya, 1/2 avocado, ice and blend it with a cup of unsweetened coconut milk.