As summer gets closer, everyone is excited to spend time outdoors. But when it comes time to protect your skin from the sun, what you put on your plate may be just as important as what you slather on your body. Foods that are high in antioxidants can help reduce your free-radical load and protect your skin from the sun’s rays. Your first steps in preventing sun damage are simple: Use sunscreen, wear a hat, sunglasses and specially designed sun-protective clothing. But before you hit the beach, it is also equally important to take note of the following antioxidant-rich foods that help defend against sun damage and skin cancer.

1.) Colorful Fruits: Too much sun can hurt plants as much as it can hurt humans. When you go out in the sun, put on sunscreen. Plants use color as sunscreen. The more colorful the plant, the higher its protection against unwanted rays. Some of the most colorful plants get their hue from a naturally occurring pigment found in red and pink fruits.

Try It: Cooked tomatoes are in everything from tomato juice and paste to soup, sauce and ketchup – all of which contain the highest concentrations of the antioxidant lycopene your body can use. You can also get helpful amounts of lycopene from watermelon, guava and pink grapefruit. Other carotenoids are easy to find by sticking to brightly colored fruits and veggies such as blueberries, strawberries and red, yellow and orange peppers.

2.) Cold-Water Fish: Fish don’t need sunscreen, but their omega-3 fatty acids go a long way toward protecting our skin. Like antioxidants, omega-3s soothe inflammation. Cells made with monounsaturated fats (such as omega-3s) are better able to defend themselves against free radicals than are cells made with saturated fat. In addition to increasing your “good” fat, cutting your overall fat intake is a safe bet, too.

Try It: To get the benefits of fish oil, try eating at least two servings (one portion is the size of a deck of cards) of omega-3-rich fish (herring, mackerel, trout, sardines or salmon) a week. Studies suggest that fish oil supplements offer the same benefits.

3.) Dark Chocolate: The antioxidants found in dark chocolate, called flavonoids, may safeguard your skin from the sun. In a recent study, scientists asked two groups of 12 volunteers each to start their day with a cup of hot chocolate. One group’s beverage was spiked with 329 mgs. of total-cocoa flavanols (a class of flavonoids); the other group had only 26.8 mgs. At the beginning, middle and end of the study, researchers tested a small section of each participant’s skin for its ability to fend off sunlight and found a 25 percent increase in that ability in those who’d had the flavanol-charged cocoa. Meanwhile, the control group saw no change.

Try It: Nibble on a two-ounce serving of dark chocolate a day. Do not bother with milk chocolate – the milk prevents the absorption of polyphenols (antioxidants that target free radicals unleashed by the sun). And don’t make your hot cocoa with milk.

4.) Green And Black Tea: Both black and green teas contain polyphenols. A study found that subjects who drank two or more cups of either black or green tea daily were 30 percent less likely to have squamous cell carcinoma than their peers who didn’t drink tea. Even better, those who’d sipped tea for 47 years or more saw their odds of squamous cell cancer plummet by an impressive 51 percent.

The polyphenols in tea may also protect the skin against moderate sun exposure. While they originate from the same plant, black and green teas are not created equal. Green tea has more epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the most powerful polyphenol of them all. For scientists, the next step is to distinguish the protective differences, if any, between the two teas. Until results are in, play it safe and stick with green tea.

Try It: Let tea steep a little longer than normal – about five minutes. The longer it steeps, the higher the polyphenol content.

5.) Green Leafy Vegetables: Savvy eaters know that broccoli and leafy greens like spinach, kale and chard help ward off lung and colon cancers, but new evidence hints that the protection may extend to the skin. A breakthrough study suggested that the blend of antioxidants , vitamins , and minerals in green veggies could lower the risk of squamous cell carcinoma by more than 50 percent.

Most recently, scientists have discovered that broccoli sprouts house a potent skin cancer weapon – sulfraphane. The anticancer compound increases the body’s natural production of the enzymes that protect skin from the sun. Broccoli isn’t a substitute for sunscreen, but the protection you get won’t wash off in the pool!

Try It: Get in the habit of eating broccoli by steaming a head (or two for a family) every week. Keep it in the fridge and dole out half-cup servings, and try adding broccoli sprouts to salads or sandwiches.

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