Eating these popular foods makes you more attractive, according to scientists

You remember it like it was yesterday: to convince you to eat your carrots, you were told that they would give you beautiful thighs; for the more grumpy, there was even the option that 'carrots make you nicer'. However, what should have been filed away in the 'bedtime stories' category of your childhood deserves to be re-evaluated. Scientists have discovered that certain foods have the power to make us more attractive, all at a lower cost.

Sexy as a carrot

What if your parents hadn't been leading you on after all? A study published in the scientific journal PLOS One shows that, when eaten regularly, certain foods can make us more attractive. How? By positively altering our natural tan, the famous glow. Diets rich in carotenoids are the best way to do this.

Carotenoids are natural plant pigments found in red, orange, yellow and green fruits and vegetables. These fat-soluble substances have antioxidant properties, helping to combat premature aging of the skin. Carotenoids include beta-carotene, lycopene and lutein.

Scientists from the University of St Andrews conducted a 6-week experiment on 35 people. Those who had eaten more fruit and vegetables than the others were each time assessed as physically more attractive. The tanned appearance of their skin was seen as even more attractive than those who had been able to perfect their tan in the open air of the sun.

Beautiful skin effect

This is because, by ingesting the right fruits and vegetables, the skin absorbs carotenoids through its various layers, which in turn give it that pretty orange tan. A sort of self-tanner courtesy of Mother Nature. According to scientists, one to two extra servings of fruit and vegetables a day, for a month, is enough for beautiful skin. In fact, experts recommend having a minimum of 5 fruits and vegetables a day as part of a balanced diet.

Organic and pesticide-free, the effects are all the better. As well as making you more attractive, fruit and vegetables have significant effects on general health: a more resistant immune system, improved transit... Among the richest in carotenoids are apricots, carrots, guava, grapes, mangoes, watermelon, sweet potatoes and tomatoes.

Read more:

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This article has been translated from Gentside FR.

Sources used:

PLOS One: You Are What You Eat: Within-Subject Increases in Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Confer Beneficial Skin-Color Changes

The Sun: FOOD FOR THOUGHT Scientists discover the 19 foods that can make you more attractive – and they’ll cost you less than £1