Out of the Tanning Bed, Into the Vegetable Aisle

By Mel

I’m really starting to get skeptical of these studies that try to dissuade you from doing something unhealthy by suggesting a healthy alternative that can supposedly provide you with the same astounding results. Next thing I know, they’re gonna make up some “healthy” alternative that provides you with the sweet satisfaction that is college belligerence.

The most recent study? Veggies will tan you.

Scientists are claiming that incorporating more cantaloupe, apricots, carrots, peppers and spinach into your diet can give your skin a golden glow. In the study, Caucasian volunteers who consumed a diet rich in orange and green fruits and vegetables were said to have even preferred the look of the golden glow effect from the diet to the darker effect from the sun. The scientists go on to say that this kind of produce-rich diet can make the skin look more attractive in just a month. (Or your money back?! If this doesn’t sound like some kind of sleazy infomercial, I don’t know what does.)

This must mean no more laying out in those harmful UV rays to get my summer tan, right?
I’m not so sure.

In my lovely household my mother has long enforced the “Green Vegetable Rule.” It’s, without a doubt, pretty silly and childish, but the rule is if we want dessert we must first devour some greens. This often includes peppers or spinach. And guess what?  While I’m quite regular (if you know what I’m sayin’), my skin tone still somehow manages to resemble the pale and sterile color of my bare dorm walls.

It’s hard not to stand behind a scientific study that promotes healthy eating and healthy living habits, but I just have to wonder about this one.

How is this even possible?
How many cantaloupes do I have to eat daily before my skin starts to resemble one?
Won’t eating spinach turn me a nice shade of green instead of giving me a healthy, not-so-sun-kissed glow?

Most importantly, what about The Situation; will he be swapping GTL for GVL?