Carrots are chock full of carotenoid, which can give your skin a healthy glow.

By this time of year, our faces can get pretty pale. But there’s a healthier way to give your skin a warm glow than to let it sizzle in the sunshine or soak in a tanning bed. New research shows the best way to boost your complexion is by eating carotenoid-rich vegetables and fruits, such as carrots, tomatoes and red peppers.

The research, published recently in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, credits carotenoid consumption with adding a more golden, yellowish skin color to Caucasian faces. Ian Stephen, from the School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, led the research as part of his doctoral studies at the University of St. Andrews and Bristol University — both located in northern climates not known for sunny skies and bronze bodies. Consuming more carotenoids may increase an individual’s perceived attractiveness, the study said: Skin carotenoid coloration is a valid cue to human health, which is relevant to how we choose our mates.

— Anne Aurand, The Bulletin