You’ve heard of the beauty benefits of avocado and cucumber, but what about licorice? If it makes you feel any better, we hadn’t heard of licorice either. In addition to this childhood candy store favorite, a surprising number of food items have been recently identified as having hidden (or at least understated) anti-aging properties. Although there are many to choose from, here are our top five:

Licorice

How could we resist this one? According to some research, licorice extract can help reduce skin inflammation as well as discoloration. On the health front, the National Cancer Institute recognizes the extract’s benefit in causing cell termination in cancer cells. While research is still underway on these applications, Europeans have used licorice in acne-fighting and sunburn-treating products for years for its anti-inflammatory and anti-redness characteristics. Products for both of these applications are available in the United States as well.

Broccoli

Although broccoli never got good press on our plates as kids, many researchers and dermatologists are singing a different tune now. Like licorice, broccoli has also been found to have certain cancer-fighting properties that are being more fully researched. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have discovered a chemical in broccoli that triggers the body’s own cancer-fighting enzymes. As far as your day to day skincare regimen is concerned, broccoli can also help repair the damage that your skin care products miss. So as much as it pains us to say it, be sure to eat your broccoli.

Mushrooms

These oddly shaped fungi may just be the best-kept anti-aging secret on the planet. Scientists have discovered that extracts from mushrooms – specifically shiitake and mannentake – help prevent the breakdown of collagen and elastin, your skin’s building blocks. On top of that, a chemical derived from these mushrooms also can significantly reduce certain free radicals – the biggest contributors to sun-damaged skin (after the sun, of course). Look for moisturizers and face serums that include these extracts on their list of ingredients and try them for yourself.

Apples

It turns out that there is some truth to that old adage, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” after all. There is an antioxidant in apples called phloretin that we can only get from eating the skin and actual flesh of the apple (a glass of apple juice won’t cut it). This antioxidant has been shown to be an excellent match for a number of those pesky free radicals we keep talking about. Phloretin can also help reduce inflammation and hyperpigmentation (redness and other skin discolorations), so look for phloretin in soothing face creams.

Pomegranates

Pomegranates may not be new to the skincare scene, but that does not diminish the effectiveness that this fruit and its extracts can have for your skin. In addition to having its own host of free radical-fighting antioxidants, pomegranates can also help reduce the appearance of dark spots on your skin and soothe your skin after too much time spent in the sun. So between the anti-aging properties of its antioxidants and the anti-inflammatory properties it exhibits, the pomegranate is quickly becoming the go to fruit for skin-conscious women and men who would rather slow the appearance of the passage of time. We say pass the white tea pomegranate smoothie.

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