It's Skin Cancer Awareness Week on OnMilwaukee.com, dedicated to the memory of our colleague, Tim Cuprisin, who died of melanoma last fall. Melanoma kills 9,100 Americans each year, but together, we can beat it. All week long, we're bringing you survivor stories, prevention plans and breakthroughs to make skin cancer a disease of the past. We've also set up a fund in memory of Tim and urge you to donate here. Skin Cancer Awareness Week is sponsored by the Dermatology Associates of Wisconsin. Enjoy the Milwaukee summer, but be safe and smart in the sun!

Some people do not believe sunscreen is the best way to prevent a sunburn. In fact, some believe sunscreen is doing more harm than good. (Research it to decide for yourself what you think about this.)

Personally, I believe in wearing sunscreen, especially for kids, but I also think there's something worth exploring about natural sun protection through diet.

It's possible that what you eat could reduce your chance of sunburn.

To achieve optimum resilience to harmful sun rays, it's recommended people avoid processed foods, vegetable oils, grains and sugars. Eating healthy saturated fats, foods rich in omega-3s, leafy greens and at least two tablespoons of tomato paste every day could result in more resilience to harmful sun rays.

Taking a variety of daily supplements is also suggested, including 2,000 mg of vitamin N, 1/4 cup of coconut oil melted in herbal tea, fermented cod liver oil and Astaxanthin, a potent antioxidant which might act as an internal sunscreen (not recommended for kids).

Of course, wearing protective clothing and using sunscreen for prolonged exposure is probably a wise idea, but an anti-inflammatory diet (which is what's suggested above) and a few supplements might be more effective for day-to-day sun protection.