Skin Saver

Lemon peel is more than the perfect martini twist. Grate it into your salad or over your sole and you’ll get a huge flavor punch and a handy health boost. Lemon rind -- orange and grapefruit peel, too -- is high in d-limonene, a compound in citrus oil that reduces your risk of squamous cell carcinoma. (Just eat quickly or in the shade -- guess which we recommend: The sun oxidizes C in about 30 seconds.)

This type of skin cancer hits about 200,000 people in the United States each year, and it tends to pop up where the sun shines -- on your face, hands, ears, neck, and lips. D-limonene may help block the growth of these tumors.

Of course, depending on zest alone to prevent skin cancer is like depending on the cable company to come when they say they’re going to. To save your skin (from aging and wrinkles, too), you also need a no-fooling sunscreen -- one that has at least an SPF 30 with a 4-star UVA-blocker rating. These skin defenders usually contain either titanium dioxide or zinc oxide (they are micronized, so you no longer have to look like you have cream cheese on your nose). Back them up with smart sun strategies. You know the drill: Avoid direct sun between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.; wear a hat and certified UV-blocking sunglasses; and get regular skin cancer screenings.

Back to that lemon peel. While you can add citrus zest to plenty of dishes, using it to zing up tea gives you the benefits of that beverage, too: In one study, the more tea women drank, the lower their risk of ovarian cancer. The current theory is that tea’s powerful antioxidants, called polyphenols, may prevent cancer cells from growing, could hinder blood supply to a budding tumor, or might encourage cancer cells to commit suicide. Other studies suggest that tea helps prevent heart-attack-inducing plaque from making itself at home in arteries. Now, that’s a great brew