For people with arthritis, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is key to overall health. Now, new research suggests fruits and veggies may not only help you feel good, but also help you look good, producing a healthy glow that is safer than a suntan for many taking immunosuppressant medications and certain conditions, such as lupus.

"We found that the more fruits and vegetables you eat, the more golden and yellower your skin color," says study head Ian Stephen, PhD, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus.

"And secondly, we found that people think this golden skin color is more attractive than a suntan."

In the first part of the study, 82 people filled out detailed questionnaires asking what foods they ate and how often they ate them. The more fruits and veggies they ate a day, the yellower their skin, according to the study in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior.

Then, the researchers used an instrument called a spectrophotometer that can distinguish between different pigments and chemicals in the body based on how much ultraviolet light they absorb.

Results showed that people with more golden skin had higher levels of carotenoids, antioxidants that soak up damaging compounds produced by the body, especially when it is combating disease, Stephen says. Yellow and red peppers, tomatoes, carrots, apricots and melons are all rich in caretonoids.

In the final part of the study, 70 young men and women were shown 51 faces on a computer screen and told to make them look as healthy as possible by manipulating the amount of carotenoids and other skin pigments. All increased the amount of carotenoids, showing that people prefer the golden, yellow glow produced by fruits and veggies to the look of a suntan, Stephen says.

Fruits and veggies rich in caretonoids and other antioxidants also pack a punch against the inflammation that affects joints, making them swell and turn red and tender, in rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, and other forms of autoimmune arthritis, says Scott Zashin, MD, clinical associate professor of medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas.

His own research, while preliminary, also suggests that tart cherries may help to relieve pain in people with fibromyalgia and arthritis.

A diet rich in fruits and veggies has the added bonus of helping people shed pounds and avoid obesity, says Sharon Kolasinski, MD, professor of clinical medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. And obesity has been linked to premature osteoarthritis of the knees and hips, as well as more severe symptoms of RA.

A high-veggie diet is also good for your heart health, which is particularly important for people with RA, who are already at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, Kolasinki says.

So how can you get more fruits and veggies in your diet? The key: Setting realistic goals and planning in advance, say experts. "Have fruit on hand for a snack during the workday," Zashin says.