There probably isnt a person reading this who was not told by at least one adult during their childhood that eating junk food would give them spots. Maybe it was potato chips, maybe it was chocolate. Maybe it was pizza – which certainly used to be a popular one, and gave an extra depth of pathos to any “pizza face” jibes that got thrown around. The truth is that a bad diet can lead to bad skin, and that eating and drinking the right things can have big rewards when it comes to looking good on the outside. Eating the wrong things can have disastrous results, even if you wash twice daily and use all the most expensive treatments.

Firstly, it is true (up to a point) that too much chocolate will have an adverse effect on your skin. Refined sugar-based products do terrible things to your facial skin and do nothing to inhibit the production of excess oils. A bar of chocolate every so often is fine – everything in moderation, after all – but if you make a daily habit of it, and go beyond the one bar, you will soon see the ill effects. Caffeine is another thing that should be taken in moderation. Excessive caffeine – it is a diuretic after all – will cause your skin to dry out and will mean that you miss out on important nutrients.

So what should you eat? Well, fish is never a bad option. Ideally not coated in breadcrumbs, a bit of fish every few days will allow your skin to get the supply of oils that it needs in order to thrive. And if you pair that fish with some good vegetables – carrots and green veg like broccoli or spinach – you will get a good supply of Vitamin A, which helps keep the skin healthy. Vitamin E is an important contributor as well, and is present in nuts – specifically hazelnuts or almonds – which you can snack on when you get peckish. And if you drink water regularly, it will flush the system of impurities, meaning there is no need for you to get blemishes any more.