Eat your way to fabulous skin

If you want radiant skin, the old adage 'you are what you eat' has never rung more true.

The golden rules

Moisturisers and sunscreens can help to keep you looking youthful, but your skin also needs to be nourished from within and the best way to do that is by choosing the right diet.

Eat your 5-a-day

Eat more red peppers Fruit and vegetables contain powerful antioxidants that help to protect against the cell damage caused by free radicals, which include smoking, pollution and sunlight. Vitamin C is one of the most powerful antioxidants. it is found in all fruit and veg but especially in citrus fruits, red peppers, guavas and kiwi fruit. Betacarotene, found in pumpkin, carrots, and sweet potatoes, and lutein, found in kale, papaya and spinach are also potent antioxidants.

Cut out crash diets

Repeatedly losing and regaining weight can take its toll on your skin, causing sagging, wrinkles and stretch marks. Crash diets are often short in essential vitamins, too.

Stock up on selenium

This is also a powerful antioxidant - studies suggest that a selenium-rich diet can help to protect against skin cancer, sun damage and age spots. One way to boost your intake is to eat Brazil nuts - just four nuts will provide the recommended daily amount (rda). Other good sources are fish, shellfish and eggs.