When it comes to your skin, are you what you eat? Chocolate and fried foods are famous for causing breakouts, but are they true or is it just a skin myth?

Take a closer look at six foods you probably blame for breakouts, and find out what’s really causing problems on your face.

What causes breakouts?

Your face is covered with hair follicles and pores. Oil, dead skin cells, dirt and bacteria can clog up these pores, and that causes breakouts. The foods you eat may go inside your body, but they have a way of affecting the outside, too. Can the foods you eat affect the amount of oil on your skin?

Lots of foods have a bad reputation for causing breakouts, and scientists have studied the topic extensively. One study compared teens aged 15 to 25 living in Papua New Guinea to teens living in Western industrialized countries like the United States. In Papua New Guinea, teens had no acne problems. In the Western countries, between 79 to 95 percent of those studied had pimples. Diet could be the determining factor.

Common Foods That Get Blamed For Breakouts:

1. Soda pop

Colas and soft drinks, which have a lot of sugar, are often blamed for breakouts…and it may be true. Very sugary treats like this can raise blood sugar, causing insulin levels to increase. This can result in dry, flaky skin that clogs pores. Switch to diet sodas to cut back on your sugar.

2. Milk

Activists may say that if you switch to a vegan diet you’ll get clearer skin, and they could be right. People with high-dairy diets seem to get pimples more readily, according to some research.

3. Chocolate

Because chocolate also has a high sugar content, it can cause breakouts like sugary soft drinks. Try eating dark chocolate, which has less sugar and milk, instead.

4. Pizza

Can eating pizza really give you pimples? If it’s made with fresh ingredients, probably not. Acne that’s related to diet usually comes from highly processed and sugary foods. Stick to pizza with less cheese and fresh vegetables to avoid breakouts.

5. Fried foods

Lots of people say you’ve got to avoid fried foods to avoid pimples, and they might be right. Fried foods take moisture out of the body, which can cause more oil to build up in your skin. Drink lots of water daily to keep skin cleaner and avoid oily pores, and drink extra water if you eat anything fried.

6. Potato chips

Are those greasy potato chips really to blame for your skin problems? They might be. Researchers found that high-carbohydrate diets can trigger acne in teens, so those high-carb potato chips can make your skin problems worse.

Choosing a Skin-Healthy Diet

A healthy diet is an easy acne treatment that’s better for your whole body, not just your face.

Avoid breakouts caused by food choices by picking foods that are less processed and lower in sugar content, like whole-grain breads and pastas, and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Another great tip: drink green tea! It’s full of polyphenols, anti-oxidants that appear to prevent skin cancer and protect against free radicals that age the skin.