Have you got acne, sick office skin from the air conditioning, cold sores or eczema? Do sulfur-rich foods, fish oils and Vitamin E help prevent ageing?

Alix Kirsta in "Eating for a Healthy Skin" explains that "the relationship between the outer and inner body, though not immediately obvious, is intimate in the extreme. No other visible part of the body records the shifting patterns of health as accurately as the skin."

Healthy skin is constantly repairing and renewing itself, with cell division being most prolific between midnight and 4am. Skin renewal begins to slow down gradually from the age of 35 or 40.

It is a pity the author's background is not given but she describes my fair and dry skin better than I could. Oil, Asian and black skin types are characterized too, followed by the effect of external influences such as pollution and the benefits of vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Skin excretes up to two liters of fluid every day.

A chart called the "A-Z of Skin Problems" provides the common causes, dietary factors and key nutrients for broken red veins, chapped lips, psoriasis, stretch marks, sunburn, thrush, cold sores, eczema, and acne.

A consultant nutritionist has provided a computer analysis of every recipe, detailed in a block beside ingredients. The breakdown of calories, protein, carbohydrate and fiber per serving is followed by vitamin content which ranges from one to five stars based on daily amounts recommended by the Department of Health in Britain!

Brief comments at the start of each recipe refer to its high points linking vitamin content with skin and body function.

Eating for a Healthy Skin is handsomely designed with lively white spots on a grey border opening every mono chromatic chapter. Full page color photographs each display three dishes garnished with vibrant fruits, berries, herbs and vegetables.

In the main fish, meat and poultry sections the recipe with the most stars for folic acid, iron, Vitamins C and B12 is Liver with Satsumas. My butcher, of Spanish ancestry, says everyone should eat liver once a week and that Australians would be more inclined to the dish if it was called Lamb's Fry with Mandarins. By whatever name, it was inexpensive, quick to prepare and very tasty.

Method: Using a sharp knife pare rind from 2 mandarins, cut into thin strips and set aside. Divide mandarins into segments, remove pips.

Toss 450g lamb's liver, sliced and cut lengthways into thin strips, in 2 tbsp plain wholemeal flour and sprinkle with peeper to taste, heat 2 tbsp polyunsaturated oil in a non-stick frying pan, add 1 skinned and sliced onion and cook for 5 minutes or until soft, stirring occasionally.

Add the liver and cook for about 5 minutes or until the liver changes color, stirring occasionally.

Stir in mandarin segments and 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley and cook for a further 2 minutes or until the fruit has softened slightly and the liver is tender. Serve hot, garnished with the strips of mandarin rind.