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Red wine is considered almost a health food for lowering the risk of heart attack and stroke. Why would anyone want to forego that benefit in favour of your no-alcohol regimen? Could you discuss the trade-offs? Tom Franczak, Columbus, Ohio

Having a glass of wine with your meal is not a problem because wine can provide some important antioxidants called polyphenols, which do help to protect the body. However, I suggest that you have it with your meal rather than before to avoid a rapid rise in blood sugar and a burst of inflammation throughout the body.

Is decaffeinated coffee acceptable, as part of your diet regime? Marie DeNino, Smithtown, New York

No, all coffee should be cut out. Coffee increases levels of the stress hormone cortisol. An elevation of this hormone can have adverse effects on the immune system, brain cells, sugar metabolism, and weight gain. In addition, coffee drinking is reported to cause increased body fat.

I'm a veggie and do not eat fish; is there a version of your diet for non-fish eaters? Janet Chute, Dublin

Not at the moment. Fish tops the list of foods that keep you youthful. It is an outstanding source of high-quality and easily digested protein with low saturated fat. What makes fish stand out from other excellent protein sources is its type of fat and fatty acid content, both of which have powerful anti-inflammatory effects.

I always understood that if you were over 40, dieting would be liable to make you look older, as your face can end up looking gaunt rather than youthful. We all want to be slimmer, but what can older people do to avoid looking haggard? Betty Williams, Cardiff

It would be advisable to follow the Perricone "Wrinkle-Free" way of eating. It is a 28-day programme that assists in firming and toning the skin primarily, while at the same time assisting in losing a few unwanted kilos.

Your diet recommends eating high quantities of protein. What is the key difference between what you recommend and Dr Atkins’s diet, which has been undergoing some criticism lately? Marcus Walker, Hornsey, London

Dr Atkins's diet is a weight-loss diet. The Perricone Programme, on the other hand, is for skin conditioning, improving firmness and tone, in what could be called the “wrinkle free” way of eating. It includes, with high-quality protein intake, carbohydrates that are low on the glycemic index (under 50). These carbohydrates include antioxidants and anti-inflammatories in the form of berries, as well as melon for the rehydration of skin. Weight loss is incidental to the Perricone way of eating.

Can sticking to your diet help with acne? I have been plagued with spots since my teens, and they have not gone away even now that I am in my twenties. I have tried everything and am very depressed that I don’t seem to be going to grow out of them. Name and address withheld

It is very difficult to comment on your skin condition and how the diet may affect you without a consultation. However, my new book The Acne Prescription has just been launched this month. This book would be a good starting point for you as an acne sufferer.

What is your view of fish-oil supplements – cod-liver oil capsules, etc? Can they substitute for eating actual portions of fish, especially at breakfast time? Brigid Wareham, Manchester

No - Your diet should form the basis of your intake, leaving the capsules as a mere supplement.

Most of the salmon we buy in UK supermarkets is farmed salmon. Wild salmon is usually expensive and not so common. Is it OK to use farmed salmon? Brenda Soskin, London

Farmed salmon tends to have additives, without which the flesh would be grey, not pink. Wild salmon migrate through thousands of miles of open ocean, hunting for food and avoiding predators. This makes them leaner with little or no visible fat. They also have a far higher level of omega-3 fatty acids.

You recommend green tea in your book. Is it true that it can prevent cancer – which I have seen in a newspaper recently? Name and address withheld

There are many such theories, but there is no conclusive proof. It does contain catechin polyphenols, antioxidants that boost metabolism and slow ageing. It also blocks the absorption of bad fats by 30 per cent.