I’m writing about this a little later than I wanted to but it needed to be stated, for at least my own sake. A few weeks ago something happened in my life that on the outset seems insignificant but to me is a rather major moment in both my personal life and career.

I appeared on television, in a professional studio and on an actual TV station shooting in high definition, without makeup.

My skin is terrible. It started like it does for most people, in high school, and simply continued to progress during college and the early stages of my professional life. At times it became so worrisome that I wondered if an on-camera career was even possible.

Yes, most people (men and women) you see on camera are wearing makeup, and I had received a few small tutorials on how to apply it. But I was far from a professional and especially if I was having a bad skin day, it didn’t make much of a difference. I even went through a rather long phase of tanning, telling myself that by darkening and evening out the color of my skin, you wouldn’t be able to notice the blemishes as much. Of course, this is fake news; tanning actually makes everything worse.

So what changed over the past 15 years or so that I’ve been pursuing on-camera work? In short, my diet.

A few years ago I tried out this whole “30-day vegan challenge” that a lot of celebrities were partaking in. The results have stuck with me ever since. I learned just how bad my body handles dairy and more importantly, I started to pay attention to not just what I was eating, but the ingredients that comprised the food I was consuming.

Personally, the results have been life-changing. I have made other alterations in my workout regimen, supplement intake and alcohol consumption. But just switching up my diet has minimized breakouts, improved the appearance of scars and boosted the confidence I have on-camera.

It also has saved me a few dollars – after all, I don’t have to pay for those pricey tanning sessions anymore.