Even when sex education happens in schools, most people really learn about sex from their friends. Teenagers and even adults have been swapping sex information – and misinformation – with friends since the advent of the spoken language. It’s how wild stories about sexuality (masturbating gives you hairy palms) get spread as well as how information on legitimate concerns can be shared.

So chances are, if you’re old enough to be reading this, you’ve heard the bit of advice about eating pineapple to make oral sex more appealing for your partner. The story goes that if you stick to a steady diet of pineapple for a few days, you’ll smell and taste better making oral sex more … ahem .. palatable.

So is there any truth to the idea? It’s been passed around as gospel truth for generations so surely there’s a grain of truth to it .. right?

The truth is, everything created by your body – saliva, sweat and, yes, ejaculate – is affected by your diet. If you eat foods high in salt, fat and heavy flavors like garlic then you will smell – and taste – more intensely. If, on the other hand, you stick to raw foods like fresh fruit and vegetables you’ll be processing cleaner foods in your system resulting in – you guessed it – a milder, lighter and generally more appealing taste and smell.

How does this happen? It’s the result of the overall affect food has on our bodies. We all know the obvious connection between what we eat and how we look in terms of weights, but food also affects our bodies in a number of other ways.

Good nutrition is linked to healthier skin, better cognitive abilities and even a happier disposition. Over the past several decades we’ve developed a large body of knowledge about the dramatic effects nutrition has on our overall health.

Nutrition feeds every part of our bodies and the skin is the body’s largest organ. So it’s no wonder than a good diet results in healthy skin. A recent review of the available literature on nutrition and the skin shows that Vitamins A, C and E among other well-known skin-friendly ingredients have a substantial effect on the appearance and health of the skin.

Another study conducted in 2010 looked at the history of nutrition and its impact on cognitive development. In that case, researchers found that not only does food impact our brain function in terms of the nutrients it delivers, it also affects our brain as it passes through our digestive tract. Gut flora and bacteria levels are affected by our diet and those levels, in turn, can cloud our thinking and affect things like focus and concentration.

The effects of nutrition reach all the way into our emotions. The connections between amino acids and serotonin levels prove just how much nutrition can affect depression and anxiety. More discoveries on hos nutrition affects mental health has opened the door to innovative treatment options, giving hope to millions.

With so many studies that prove the power of nutrition, it’s no surprise that a healthy diet results in healthier body fluids. If you want to engage in oral sex more often, a healthy diet is a great first step for any reasons. It improves stamina, boosts your sex drive and, yes it’s true, will make you smell and taste better. But don’t worry, you don’t have to stick with pineapple. Simply stick to fresh fruits and vegetables as a part of a whole food diet and you’ll get all the benefits. In this case, the old wives tale is true in a way – it just doesn’t mention you can eat a lot more than just pineapple to get the same results.