Many people assume that chocolate is bad for your skin or that it can cause breakouts and to some extent this is true for chocolate bars with ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup, wheat, dairy, soy, and chemical additives. However, the good news is some chocolate can actually benefit your health, including your skin!
Dark chocolate with over 70% cocoa content is rich in flavonoids which boast antioxidant qualities and in the right amount can actually benefit your health. See below how dark chocolate benefits the health and appearance of your skin:
Helps maintain skin moisture levels and protects against sunburn
Cocoa improves blood circulation to the tiny capillaries in the top layer of your skin, helping them to draw more oxygen and nutrients to protect the skin against dehydration and burns.
It promotes new cell growth with its antioxidants and minerals
Aside from being full of antioxidants, dark chocolate also contains minerals like copper, iron and zinc, all of which promote cell growth. These minerals can improve symptoms of eczema.
Protects against the formation of free radicals
Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that can cause havoc for the skin by breaking down elastin and collagen. If our skin does not have enough antioxidants to fight back against free radicals, signs of aging, from wrinkles to fine lines, can crop up and become more apparent. The antioxidant properties in the flavonoids helps protect your skin against these free radicals.
It reduces stress hormones that can lead to collagen breakdown
Cocoa has been proven to help reduce stress hormones. This is great for our skin, as less stress hormones means less collagen breakdowns and less wrinkles!
So there we go - dark chocolate is actually good for your skin. There is no recommended amount of dark chocolate to consume however if you fancy a treat, we suggest not going mad and stuffing your face with the stuff as this will not help the appearance of your skin! Rather keep the portion small (an ounce per day) to reap the full skin health benefits that are to be had from eating dark chocolate. Enjoy!