If there’s one treat the entirety of mankind can get behind, it’s chocolate. Regardless of where you’re from and your race, color, or creed – we all enjoy the sweet taste of chocolate. And if you’ve ever read up on this treat, you may have heard people talking about chocolate having some health benefits as well. Sure, if you’re an avid fitness lover you may dismiss these claims as a way to justify our cravings. But in reality, chocolate does have some great health benefits; especially for our skin and hair. And that’s precisely what we’re going to talk about here today!
Before we describe all the ways chocolate is good for you, we’ll tell you one of the main reasons why this is the case. Chocolate contains flavanols – an intriguing and useful type of plant nutrient. Mind you, this isn’t exclusive to chocolate, and you can find it in stuff like berries, fruit, peanuts, and even in drinks like wine and tea. But one of the places where they’re most readily apparent is in the original cacao beans which you can purchase online from cacao powder providers. And it is by roasting these beans we get that sweet powder used in the production of chocolate.
Cocoa-based flavanols remain the subject of intense studying for decades. Their varied health benefits have become more than apparent, like reducing the chances of a blood clot appearing, better cell regeneration that also leads to hair growth, and an overall improvement of your body’s blood flow.
Though, we should mention that all of this is only true for chocolate that’s not white. Naturally, that kind of chocolate is made without cocoa that gives it the signature brown look. Instead, white chocolate amounts to little in terms of health benefits; it’s really only fat and empty sugar-based calories. That’s why you want to consume chocolate that contains the biggest amount of cocoa; meaning the highest flavanol count as well.
What’s The Catch?
Useful Chocolate Properties
One of the main reasons why (the right kind of) chocolate is not bad for you is the number of antioxidants it contains. This is especially true for dark chocolate – logically the one that has the biggest cocoa count, and thus a larger amount of antioxidants like the above-mentioned flavanols; but also others like catechins and polyphenols.
On top of that, dark chocolate is amazing in terms of fiber; as much as a tenth of a 100gm of dark chocolate is all useful fibers. And its list of great properties doesn’t end there. You also get a good percentage of your needed daily intake for minerals; stuff like magnesium, iron, and manganese. Not to mention other useful stuff like zinc or potassium.
Now that we’ve examined why chocolate is good for your body from a perspective of biology and chemistry, we’ll give you a rundown of how it’s good for you in practice. First of all, chocolate is pretty amazing for your skin. And there are lots of ways you can use it to make your skin healthier; whether you want to consume it, use it to make hot cocoa and other drinks, or even mix your own beauty treatments.
Sun Protection
A lot of research shows that dark chocolate consumption will allow you to achieve a healthier skin texture. And that also means having less adverse effects from sun exposure – in fact, up to 25% less! You will suffer from sunburn a lot less, reject a bigger portion of the sun’s UV rays, and have a lower risk of major health issues such as skin cancer. Not to mention its benefits in terms of preventing long-term skin discoloration.
Anti-aging
If you eat dark chocolate in moderation, but on a regular basis – you’ll find that your skin pigmentation is much better. Say goodbye to nasty dark spots and dryness. You’ll be able to constantly achieve the levels of skin moisture you want, and your skin’s collagen levels will be on a satisfactory level. And at last – you will develop fewer wrinkles and face lines as time goes on because your face will have better circulation.
Cell Growth
Remember all of those important minerals we’ve talked about before? Well, they’re essential for the health of your skin, as well as its youthful look and longevity. If you get enough of minerals like zinc and copper from your dark chocolate, you will look fresher overall. Your skin will be detoxified on a more regular basis, and you won’t have as many dead cells on it. And apart from making your skin smoother, all of this also ensures that your skin will scar less, and heal better. Soon enough, you’ll notice you have far fewer blemishes than before.
Less Inflammation
One of the problems with eating disorders is that junk food is often a cause of skin inflammation. However, a moderate dark chocolate intake actually does wonders to prevent that. Over the long term, the flavanols we’ve mentioned help you alleviate eczema and acne, making your skin much healthier.
It’s not only chocolate, there’s more to it than only satisfying our tastebuds but if you take care of your overall nutrition and wellness, chocolate shouldn’t be on your list of ingredients to avoid. Natural food, correct vitamins in the right dosage – HealthTrends gives huge guides on these – and chocolate… Who could ever want something more?
Skin Benefits of Dark Chocolate
Hair Benefits
Naturally, the title of this article already reveals that dark chocolate is not just good for your skin – it also has quite a few benefits to provide your hair as well. And we’ll explore some of the major ones right here!
Hair Volume
The minerals that help your skin clear itself of any dead cells are also a major boon when it comes to helping your hair’s cell growth. The volume of your hair depends on the quality of blood circulation in the cells leading to your scalp and hair. If nutrient-rich minerals can easily reach this area of your head, your hair will be far stronger and healthier. Over time, this also prevents hair loss.
Infections And Sun Damage
Apart from accelerating hair growth, the inflammation reduction that comes from consuming dark chocolate also renders your scalp more immune to all kinds of infections; as well as more dangerous chronic issues. And having sturdier scalp health also means having better hair. Plus, your scalp will be able to repel UV rays more easily, just like your skin does.
