The Good, the Bad and the Skinny on Chocolate

It’s a temptation that’s been irresistible to many for ages. Smooth, rich, creamy, sweet chocolate. Once sinful and bad for our diet, researchers soon began making claims that chocolate was actually healthy. Then to our amazement they discovered that the benefits were not as great as they had claimed yet recently studies have shown that once again chocolate is healthy, this time dark chocolate. Now what was once simple chocolate has grown. Today manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon and taken advantage of our obsession for the sweet stuff by offering everything from organic chocolate to chocolate beauty products.

So what exactly is the deal? Is chocolate good for us or not? Despite all of the claims there are actually mixed feelings as to whether the sinful treat is healthy or not.

It’s actually the cocoa and not chocolate itself that may have some benefits after all. However in order to reap those benefits one would have to consume pure cocoa and not the remaining ingredients found in chocolate. So unless you’re willing to give up your chocolate and just savor pure cocoa you might want to read on.

So how does chocolate affect our skin? While it was once thought that chocolate triggers acne, researchers are now finding that it doesn’t. But, while chocolate might not cause acne the sugar in chocolate can certainly aggravate it and making things worse. Sugar can also cause skin to look dull and wrinkled in time since it destroys the flexibility and density of the collagen in our skin. To resolve this, it’s best to eat a sensible well-balanced diet and enjoy sugary treats in moderation. In the mean time if you’ve found yourself with a skin eruption you could try laying off the sweet stuff for a while and clearing up the problem with an over-the-counter acne product.

There have been studies that has shown that the cocoa butter found in cocoa beans soften and moisturizes skin while leaving your skin smelling wondrously delicious and manufacturers rolling in the big bucks. As wonderful and calorie free as this is however, if you don’t want to smell over exaggeratingly sweet be sure to look for products that contains pure raw cocoa butter only since there are many chocolate scented fragrance oils that can be overpowering.

Studies have also shown that the cocoa beans in dark chocolate can actually protect skin against ultra-violet radiation. As well as protection against the sun, the cocoa found in dark chocolate may also have strong anti-oxidant properties that could prevent visible signs of aging.

Chocolate may also have medicinal benefits as well or rather the cocoa in chocolate anyway. Cocoa beans, cocoa bark and cocoa butter have been used in treating burns, cuts and even some skin irritations.

Even with all of the studies however, many were found to be inconclusive. So while we may never specifically know if chocolate is really good for us or not, it doesn’t mean we certainly can’t indulge in our chocolate every now and then.

Source: www.carefair.com