If you think you might have overdone it on the chocolate this Easter, relax...
Why? Because chocolate is actually something of a superfood – provided that you favour dark chocolate that’s at least 70% cacao!
Here are six, guilt-free health and beauty benefits for dark chocolate lovers:
Happy hair – it won’t surprise you to know that we love this benefit the best. Cacao — the pure form of cocoa — is good for your hair as it adds shine and rebuilds the hair’s structure. So, for smooth, rejuvenated hair, add some dark chocolate consumption to your Hairfix regime! You could also try using cocoa butter as a hot oil conditioner from time to time.
It’s great for your skin – most of us grew up believing that chocolate gives you bad skin but nowadays you can get chocolate body wraps and facials many spas and salons. It might sound weird but it’s all about the anti-oxidants in chocolate which can help keep your skin firm and smooth as you age. Chocolate also nourishes and softens dry skin and flavanols found in dark chocolate help protect from UV damage.
Your heart loves chocolate just as much as your taste buds do – clever scientists have studied the health benefits of chocolate and a number of studies have concluded that eating chocolate has cardiovascular benefits, cutting the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and helping to lower blood pressure. Stress busting, too - Swiss scientists discovered that when anxious people ate chocolate, their stress hormone levels were reduced. Just 50g a couple of hours before the stressful event is what you need!
Brain power – got a deadline to meet or an exam to take? The flavanols in chocolate (particularly dark chocolate) increase the flow of blood to your brain, which helps you concentrate on the task at hand…
The happy factor – everyone deserves to be happy and chocolate with a high cacao percentage makes you happy!
Sadly, (wo)man cannot live on chocolate alone – but it’s fantastic in moderation and as part of a balanced diet and exercise regime. Obviously, the odd binge may be too much to resist but we think that’s forgivable, especially at Easter!