OK OK, I freely admit it: I LOVE chocolate!! It smells sweet, tastes divine and even makes you feel good. Confession: I particularly love dark chocolate covered tart fruits like cherries, cranberries and pomegranate, that is nirvana to me. So while we are on the subject of chocolate, I thought you might like to know that not only is it sweetly addictive, but it also has many beauty and health benefits too and I would love to share them with you.

 

Chocolate is a Fabulous Antioxidant

Chocolate is loaded with antioxidants called flavonols. These powerful antioxidants have been proven to improve skins texture, increase hydration, help to smooth out wrinkles and maintain collagen, keep skin soft and reduce sensitivity to sunlight. Basically, chocolate can really protect the skin by helping it fight free radicals, which then in turn helps keep skin look young, beautiful and radiant.

Chocolate Nourishes Your Skin

Chocolate contains cocoa butter which is an excellent moisturizer for the skin that is gentle and suitable for all skin types. Cocoa butter is really wonderful for combating dryness, minimizing stretch marks, treating eczema and dermatitis. Oh yeah, and it smells yummy!

Chocolate Can Revitalize Your Skin

Chocolate has also been known to exfoliate dead skin cells and regenerate news ones. This removal of old skin helps your skin look refreshed and rejuvenated.

Chocolate Can Help Prevent Health Problems

Another great benefit is that eating dark chocolate in moderation can actually help to lower the bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol. Chocolate has also been proven to actually lower your blood pressure too. This means that  if we nibble just a little bit of dark chocolate every day, we just might be a lot healthier. I can totally do that, how about you?

Chocolate is a Good Stress Reliever

Believe it or not, studies have shown that smelling the aroma of chocolate has a calming and soothing effect on people and it actually causes positive neuro-chemical changes in our brain. Since stress can age us prematurely and wreak havoc on our looks, not to mention contribute to more serious health problems, a morsel of chocolate just might keep those nasty age zappers away.

Chocolate Can Help You Fall in Love

Really? Chocolate contains both phenylethylamine and tyramine, two chemicals that have been shown to elevate the very same hormones that are elevated when a person falls in love. Basically, eating chocolate can make you feel a whole lot better and it can really shift your mood.

So remember, a morsel of chocolate a day, keeps the doctor away and love in play!