Many women would agree that a piece, or two, of dark chocolate, or a glass of fine red wine is heavenly at the right time. If you need one more reason to eat chocolate or drink red wine, here it is: The effects of cocoa and red grapes on your skin are pretty phenomenal.
Dark Chocolate
SOMATOLOGY / HEALTH AND SKINCARE therapists cannot advocate that you eat lots of milk chocolate in the name of skincare. The sugar and fat content won’t do your skin any favors! However, dark chocolate (over 70% cocoa solids), in limited amounts, can be really beneficial to your skin because of the cocoa content.
6–12 weeks of consuming cocoa powder, high in antioxidants, each day, the skin could become thicker and more hydrated. The skin can also improve its appearance in the sense of less rough and scaly patches, less sensitivity to sunburn, and better blood flow, which brings more nutrients to your skin.
A study found that eating 20 grams of high-antioxidant dark chocolate per day could allow your skin to withstand over twice as much UV radiation before burning, compared with eating low-antioxidant chocolate. Other results include improvements in the appearance of wrinkles.
The chosen dark chocolate should contain at least 70% cocoa to maximize the benefits and keep added sugar to a minimum.
Red grapes
Red grapes are famous for having resveratrol, a compound that comes from the skin of red grapes which carries a wide range of health benefits, among them reducing the effects of aging.
A study conducted suggests resveratrol may also help slow the production of harmful free radicals, which damage skin cells and cause signs of aging.
This beneficial compound is also found in red wine. Since red wine is an alcoholic beverage, there are negative effects to drinking it in excess. SOMATOLOGY / HEALTH AND SKINCARE therapists will not recommend clients start drinking red wine just because of its potential health benefits. Instead, you should consume fresh red grapes.
