Eating chocolate IS good for you – 5 ways it can boost your health AND your skin
Eating raw cacao - an unprocessed, healthier chocolate - can help boost your heart, improve your skin and give you more energy
YOU'D be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't enjoy tucking into a bar of chocolate.
But while it's a firm favourite, many of us feel guilty about chowing down on the sweet treat.
But it turns out there is some good news about gorging on chocolate - as nutritionist Cassandra Barns reveals the benefits of eating raw cacao - an unprocessed, healthier chocolate superfood.
While it's not exactly the same as your everyday bar of chocolate, raw cacao can be added to puddings and smoothies - and its incredible health benefits make the switch totally worth a go.
1. It's good for your heart
Raw cacao is packed with flavanols - plant compounds believed to improve circulation to the heart, lower blood pressure and inflammation and even improve cholesterol levels.
Cassandra explains: "Flavanol levels can be greatly reduced when cacao is roasted to make conventional chocolate.
"Cacao is also rich in potassium, which helps to regulate blood pressure, and magnesium, which is vital for muscle function - our heart is our most important muscle."
2. It can boost your energy
Cacao contains a small amount of caffeine, along with theobromine, which has a mild energising effect - without the jitters you might get from a cup of coffee.
Cassandra says: "Having a few pieces of raw chocolate can be a great afternoon pick-me-up without the over-stimulation and jittery feeling you can get from coffee.
"But what makes cacao the real energy superstar is its high magnesium content: magnesium is essential for your body to make energy, and many of us don’t get enough of it in our daily diet."
3. It's great for your skin
We're always being told our favourite treats will ruin our skin - but it turns out those flavanols don't just help the heart, they can also have great benefits for your complexion.
Cassandra says: "“Eating flavanol-rich chocolate has been found to help protect our skin against sun damage, as well as improve circulation to the skin, increase skin hydration, and reduce roughness and scaling.
"Eating chocolate could help you keep your youthful looks - but choose raw for the greatest benefits."
4. It can help with your fitness goals
You'd usually expect to hear that chocolate works directly against your fitness goals - after all, sitting in front of the TV with a big bar of the stuff isn't exactly healthy.
But in fact, raw chocolate's natural energising effect can offer for a great pre-workout boost - giving you the push you need to hit the gym.
Cassandra says: "The magnesium it contains supports muscle function, aids electrolyte balance and may be beneficial for muscle recovery too.
"What’s more, the flavanols in chocolate can have an anti-inflammatory effect, which could help to reduce inflammation and support recovery after a workout.”
MORE ON DIET AND NUTRITION
5. It makes you happy
It's fair to say the thought of eating chocolate makes most of us happy - but cacao actually contains several substances that can positively affect our mood, including phenylethylamine (PEA), a natural compound made in the brain.
Cassandra says: "PEA is associated with good mood, and is said to be released in high amounts when we’re in love.
"Cacao is also rich in minerals such as magnesium and zinc, which help to produce other ‘feel-good’ brain chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine."
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours