Friday 22 April 2011

CHOCOLATE

It's hard sometimes to separate fiction from fact when it comes to the food you eat. There are so many corporate marketing incentives behind the promotions and advertising surrounding a food, that it's tough to determine who is being truthful. There are also always rumors that float around, and nobody appears to know where they originated or what kind of evidence supports their claims. Rumors can easily be a widespread accepted belief when they spread far enough and aren't challenged with scientific evidence.

Fortunately, plenty of evidence has surfaced recently in defense of the very universally treasured foods; Chocolate. It turns out, despite the rumors which have circulated for a long time, chocolate doesn't cause acne, it really is good for your skin.

There are plenty of various foods that offer great benefits to your skin. Foods like seafood, citrus fruits, nuts, whole grain products, and red and vegetables. These foods contain ingredients like E vitamin, Vitamin A, Omega-3 essential fatty acids, Zinc, and Vitamin C, which all contribute to skin health in different ways. E vitamin is known to fight inflammation and reduce skin-aging free radicals in the skin. Ascorbic acid also fights inflammation and neutralizes free radicals that prematurely damage and age your face. Additionally, it aids the body in the production of collagen, an essential protein that forms the fundamental structure of your skin. Omega-3 fatty acids reduce dryness and inflammation within the skin and also help to clear the heart's arteries to improve circulation. Good circulation is crucial to skin health. Zinc is also an essential nutrient that assists in new cell production and also the sloughing off of dead skin cells, which will help to give the skin a nice glow.

Although most people wouldn't include chocolate inside a listing of obviously appropriate food choices like whole grains and green vegetables, it really has some super nutrients of its own. It contains catechins and flavonoids. Polyphenols, such as the catechins present in cocoa, are in fact reported to absorb UV light, which might bring about the current findings that daily cocoa consumption actually reduces UV sensitivity within the skin. These catechins are also responsible for improved blood flow, that is so important for healthy skin. Flavonoids are also a little understood nutrient in cocoa with substantial health advantages to the skin. Recent studies show that a diet rich in flavanols decreases sensitivity of human skin to UV light and helps maintain skin health by improving skin structure and function.

The mechanisms through which cocoa flavanols improve skin texture are not known, but the increase in skin blood flow caused by these nutrients is likely to be one of the primary causes for an improved appearance within the skin. Although the tests that demonstrate these findings continue to be relatively preliminary, further study has confirmed most of the health benefits which come from a consistent diet of flavanol rich cocoa. Obviously, chocolate should be consumed moderately. There's a new kind of healthy chocolate that provides an ideal bite-sized portions for any healthy daily dose. It also comes filled with added nutrients and vitamins which help promote overall health as well as skin health.

Tanveer is a food expert, for any information of food please visit this site

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6187420

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