By: Harold Camaya

It’s not about looking beautiful, but about feeling beautiful! Having a flawless skin is certainly a feel-good factor and the key to having it is a healthy lifestyle with a good diet. Applying several cosmetics to beautify your skin comes second in order. Feeding your body with healthy food is literally the most convenient method of achieving that perfect skin you have always dreamt of. There are myriad food options to choose from that nourish as well as hydrate your skin. Needless to say, taking care of your skin is as simple and effective as eating good food.

Two such healthy foods when consumed in the right proportions have been found to hold the clues to eternally youthful skin, namely, dark chocolate and red wine.

What exactly is dark chocolate?

Dark chocolate is also known as black chocolate. It contains a higher percentage of cocoa solids and cocoa butter than milk chocolate, and hardly any dairy product. The recommended minimum amount of cocoa beans constituting healthy dark chocolate is 70%. Hence this is a healthy form of a munching snack. Dark chocolate also serves as a delicious base for yummy treats like salted caramel hot chocolate.

Dark chocolate contains antioxidants, such as polyphenols, and is relatively low in sugar. Thus it has a reputation of being a healthier alternative to milk chocolate. Dark chocolate has been identified as a potential superfood (a highly nutritious food) and hence there is a huge demand for it across the globe.

What is red wine?

Red wine is a type of wine made from the skins of dark or black colored grape varieties. The actual color of the wine varies from intense violet to brick red to brown, depending on the newness and oldness of the wine. Occasionally, red wine is confused with rose wine. However, there certainly is a difference – the grape skins are removed very early in the winemaking process, considerably reducing the presence of bitter-tasting tannins in the rose wine. Red wine is high in resveratrol which is a polyphenol compound having antioxidant properties, possibly making it the most popular wine in the world. Overall, red wine is healthier than white wine because it contains higher amounts of some vitamins and minerals.

Here are 5 ways dark chocolate and red wine can do wonders for your skin:

1)   Beating Wrinkles

Research has proven that dark chocolates and red wine contain chemicals that help rejuvenate old cells, thus providing anti-aging benefits and reducing the appearance of wrinkles.

2)   The Sunscreen effect

Both dark chocolate and red wine, being rich in antioxidants, can limit UV-induced skin reddening and wrinkle forming. The antioxidant properties also help improve the hydration of the skin.

3)   Fighting skin cancers

The antioxidants present in dark chocolate and red wine fight skin-damaging free radicals, thus preventing severe diseases like skin cancers.

4)   Anti-infective properties

These antioxidant-rich foods fight skin-damaging free radicals to reduce acne and some fungal infections such as ringworm.

5)   Improving the blood flow

The antioxidant properties of both these foods help prevent the formation of blood clots, thus improving the blood flow.

Moderation is key

Though dark chocolate and red wine are rated as being highly beneficial to your skin, like everything else, these foods should be consumed in moderation.

• About the consumption of red wine: Current recommendations are to consume a maximum of 1-2 glasses of red wine per day. It is also advisable to have 1-2 alcohol-free days each week because drinking alcohol regularly may get out of control and lead to alcoholism. Excessive alcohol can cause addiction and several other medical conditions, e.g. liver cirrhosis and increased depression. You need to be especially careful if you have a family history of alcoholism.
• About the consumption of dark chocolate: It is recommended by the University of Michigan to limit your intake of dark chocolate to an average of an ounce a day or totally 7 ounces a week. Eating too much dark chocolate causes immediate undesired symptoms such as indigestion and headache. The mildly psychoactive effects of dark chocolate could produce mixed feelings of alertness and lethargy, followed by bouts of depression. Furthermore, dark chocolate being a semi-sweet mixture of primarily cocoa powder, sugar, and milk, could cause rapid weight gain, if consumed out of proportion. Last but not the least, excess dark chocolate could cause dangerous swings in the blood sugar levels if you are already ailing with diabetes.

Eating healthy and not overindulging would most certainly let superfoods like dark chocolate and red wine work effectively on your skin, thus boosting a more natural lifestyle.

Author Bio

Harold Camaya is a blogger who loves to write especially in Beverages vertical. She has written many captivating and informative articles on whiskey such as Find Rare Whisky. Her hobbies are traveling and reading novels.