Yea, yea, we all have done it. Eat that bit of chocolate and then felt bad because of the damage that causes to our health. I know the feeling. But, now I eat and drink chocolate as much as before, if not more and I have no problems with my skin, no acne breakouts, nothing. What changed? Why was chocolate causing me breakouts in the past and know I am OK to consume as much chocolate as I want?
I love eating chocolate, I love drinking chocolate, I love it in any form. Unfortunately, since I changed my lifestyle to a more acne friendly one I had to remove it from my diet. Desperate as I was to find acne friendly chocolates, I did some research, what I found is amazing! I discovered that what aggravates acne is not the chocolate itself but some ingredients the majority of chocolates have. It is our old friend sugar combined with several additives that improve look, taste, color, and smell that do the nasty job.
It’s all About Cocoa
In this study, people were asked to consume one 112-g dairy-free chocolate bar every day for 4 weeks and in the results, there was no significant increase or decrease in acne. They were eating chocolate every day for 4 weeks nonstop and no signs of increase or decrease in acne! Some studies suggest the opposite, but most studies show that there is no correlation, let alone causation between cocoa and acne. You can consume as much cocoa as you wish. My advice, make sure is organic.
The Bitter Truth
The bad news is that most of the chocolates are not made only from cocoa. Most contain additives such as sugar to enhance flavor and make them more attractive. So all these chocolates and sweets, yes you should stop eating them. But Good quality chocolates is OK to eat.
Good quality means as close to nature as possible. Generally, I prefer buying 100% organic and 100% Cocoa. You can also buy the same as a powder(instead of bars) and make your own chocolate. Making your own chocolate besides from being fun is the best option, but if you don’t have the time to do it, prefer 100% organic chocolates* that offer above 75% cocoa.
Just something to have in mind, those chocolates have VERY different taste from those you are used to, you will need some time to get accustomed to them. Cocoa itself has a bitter taste and has lot’s of fans, so don’t over do it because 100% Cocoa chocolates usually have lots of calories.
*I SAID 100% BECAUSE MANY TIMES SOME PRODUCTS ARE LISTED AS ORGANIC BUT ACTUALLY THEY AREN’T. SUCH PRODUCTS MAY SAY 95% ORGANIC AND HAVE OTHER MISLEADING INFORMATION ON THEIR LABELS TO MAKE YOU BELIEVE IT’S ORGANIC. STICK TO THOSE THAT SAY 100% ORGANIC.
As you see one of the fundamentals you have to change is the QUALITY of the chocolate. If you have acne and want to eat a chocolate, choose the BEST. Not only it tastes better but it does far less damage(if any) and it is far more beneficial for your health and your skin.
Chocolate doesn’t replace food.
You should be careful with cocoa consumption, be sure you don’t have any allergies(rare) to it. Also, have in mind lead poisoning. It is more common than most people imagine. Even in small quantities, Lead is harmful to your health. Chocolate absorbs lead from the environment and for this chocolates are the foods with the highest concentration in lead. If you have other sources of lead(polluted environment, job, some home products, etc…), or if you are not that tolerant to lead (this is caused by your genetic markup) I would recommend that you eat very small quantities of cocoa, or even safer, you could avoid it completely.
You can check some of the Health Effects of Chocolate as reported in Wikipedia.
Where can you find it?
I personally like the Navitas organic raw cacao powder, which I use to make 90% cocoa “chocolate bars” and keep them in my fridge. Sometimes I use the powder to make chocolate beverages. I think they don’t ship outside the US but they might have changed their policy, check it out.
If you buy the pack of 2 you will have plenty for months. 🙂
Navitas Naturals Organic Raw Cacao Powder, 16-Ounce Pouches (Pack of 2)
Or if you want it now and you want it fast I would recommend you try Green & Black’s Chocolate, it’s great. The other one is a bit sweeter, if you don’t want to start hardcore is a good choice.
Green & Black’s Cocoa Chocolate Bar, Dark 85%, 3.5 Ounce (Pack of 10)
Endangered Species Butterfly, Organic Dark (70%) Chocolate, 1.4-Ounce Bars (Pack of 16)
So that’s all! Chocolate and Acne the Bitter Truth is now revealed. Chocolate with all the additives is detrimental for your acne, chocolate made from 100% Organic Cocoa is a fantastic food if consumed with caution, make it by yourself and will be even better.
Feel free to comment bellow if you like chocolate and let us know your thoughts. 😉
