Chocolate for Healthcare!

Great news for chocolate lovers! We've long heard that cocoa, the powdered plant product used to make chocolate, is full of antioxidants that could prevent cancer. We've also heard that the fat content in prepared chocolate soothes the stress hormone cortisol.

Now, Joe Vinson, PhD, a nutrition researcher from Scranton Univeristy, has even more good news. Dark cocoa improves blood flow to the skin. And those antioxidants fight free radicals that cause premature aging. The end result is healthier, more supple skin for both men and women. The effects can take 12 weeks to appear, but if you're looking for a natural - and tasty - alternative to chemical peels, creams and lotions, this is the answer to your prayers.

The best way to take in the properties of cocoa is to use the powder in cooking. Look for organic powder, and not only because of the lack of chemicals. Cocoa is one of the biggest causes of human rights violations in the world. Ivory Coast plantations, where most of the world's cocoa is produced, use slave labor and spray caustic chemicals right over the workers, causing burns, lung ailments and death. Companies elsewhere, even in the USA, know about these practices, but they still buy the cocoa. That's not much incentive for the plantations to change their practices.

In leiu of cocoa powder in baking and desserts, you can treat yourself to a bar of organic dark chocolate. Watch out for the sugar and fat content, and enjoy the taste of a face lift.