Thursday, December 30, 2010

How to Eat Dark Chocolate Healthy

Dark chocolate is a healthy food if it is eaten with care and modesty. Let’s learn its health benefits and the appropriate daily intake amount.

The appropriate daily intake amount

In general speaking, 20 grams high-cocoa-content dark chocolate per day is recommended. Usually a bar of chocolate is 100 grams. So, all you need daily is one-fifth of a bar. As dark chocolate is delicious, resist the temptation and do not overeat.

Health benefits of eating dark chocolate


Successive consumption for two weeks, stress hormones such as cortical will decrease. High-cocoa-content of chocolate has a lot of antioxidants that are good to the blood vessel, lowering the blood pressure and the risk of heart disease.

Healthy measures to eat dark chocolate

1)    Consult doctor

Ask your doctor whether it is appropriate to add 20 grams high-cocoa-content dark chocolate in your daily diet. The intake is supposed to boost your health, not to endanger it. According to your physical condition and the possibility of side-effect that may be hazardous to your health, you may be required to forsake dark chocolate or adjust the amount of daily intake.

Once you figure out the maximum quota per day from your doctor, follow it strictly.

2)    Exercise self-discipline

Exercise self-discipline lest we overeat and exceed the safety limit. Always back up your self-discipline with a good reasoning or reminder – you eat dark chocolate to maximize its health benefits.

3)    Handle purchases wisely

Do not overstock. Buy one bar at a time. Sometimes, people can’t help buying more when big discount is available. If so, hide your stock and introduce the availability bar by bar according to the intake schedule. For example, a 100 grams bar for every five days.

4)    Divide and store well

To prevent yourself eating the whole bar of dark chocolate at a time, it is wise to divide the 100 grams bar into five portions and store them separately. Get one portion for each day and tell yourself that portion is the only amount left, no more is available.

5)    Switch brands

If you find a brand particularly delicious and you can’t resist the temptation of overeating, it is better to forsake your favorite brand and switch to a less tasty one unless you learned to be more restricted.

6)    Apply flexibility

Seldom eating dark chocolate is a must for people. Adopt flexibility and skip a portion for a day if you have already eaten something equivalent, for example, dark chocolate cake.

Dark chocolate is so delicious that many people find themselves over-addictive to it easily. If we want to get its health benefits, we must eat dark chocolate modestly. Never risk your health by overeating.

Author’s note:

Many foods and drinks require our modest intake so that our diet can remain healthy to our body. While you are taking every caution for dark chocolate, I highly recommend that you examine the following aspects as well.

Avoid The Three Traps in Your Pursuit of Better Health

Learn to Eat Healthier From McDonald's Nutritional Information

Facts of Tea with Milk



Sunday, December 26, 2010

Interesting developments of Christmas Cards

Still mailing out Christmas cards? While we are changing habits of sending out greetings, the latest development of Christmas card is simply amazing.

Latest development


Applying nanotechnology, the world's smallest Christmas card was made in England. The size is 200 micrometer (width) x 209 micrometer (height). Its width is just two pieces of human hairs. This card was done in 30 minutes with a Christmas tree pattern. It is a proof on the nanotechnology level and wider applications such as on television and camera are to be expected.

Back to the Past

Mailing out Christmas cards to send greetings to one another was a common practice. For people who don’t write letters regularly, the card carries significant messages for the sender and receiver, for example, we miss you, keep in touch, we wish you happy. Receiving a Christmas card generate a good feel that many people welcome this.

Due to the heavy workload experienced by the postal office, delivery deadlines were set for each country. Rush to the post office for mailing if you want the card arrived before Christmas.

Christmas cards have beautiful artistic design, carrying different words of blessing. Prices vary and customers have no problem to select according to their own budgets. The cards are beautiful and serve well to generate warm feeling; hence, they are often used in home decoration during Christmas time.

Recent Trend

Many people forsake the mailing of Christmas cards due to a couple of reasons.

1)    Go Green

Seldom people keep the cards after Christmas and they become refuses. To minimize the cutting of trees and creating unnecessary wastes, a lot of people shift to other alternatives to send out their greetings.

2)    Efficient alternatives available

a)    E-cards

Christmas cards are digitized. E-cards still have beautiful artistic design and warm wordings. Some require payment; others are free. They don’t involve cutting trees and handling refuses. The sender doesn’t need to rush to the post office, but with some simply inputs (receiver name and their email address) to the computer or Smartphone that is Internet connected, the e-card can be sent out within a minute, to almost every corner of the world, and at the last minute.

Many people shift to this option as it offers many functions of the physical cards, and in a more economical, convenient, speedy and environmental friendly manner.

b)    SMS

Some people adore simplicity. They don’t need stunning card design. They sent out greetings in their own words

and again, with one click, the warm message will be sent out shortly.

c)    Facebook, Blogger and other Social Platforms

Many people spend a lot of time on the social platforms, sharing photos and news, and daily greetings. Using this means to send out Christmas greetings is also free, convenient, speedy and environmental friendly manner. Multiple sharing is common and the Christmas feel is magnified in the digital world.

Though the technology advancement begets many powerful alternatives, some people still enjoy mailing out and receiving Christmas card. No matter you are a die-hard fan of Christmas card or not, let’s hope everyone will keep sending out greetings in Christmas and be joyful throughout.

Author's note:

To call for uniqueness, you can make your own Christmas cards, either the physical one or the digital one. Here are some DIY steps for your reference.

How to make a Valentine Card by Stamping and Embossing

Make a Unique Birthday Gift by Windows Movie Maker (You can make the e-card in the form of video sharing a bundle of precious photos)



Friday, December 24, 2010

Rock Man


Sit here forever

I am ready to show you

The way to Tips Ground

Author's notes:

I took the photo when I was hiking. How nice to have someone showing the way to you.

I always want to do particular thing for special event, for example, the grand opening of this blog. Rock Man is my first haiku.

I also wrote about my three big enemies. Click in the link below to check if you have the same enemies as mine.


Haiku for My Three Big Enemies in Life