Dark Chocolate Deeds To You And Me

Shall I warn you of the lengthy post?

Shall I warn you of the boringness of this post?

Shall I not regret of posting this up and losing my mini circle of readers? LMAO.

BTW, I'm just a random blogger blogging about anything that crosses my mind. Anything that I have my passion in. I blog about what's driving me in penning my thoughts in...

Shall I be glad if tho' do enjoyed it and persevere up to the very end of the post! =)

I bet nobody would ever say NO to CHOCOLATES isn't it?

Do you know that chocolates, in a good way, consumed in a right way do actually do us good?

Now, let's get into it!

DEED # ONE

CHOCOLATE FOR COUGH

Getting tired of having to suck your lozenges or gulping down your coughing syrup to ease tour throat? DO YOU KNOW that you could actually take DARK CHOCOLATE instead which is much more effective in the substitution of the two commonly used methods? It works so well for pain relieving effect!

I have yet to try this but soon, I bet I would! Touch-wood, I wouldn't wanna fall sick! *Phewww!!!

Discoveries proved that the alkaloid chemical (theobromine) found in chocolate is three times better and effective in suppressing a throaty tickle and persistent cough than do medication used in cough medicine (codeine), known to be the best cough medicine.

Theobromine, by no doubt aids in the suppression of the vagus nerve which is responsible in bringing about coughing.

DEEDS # TWO

CHOCOLATE FOR HYPERTENSION

The cocoa plant flavanols, known as epicatechins, improve the function of the blood vessels by aiding in the relaxation of the artery wall.

This is important as rigid wall and blocked vessels will fail the proper flow of the blood through vessels which will eventually increases the pressure needed to pump blood across the vessels. The continuous elevation of the pressure exerted will thus leads to hypertension where the pressure could not be decreased back to the normal level.

In a delectable way, daily consumption of cocoa (the darker the better) for at least two weeks can reduce blood pressure among people with severe hypertension.

On top of that, besides having to aids in hypertension, dark chocolate, preferably, pure cocoa is rich in antioxidants, nutrients that fight against cancer, strengthen the immune system and in slow-aging.

DEED # THREE

CHOCOLATE FOR STRESS

I bet many of us is well aware that chocolate is one of the remedies used in reducing our stress levels. Especially among girlsss... LOL...

Still remember how I gorged myself to the Super Duper Uber Sweet & Milky 650g Bar of Cadbury's during my Sec 3 days while having to flip over one page after another in order to finish up my revision... [ooppsss, me and my complex sentence again...]

BUT the thing is, I was really UNAWARE that I was facing and experiencing the STRESSING period! And for God's sake, I thought I was just having some Choco-Binging needs. LMAO

NOW, get this clear, DARK CHOCOLATE taken for two weeks in adequate amount (about 1.5 ounce a day) DO reduce stress hormones levels in the bodies of highly-stressed individuals. The antioxidant and other beneficial substances in dark chocolate may aid in reducing the risk factors for heart disease.

DEED # FOUR

CHOCOLATE FOR BREAKFAST & AS MOOD BOOSTER

How can you not know that chocolate has long known to be a mood-lifter? WAIT A MINUTE, I mean DARK CHOCOLATE yea!

Dark chocolate boosts the levels of serotonin, known as the brain's antidepressant, as well as endorphins, the feel-good chemicals released after exercise. The release of these chemicals could somehow improve one's emotion for the day.

YES. It's the source of theobromine, a stimulant that causes the long-lasting relaxing effect.

So, why not but to kick start your day with a tiny cube/piece of dark chocolate?

DEEDS # FIVE

CHOCOLATE FOR WEIGHT LOSS

WHAT??? Losing your weight by eating chocolate??? Am I, or, are you seeing things???

Here's the thing. Most girls refrain from consuming chocolate thinking that it might harm them by the accumulation of the possible calories which will eventually make them gain for like another FREAKING POUND.

BUT don't you know that... You are the one who control it all? Choose the right chocolate and you can have it your way! Tee hee!

BTW, healthy dark chocolate DO help with FOOD CRAVING!!!

Try taking a bite-ful of dark chocolate prior to your meal! Or if you're trying to curb your appetite, it does help too! In fact, you will be surprised of how the wonders work on you over the next several hours where you will be less inclined to overeat and to binge on snacks!!!

Ooopppsss, I think I gotta give it a go to try on this since I tend to binge after each and every filling meal! =P

Apparently, the best dark chocolate will be high in cocoa content and low in refined sugar! Bear in mind that for weight loss, be sure to check that the dark chocolate has LOW GLYCEMIC SWEETENERS and LOW IMPACT FATS!

On knowing these deeds done by chocolate, there's one more thing here to bear in mind!

Before grabbing your favourite mouth-watering chocolate bar, you must be aware of which chocolate is good for your health! Always choose chocolates from reputed brands and avoid cheap chocolate as cheaper ones are normally low in chocolate solids and higher in sugar content and saturated fats! These can be harmful to your health!

NEXT, the ground rule here is that ONLY dark chocolate is healthy!

Not milk chocolate, not white chocolate nor any combination in between! The milk added to milk chocolate will interfere with your body's ability to absorb beneficial antioxidants in the chocolate and hence, it is LESS FUNCTIONAL and DETERIORATING! On the other hand, white chocolate DO NOT contain cocoa AT ALL!!! It's just simply a health-zapping mix of pasteurized milk and sugar which is even more DISASTROUS to your health!

What more can I say now? You don't need me to tell you how delicious and tempting is chocolate, isn't it? Chocoholics, you can now boost your health by munching on your favourite healthy chocolate bar!

Teehee!!!!!!!

P/S : BTW, this post is specially dedicated to AMY!!! You know who you are!!! =P

Water Intoxication Causes Blindness

Credits to SIM YEE for arousing my interest on this particular article! I hoped she don't mind me sharing this for once and again after her. =P

Wonder if you guys can read what's being written on the article.

Anyways, please do allow me to re-type it for you! Tee hee!!! BTW, please do bear in mind that this is an article extracted from THE NEW PAPER (Thursday, Nov 22, 2007)

WOMAN LOSES SIGHT AFTER DRINKING TOO MUCH WATER!!!

She drank 7 litres of water a day to "detoxify and reduce her blood pressure". Thinking that the more water she drank, the better it would be, she continued her habit and this went on for three months.

But last month (as of Nov 2007), the then 26-year-old Taiwanese woman suddenly fainted at home. When she regained her consciousness a few days later, she was BLIND, reported Apple Daily Taiwan.

Doctors had said that the woman's condition is known as "chronic water intoxication".

The amount of water she drank daily was more than THREE TIMES the recommended daily consumption for sedentary adults.

Dr.Jiang Shou Shan, who treated her, told Apple Daily Taiwan that his patient had no psychological illness nor any other health problems, except that her blood pressure was "on the high side".

She was not named in the report.

Dr.Jiang said : "She mistakenly believes that the more water she drinks, the more she can decrease her blood pressure."

"Hence, for three months, she made herself drink 7 litres of water a day."

Dr.Jiang added that initially, the woman would keep running to the toilet. But after some time, it led to water intoxication.

Too much water consumed causes HYPONATREMIA, a condition where there is INSUFFICIENT SODIUM in the blood. (Yea, learnt that in Physiology!LOL!)

SWELLING IN BRAIN CELLS

As a result, the excess water had to be absorbed by her body cells. Her brain cells swelled after taking in the water, which led to increased pressure in her brain.

Dr.Jiang explained that the pressure caused bleeding in her OCCIPITAL LOBE. It is the VISUAL PROCESSING CENTRE of the brain which contains most of the visual cortex.

Said Dr.Jiang, "The sodium in our blood maintains our cell metabolism rate. But once you drink too much water, the sodium ions will decrease, causing the brain cells to swell."

"This will cause pressure and lead to bleeding."

Shin Min Daily News quoted a doctor as saying that drinking too much water can be fatal.

The doctor from Raffles Hospital (Singapore), said that our body is constantly losing water through sweat, urination, defecation or exhaled breath, among others.

"Replacing this 'lost water' is essential, but rehydration can be overdone, leading to fatal water overdose," said the doctor.

According to doctors, the symptoms of water intoxication include headache, fatigue, nausea, vomitting, frequent urination, and mental disorientation.

Some random sharings :

And I came across this article by MedionCorp. Have a read if you're concern about your water intake. =)

By the way, water consumption at the right time can be a solution to that.

*2 glasses of water (after waking up) aids in DIGESTION.

*1 glass of water (before taking bath) aids in LOWERING of BLOOD PRESSURE

*1 glass of water (before sleep) aids in preventing or avoiding STROKE & HEART ATTACK

That is basically why you shouldn't be drinking/gulping down on too much water after your long-run or compulsive/exertful/strenuous exercise!

Drinking too much water after strenuous exercise will increase the aggravating burden on stomach and reduce the function of gastric juice on bactericidal and digestion. Fast drink, on the other hand, increases the burden on heart that will lead to heart failure, nausea or even abdominal distension. Avoid cold drinks. They could eventually affect the distribution of body temperature and thus causing cold, abominal pain or other diseases.

BTW, this will be extra(s) if you would wanna know more on the DON'T(s) after strenuous exercise. CLICK HERE