Give yourself 10 to 20 minutes before caving in to a chocolate craving. If, after that time has elapsed, you are still having the craving then have a small piece of chocolate or try one of the alternatives listed below. Usually, however, if you allow yourself this period before giving into a a craving, you will find that after the waiting period your chocolate craving has diminished significantly or even disappeared.
2. Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate, in moderation, is actually good for you. It is full of antioxidants, which help protect the body from aging, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease. Try to avoid dark chocolate that contains nuts, caramel, or other fillings, however.
3. Fruit
When you are craving something sweet, fruit is a good alternative to other sweet treats that are full of fat and calories. In addition, fruit is good for your body. Some good choices are oranges, grapes, grapefruit, watermelon, cantalope, honeydew melon, strawberries, blueberries, and bananas. Fruit juices are also a sweet alternative to chocolate.
4. Carob
Carob, while naturally sweeter than chocolate, is much better for you than chocolate. It does not have the caffeine, cholesterol, oxalic acid, and theobromine that chocolate contains. Carob is low in fat and sodium and high in fiber and calcium. Carob is smooth and rich, but for some, it is an acquired taste. Many prefer chocolate to carob initially but, with time grow to enjoy the flavor and benefits that carob provides.
5. Water
Okay, water is definitely not as tasty as chocolate and probably will not satisfy your sweet tooth. However, if you drink plenty of water throughout the day, it is more likely that you will not feel as hungry and will have fewer cravings overall.
6. Cocoa Powder
Try adding a little bit of cocoa powder to different drinks and snacks. It is a good addition to yogurt, cottage cheese, smoothies, shakes, tea and skim milk.
7. Have a Little
Moderation is key. Allowing yourself to have a little chocolate every now and then is really not going to cause a lot of damage. In the larger scheme of things, having a small piece of chocolate once or twice a week is not going to break a diet or cause weight gain. However, do not allow yourself to cave and eat an entire chocolate bar or big piece of cake. You have to be able to have some control if you do choose to include chocolate in your diet. Also, eat the piece slowly, enjoying each bite. This will stop you from not feeling satisfied when done.
Micro-blogging site Twitter is rumoured to be launching a new music service after buying the music discovery site We Are Hunted.
We Are Hunted confirmed the deal, adding "there's no question that Twitter and music go well together" - and said it was shutting down.
The hashtag #music is also featured on the newly-launched music.twitter.com.
Reports suggest the new service will offer personalised recommendations on music through its own dedicated app.
US celebrity host Ryan Seacrest confirmed the existence of Twitter's new app on Thursday via a tweet: "playing with @twitter's new music app (yes it's real!)... there's a serious dance party happening at idol right now".
The music app could be announced as soon as Friday.
The We Are Hunted acquisition actually happened in 2012, according to reports, suggesting that the music service has long been in the works.
In seven years, Twitter has accumulated 200 million users worldwide, who now send an average of 400 million short messages - or tweets - every day.
Twitter's latest move comes as music streaming - where the songs are hosted on servers by companies such as Spotify rather than bought and kept on consumers' computers - has taken off amid a boom in digital downloading.
The streaming market is now worth £49m to record labels in the UK, the trade body BPI has said.
It comes as iPhone-maker Apple is reported to have agreed a deal with the biggest music label Universal to create an internet radio service similar to Pandora using its iTunes platform.
Samsung has unveiled the biggest smartphone to date - the Galaxy Mega, which features a 6.3in (16cm) screen.
The firm suggested its size made it ideal for watching videos or running two apps alongside each other.
Samsung helped popularise the so-called "phablet" category - in which phones approach tablet dimensions - with its original 5.3in Galaxy Note in 2011.
That proved more popular than many expected, but one analyst suggested the latest device might be a step too far.
Samsung is marketing the Android-powered handset as having a high-definition screen - however, a spokesman was unable to confirm whether it supported 720p or the "full HD" 1080p resolution.
Another South Korean firm, Pantech, currently lays claim to offering the biggest "full HD" smartphone with its 5.9in Vega No 6 which was announced in January.
China's Huawei had previously boasted having the biggest largest-screened 720p smartphone with its 6.1in Ascend Mate.
'Too cumbersome'
Samsung suggested that, despite its dimensions, the Galaxy Mega was still small and light enough - at 199g (0.44lb) - to fit into users' pockets and be used with one hand.
However, the firm is hedging its bets by offering a smaller 5.8in-screened version as an alternative.
Both will go on sale in May, with Europe and Russia the first regions to be offered the devices.
Tech consultancy Davies Murphy Group said that within the Android market there had been a notable shift towards people wanting to buy a single device rather than both a smartphone and tablet.
However, its principal technology analyst, Chris Green, suggested that at 6.3in it would be a "folly" for most users to swap their current handsets for the larger of the two Galaxy Megas.
"There is genuine demand for larger smartphones - the problem is at what point does a smartphone turn into a tablet," he told the BBC.
"When you've got this up against your head you'd have to argue you're using a tablet and not a smartphone - it's definitely going to compromise its functionality because it's simply too big and too cumbersome to use as a traditional telephone device.
"But ignoring the phone functionality, as far as the rest of the smart device goes it looks quite phenomenal."
Samsung was the most popular smartphone maker in 2012 accounting for 30.3% of all shipments, according to analysts at IDC.
Its rival Apple - whose largest handset has a 4in screen - came in second with a 19.1% market share.
Total UK sales dropped 5.1% while total group sales fell 4.8% in the 11 weeks to March 30.
Underlying pre-tax profit for the year to March 30, 2013 “is in line with market expectations”, the retailer said.
During the quarter, Mothercare closed 14 stores, exceeding its original target for the year by six. Over the year it closed 56 shops.
Mothercare now operates from 255 stores in the UK.
Mothercare chief executive Simon Calver said: “Mothercare has continued to make progress both in the UK and across its International businesses.
“In the UK we closed 56 loss-making stores, which is ahead of our plan for the year and is helping us become more efficient.
“Our Direct business to customers’ homes was up 18.2% for the quarter as our customers recognised the benefits of our new internet platform, improving delivery proposition and strong promotional offers.”
He added: “We continue to be focused on delivering cash margin. International delivered double-digit growth despite the challenges of the Eurozone and we remain excited about the growth potential for all our International regions.
“We are just 12 months into our three-year Transformation and Growth plan and while we still have much to do, our business is already on a firmer footing.
“Matt Smith joined us as chief financial officer two weeks ago and I am pleased to say that our executive team is now complete. So despite our continuing caution with regards to the outlook for consumer spending in the UK and the Eurozone, we can look ahead to the new year with confidence.”
Mothercare’s international business, excluding Australia and New Zealand, opened 115 stores in the period. Retail sales grew by 15.3% in constant currencies.
Excluding Europe, which suffered due to the weakness of the Eurozone, the international business again delivered double digit retail sales in the quarter and year as a whole.
In January, the directors of Mothercare Australia, in which Mothercare had a 23% stake, took the decision to place the business into administration. Having assessed various options, the administrators have decided to close the business. All 74 shops will close.
Margaret Thatcher at the end of the 1989 Conservative Party conference in Blackpool (Picture: AFP/Getty)
All surviving prime ministers, US presidents and Jeremy Clarkson are just some of the names being invited to Margaret Thatcher’s funeral next week.
Sir John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown are invited along with their wives, as are Jimmy Carter, George HW Bush, Bill Clinton, George Bush and Barack Obama, as well as a representative of the Reagan family after former first lady Nancy said she would not attend.
More than 2,000 invitations are being sent on Friday for next Wednesday’s service at St Paul’s Cathedral, which begins at 11am.
The guest list was drawn up by the Thatcher family, assisted by the government and the Conservative Party.
Margaret Thatcher: 1925-2013 (Picture: AFP/Getty)
‘Those invited include family and friends of Lady Thatcher, those who worked with her over the years, including all surviving members of her cabinets, former chiefs of staff, Conservative associates, peers and MPs, members of the cabinet… members of the Order of the Garter, members of the Order of Merit, foreign associates and dignitaries and representatives from the wide range of groups she was associated with,’ Downing Street said.
In addition, more than 200 states, territories and international organisations have been asked to send an official representative, while current and former world leaders who had a ‘close connection’ to the former prime minister have also been invited.
FW de Clerk, the last Apartheid-era leader of South Africa has been invited alongside a representative of Nelson Mandela, as has former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton and Labour leader Ed Miliband.
Among the more eclectic names being invited are Top Gear host Mr Clarkson, singer Dame Shirley Bassey, composer Lord Webber and Jeffrey Archer.
Anti-Margaret Thatcher graffiti adorns a wall on the Falls Road in west Belfast (Picture: AP)
Baroness Thatcher, the country’s first and as-yet only female prime minister, died earlier this week aged 87 after a stroke.
Prime minister David Cameron led tributes to his predecessor in the Commons earlier this week, saying she made Britain ‘great again’.
Next week’s funeral falls short of a state ceremony, with Baroness Thatcher instead being honoured with a ceremonial service with military honours.
News crews outside the Houses of Parliament in central London.
Scotland Yard is sifting through the potential threats to the funeral of Lady Thatcher as it tries to assess what is idle chatter and which groups or individuals have the ability to disrupt the high-profile national event.
Activist groups say that this Saturday might be the main focus of protests, rather than the funeral itself next Wednesday. Police are planning a large-scale security operation covering central London.
Intelligence ahead of the protests is being provided by the National Public Order Intelligence Unit, part of Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism command. The NPOIU runs a network of long-term police spies and informants, who are feeding back intelligence about the scale of protestexpected and the likelihood of disorder.
Also adding to the intelligence picture is police monitoring of social media, which officers say has improved since the riots of 2011.
Commander Christine Jones said: "Right up to and during the course of Wednesday's events we will monitor a range of information to make sure we have the most up-to-date intelligence picture.
"There has been much speculation about what levels of protest may take place. I would ask anyone who wishes to demonstrate then, or in the coming days, to come and talk to us.
"The right to protest is one that must be upheld, however, we will work to do that while balancing the rights of those who wish to pay their respects and those who wish to travel about London as usual."
The detail of that balance, between those wishing to praise the controversial former prime minister and those who wish to denounce her, will be a huge challenge for the police.
There is mounting evidence that Trafalgar Square will be the focus of protests at 6pm on Saturday. A cross-section of activist groups are saying they will descend on central London on Saturday afternoon. Delegations of protesters are known to be travelling from a number of other cities for the occasion.
Ever since the 1994 poll tax riots, the anarchist collective Class War has proposed a gathering on the square on the first Saturday after Thatcher's death.
Class War is no longer a serious entity, although its most high-profile proponent, Ian Bone, has been widely quoted in recent days and has called for an effigy of Thatcher to be hung from the fourth plinth in the square.
The anti-tax avoidance group UK Uncut is planning a demonstration over welfare cuts in the capital earlier in the day on Saturday. It is unconnected to Thatcher's death, although some activists say it will form a meeting point.
Separately, Stop G8, a network planning demonstrations against the summit of world leaders, meeting in Northern Ireland in June, is also organising ahead of Saturday.
The group is calling for protests on Saturday and Wednesday, arguing that use of public funds for the funeral is "an insult to all those who suffered from her policies and actions".
Jones said officers would be kept back to be ready to rush to flashpoints as police deploy a range of tactics. "Police officers will be deployed at strategic points along the route that the funeral cortege will travel, and road closures will be in place," she said. "There will be a range of security measures in line with the current threat level. A mobile team of officers, called reserves, will be deployed ready to respond if needed to events anywhere in London."
Britain's elite will attend the funeral, with the list of dignitaries headed up by the Queen and prime minister. A number of world leaders are also expected to attend what is officially termed a ceremonial funeral.
The police will mount a large operation as they take account of potential challenges ranging from dissident Irish republican terrorists to activists on the far left who may use the funeral to show their contempt for Thatcher.
MI5 will also assist with the assessment of the seriousness of any threat posed by dissident Irish and al-Qaida-inspired terrorism.
Thatcher came close to being murdered by the IRA in 1984 when a bomb tore through the Brighton hotel where she was staying. The anger of violent Republicans was in retaliation for the hardline stance she took in the 1981 hunger strikes.
Green tea is reported to have numerous health benefits, and as the world becomes increasingly health conscious people are turning to alternative solutions.
In 1994 a study was conducted to find out the health benefits of green tea, the study conducted stated that green tea reduced the chances of gaining cancer, green tea contains EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue.
The study also indicates that it dramatically reduced the levels of cholesterol, and reduced the forming of blood clots, which in term reduces the risk of blood clots and thrombosis, which is the leading cause of heart attacks and strokes.
Green tea is also great for dieters and smokers, speeding up the metabolic rate, and reducing the effects of fatty diets. The tea also limits the effects of smoking and can even help prevent tooth decay!
Every years thousands of university students
graduate… but does the party need to be over?
Travelling the world isn’t just a form of escape;
it enhances life experiences, educates a person, and empowers an individual. It allows any individuals to be exposed to
diverse cultures, meet new people and become open to new challenges.
As a student studying business studies, I
have a great understanding that culture is becoming extremely important within
a work envouriment, vast amounts of companies are expanding internationally,
and need a team of well experienced and diverse people to take on these new
challenges, indicating that travelling will be a great attribute to bring to
any company.
So as the adventure of university discontinues,
why not seek a new adventure?
