Cocoa Green Tea

I think this blog may come to a new phase in life, just as I have come to a new phase in my real life. You may not see as much reviews of "outside" food as you like anymore.

Sometimes, reality sets in, and instead of eating out all day and going back when I feel I need a food break (from "outside" food to homecooked), I have to report home everyday, and provide for others in the house. And that's when the place is called home.

Nevertheless, the basis of my blog is still the same, Sweetly Nice. I stand by eating good, eating well, to feel good and look good. Be it "outside" food or homemade, I will not forget that this blog stems from Positively Nice, which is written with the mentality to share anything that makes you feel and look good. Only difference? Sweetly Nice is about food. Food I eat, recipes, all the edibles.

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What I wish to share today is from a book I have been trying to devour, because it is much thicker, and heavier in hard knowledge than Harry Potter 7. I am presenting my concoction of an antioxidant drink from the book, Full Life Repair Kit - How to undo the damage already done, and keep you sailing on for many years to come, published by Reader's Digest.

Cocoa Green Tea

On page 120, under Choice 1, to "Make more than half of your diet beans, fruits, and vegetables", it say, "just 100g serving of dark chocolate significantly inhibited platelet aggregation, a measure of blood-clotting potential -whereas white or milk chocolate had no effect". Then it suggests, "pair your chocolate with the right red wine or a steaming cup of tea for even more phytochemical prowess". Phytochemicals is the collective term given to thousands of beneficial compounds, including antioxidants.



That's how I was inspired to make the following drink for my post-workout drink.

Large enough cup/mug (preferably tall)

1 green tea bag (I use Pokka Sencha.)

1 tsp cocoa powder (I use Vanhoutten.)

1 long enough spoon to stir

Boililng water

The ingredients.

Simply put the tea bag in the cup together with 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder, pour in the boiling water, stir to dissolve cocoa powder, and get the tea taste, wait for it to cool a bit and drink.

The end product.

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PS: I think that I have never posted openly what I have really been doing, so many may not understand my lifestyle, and where I am coming from. As such, I hope to provide some background information that will fill the gap to this article.

My BMI has been at as high as 30 - 32 before. I am now at 20, which for a non-bodybuilder, this does falls perfectly into the healthy range. I am not aiming to be underweight, even though I have dropped to 17.5. I know, I know, it's horrid, it's bad, and I can swear and tell you the story of how bad it is. All I hope for now, at this stage in life, is to achieve what the title of this book advocates, a Full Life. I need my lifestyle to be sustainable, because I also know what it feels like to have BMI way up there. So I am now in the process of building this sustainability. It will involve a lot of changes, and you may find contradiction here and there because of change. I ask for understanding on this.

The routine now, is to basically move around everyday. 20 min strength (weights) training, followed by 30 min aerobic, and 10 min stretching.

On top of that, I have successfully cut all sugared drinks 7 years ago. I have started eating vegeatbles 7 years ago. I have started eating REAL food 3 years ago. I feel I am now in the phase of eating GOOD food, rather than just REAL food. This means superfoods, food that give maximum nutrient in minimum calories. They are things like strawberries, brocolli, almonds/walnuts, wholegrains. Definitely, this goes down to dark chocolate and green tea, which brings us to back to the point of this article. Why Cocoa? Why Green Tea? Why Hot not iced?

Now that I have answered the food part, I will turn to the point of post-workout drink. Basically, this drink can come in anytime of the day. Good for breakfast, good for tea-time. But I'd just like to add that, after a good workout, we need water, water, and more water. (In another book, it says 4 glasses. Personally, I can only swallow 2.) Followed by good protein, like chicken breast, milk, yoghurt.

P/S/S: I am not sure who else out there is on the same page as me right now. I do feel like a lot of things I say is pointless. But if you are in the same phase of life as I am, you would have seen everything I say a dozen times already. In fact, I think I have read 75% of this book elsewhere, but in bits and pieces. The thing about this book, is that it does not only gives me information. It gives me Scientific backing, loads of it (this is the 25% I don't know). And it structures EVERYTHING in one book. I dare say, it's the single most advanced and comprehensive life wellness book, including tests. It builds you from your past to your future. It is idiot-proof.

***I paid for everything I have mentioned here.***