Dark chocolate has been enjoying an improved image lately, with all the good press regarding its health benefits.
It may still be high in sugar but it's rich in antioxidants, contains less fat than milk chocolate, and in some circles is considered a Super Food. No wonder dark chocolate sales are soaring.

Dark chocolate sales in Britain have doubled over the past two years, a new report reveals. By the end of the year, the British chocolate market is expected to grow even further. Predictions have sales growing 17 percent by 2013.

Experts think dark chocolate could soon be paired with wine and suggest upmarket bars could offer a choice of the finest chocolate to go with their best wine or champagne.

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Warning: Be careful the next time you go you to eat. The "Sullivan Nod" may cost you a few extra bucks and a few extra pounds.

The Sullivan nod, developed by restaurant consultant Jim Sullivan, is a sales technique used to create a subconscious suggestion to a customer to purchase one of a list of items. Picture this: Your server approaches your table, welcomes you to the restaurant, and then recites a list of specials. At some point during the rundown, your server nods by about 10 to 15 degrees. This happens just when he or she wants you to choose a particular item. Perhaps the nod arrives at the very mention of an expensive cocktail or a slab of cake dripping in chocolate fudge. It won't be an overly obvious nod -- the server doesn't want to distract you -- but it will be subtle and of course, suggestive.

Beware: The nod, best implemented with lists of five or more items, is effective 60 to 70 percent of the time.

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If I could opt for one elective surgery, I'd choose something that would erase the loose post-pregnancy skin hanging from my tummy. I know it's been four years since my last 10-pounder was born but it seems no matter how fit or lean I get, the jiggle remains. A tummy tuck or liposuction would be ideal. I'm not sure I'd ever go through with these procedures, though. Something about choosing to have surgery for a non-medical reason makes me a little nervous. If it weren't so controversial, maybe I'd hop on the lipodissolve bandwagon.

Surgery is not required for lipodissolve. All it takes is a few injections of a chemical found in lecithin, the food ingredient derived from soybeans. Shots are given right into bulging body parts where they dissolve fat cells. Lipodissolve is becoming quite the rage, despite the fact that the FDA has not approved the compound used in the shots.

Lipodissolve just hasn't received much clinical study. Besides the possible pain, nausea, diarrhea, elevated liver enzymes and lumps at the injection site, who knows what long-term side effects of this treatment might surface. Lipodissolve is such an unknown that the state of Kansas has banned the marketing and sales of this quick fix.

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Fresh foods, organic produce, gym memberships -- let's face it, creating a healthy lifestyle isn't as easy as it should be, and it can get expensive too! But if you're really committed to healthifying your eating habits (and you should be), there are ways to eat well without breaking the bank. MSN has these tips:

• Check out local farmer's markets
• Buy what's in season -- and buy lots of it. You can freeze what you don't use
• Shop around
• Join a food co-op
• Buy a share in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). For around $400, you get fresh produce every week
• Use coupons
• Buy bulk
• Shop the sales
• Learn how to use any ingredient (including leftovers) in your meals

And my favourite:

• Grow your own produce. (I love this idea -- not that I'll be trying it any time soon. Maybe next year)

How do you keep your family healthy on a budget?

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