Banana = Beer

The next time you feel a little low or jaded, don't hit a pub to drown your sorrows. Just visit a nearby grocer and buy some bananas or help yourself to a bar of dark chocolate.

The reason you are feeling low may be due to depleted levels of serotonin, the 'happiness hormone'. The intake of certain kinds of foods can help increase its levels.

"Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that regulates many of our feelings, including pain, sleep, mood and hunger. In simple words, it helps different parts of your brain to talk to each other, and inadequate amount of serotonin can lead to mood swings, sleep disorder and depression," says Ishi Khosla, clinical nutritionist and director of Whole Foods.

The solution, she says, can be found in certain foods. "A number of food items act as mood boosters.

For example, honey coated nuts, oatmeal porridge, muesli or granola in milk, yogurt and fruit are handy things that can make you feel better," she says. Monika Sharma, an MSc.

student, says, "I don't know about other things that can lift one's mood, but yes, chocolate definitely works for me. Whenever I feel low, I munch on a bar of chocolate.

" Chocolate may lift your mood but not without leaving you feeling guilty about the extra calories. Deepika Malik, a wellness expert, says, "If you are worried about putting on weight, you can substitute strawberries for chocolates and nuts.

Cold milk with a hint of saffron in it also acts as a mood booster.".

Banks to reimpose annual fee on new credit cards

Getting a new credit card now could become more expensive. Banks are looking to reimpose an annual fee on new credit cards.

The fee could be anywhere between Rs 250 to Rs 500 per card.

Bankers say that with mounting credit card defaults over the last one year, it has become necessary to consciously cut down on issuing new cards.

Also, with a large number of cards going out of circulation either due to defaults, or due to termination by customers, bankers say charging the fee will help protect their margins.

There is an annual fee on some cards already.

Currently, the platinum card customers are being levied an annual fee of around Rs 2,000-6,000.

With contracting volumes, bankers are increasingly finding the need to levy or re-impose the annual fee on new credit cards.

Credit Card = Money Trap

A credit card is a way of payment by using the plastic cards which are issued to customers for their payment. Credit cards are different than the debit cards. It is because using the facility of credit finance it does not remove or decrease the balance of the amount of account holder from his account.

Creditcard works differently from the debit card. It is issued after a credit card application has been made to the issuer. The issuer then lends money to the credit card holder generally on different rates of interest. And if a consumer is using credit cards then it means he can reconcile his balance at the cost of charging interest and it would make his payment period longer than before. Most credit cards are having almost the same shape and size around the globe.

Credit cards work in a very simple way, a consumer is issued a credit card after his application for credit card has been approved by concerning authorities and a credit company shows its consent to issue the applicant a credit card. Now the customer who has purchased the credit card will be able to buy things on credit up to the limit of credit which was agreed upon by both parties in terms and conditions.

A consumer can also used credit card online facilities to get benefit from his credit card. This online credit card facility is easy to use and it is faster than the actual procedures of cash transactions.

A customer can apply credit card on different outlets and he can also make purchase online by using his credit card in a case he does not have liquid cash.

Every credit card is supported by a credit card companies. Some of credit cards companies are best and they offer very user-friendly credit cards. This kind of credit card is one of the best credit card and their characteristics have no comparison with any other type of credit cards. In these cards the widely known cards are Visa Credit Cards & Master Credit Cards they are used all over the world. You can apply for credit card in any credit card company, or in a bank or you can also apply online for getting a credit card.

Different credit card companies and credit banks also maintain a system of credit check to get their credit in times. So a consumer will not be able to deceive them by using their credit cards. This credit check is maintained regularly and if a credit card holder is not able to pay his payments in the assigned time of payment then he will be given a grace period and in a case he would not be able to pay his credit. His credit card would be blocked. And he will not be able to make any further purchases from his credit card.

The rewards and points which person gets from using a credit card can be emerged together and that would the credit card consolidation.

According to The Wall Street Journal new laws regulating credit cards could soon change the way that America buys everything from clothes to groceries. In the process, it could also show customers the actual cost of the little plastic cards in their wallets.

Among other things, the new credit law currently being proposed in the Senate could introduce transparency into the world of credit cards. For example, most customers aren't aware that in return for the convenience of being allowed to take credit, stores generally give credit companies between 1.5 and 2 percent of the gross proceeds of their credit sales. By comparison, debit card sales cost the stores approximately one percent.

While the convenience of credit undoubtedly draws customers to stores that accept cards, it also means that these stores either have to realize smaller profits from their credit sales or charge all customers more to make up the difference. Retailers can theoretically offer cash customers a discount off the credit-card price, but credit contracts, as currently worded, make it difficult. Basically, to offer a reduced cash price, stores need to mark each item with both the credit and cash price. The credit price has to appear in a larger font and has to be more prominently positioned. Companies that fail to abide by these rules can face penalties from their credit providers.

Adding to the situation, many credit card companies offer customer discounts and other perks to encourage credit usage. That means many credit card customers effectively end up paying the reduced, or "cash," price, while cash payers get stuck bearing the burden of the tariff on credit card usage. Right, it's totally screwed up.

The new law would free retailers to do what they've long wanted -- either give cash-paying customers discounts off the marked price or charge credit-card users more, without all the complicated re-labeling and threat of penalties, etc. Attempting to block the proposed legislation, credit card companies have claimed that allowing stores to charge separate credit and cash prices could be a form of bait-and-switch for the credit customers. The companies further argue that the bill is an attempt to let retailers off the hook, ensuring that they don't have to pay "their share."

For quite some time, analysts have been warning that the current real estate crisis and Wall Street meltdowns are only a prelude to a credit crisis. As more and more customers get in over their heads with climbing interest rates and fees, it seems likely that they will begin to default on their cards. In that context, anything that tempers, or at least doesn't actively encourage, credit card usage could be a good thing. Allowing both cash and credit customers to pay their respective prices isn't only logical and fair then -- it might keep from throwing more gasoline on the fire.