Author: James Fishman

James Fishman has been involved in the world of online magazines for more than 15 years. He helped launch Sunstone Online and continues to improve the magazine as site editor and administrator. His writing focuses primarily business and technology. To be in touch with James, feel free to contact him at james[at]sunstoneonline.com.

Tea and Coffee: Good for Your Health or Not?

As the winter approaches, many of us turn to tea and coffee throughout our day. Is this a bad decision? Are these drinks actually dehydrating as some believe? Here is a quick explanation of the benefits and disadvantages of these hot drinks.

Tea

tea
photo by Mo Riza

Research has shown that drinking three or four cups of tea a day can cut down your chances of having a heart attack. It can help prevent type 1 diabetes and also slow the progression if you’ve already got this issue. For those who drink black tea four times a day for six weeks, research has found that it can lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. It also has fluoride which protects the teeth.

Now, green tea in particular is supposed to help against lung cancer and reduce the risk of oesophageal cancer in women by as much as 60%. Both green and white tea can also help with aging, as they have anti-oxidants.

White tea has also found to help prevent obesity.

Now, some of the disadvantages of tea include that it may contain pesticides, even if it’s labeled as organic. Drinking large quantities of tea could inhibit the absorption or iron in the body because of the tannin in the tea. Caffeinated teas can cause anxiety and a rise in blood pressure. And if you add milk to your tea, you just might cancel out the benefits it has against cancer.

Coffee

Coffee has been found, by researchers, to help prevent type 2 diabetes and to protect the liver against liver damage and liver cancer. It can decrease the risk of gout for men over 40 and may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. It improves short term memory and reaction times and can reduce the risk of heart disease.

The disadvantage of coffee include that it creates tooth discoloration and decreases blood flow to the heart. For women who are pregnant, it can lead to still births and premature birth (in large quantities).

Cancer Survivors Walk the Catwalk to Raise Money

Invitation110414_1041amTonight there will be a very special program held at the Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg, New York. Cancer survivors wearing custom-made styles from Brooklyn designers will stroll on a pink runway. This will be the first Pink Runway Fashion Show and it will include 19 models who are all cancer survivors and doctors. They will raise money for the Breast Cancer Center at Maimonides Health Center in Borough Park.

The evening costs $150 a ticket and includes deejays, cocktails and the runway show emceed by Brooklyn Nets home game host Ally Love.

The models range in age from 25-65 and almost two dozen designers have donated the dresses, jewelry, shoes and hats. There are two teams who will be there to do makeup and hair for the party. All of the outfits will then be donated or auctioned at the end of the evening.

Now that’s a special event worth being part of.

Watch Those Calories When You Pop Into Starbucks

caloiresAs the holidays approach and the weather cools, many people are drawn to those delicious drinks that they have at Starbucks and other locations. But you should be aware of just how many calories, and how much sugar, one such drink has.

The World Health Organization has offered guidelines for sugar consumption that indicate that women should have no more than 25g a day and men no more than 35g. When examining the sugar content in 20 different drinks, the Daily Mail found that the worst offender was the Starbucks skimmed Honey and Almond Hot Chocolate with whip. This drink came to a whopping 61g of sugar (or 15 teaspoons!).

Now, a grande Honey and Almond Hot Chocloate from Starbucks that is made with full fat milk and has whipped cream contains 524 calories.

Many people who pop into a café on the way to or from work may not realize just how many calories they are consuming. Be forewarned and plan accordingly!

Raising Safe and Healthy Kids with Soccer, eSafely and More

computerWe live in an age where there are many more ways for children to get into trouble than there used to be. With the internet, computers, cell phones and more children can stumble into places that we don’t want them to be. They can chat with dangerous strangers and can see pictures and images that can be damaging. How do we keep them safe? Here are a few suggestions that can go a long way towards helping.

1. Keep Your Kids Active: If your children are active and out of the house, they have less time to look at their computer screens, to check their phones and to chat with random people on Facebook. Obviously, you need to let your kids have some downtime, but they should be engaged in the afternoons in healthy activities like chess club, soccer, gymnastics and other activities.

2. Limit Computer Time: Rather than allowing a child to take a laptop to his room, have a central computer that everyone is allowed to use. Keep the computer in the kitchen or in the family room so that you can check on what your child is viewing.

3. Get a Computer Safety Program: Installing a tool like eSafely onto your family computer (and all computers that your children use) can greatly decrease the likelihood of problems. A tool like eSafely works seamlessly with the web browser and offering industry-leading filtering technology.

4. Talk Opening To Your Children: So that they know what you expect from them and what you don’t want them doing. While teenagers (in particular) won’t always listen, they will at least know what your expectations are.

 

Barbie Lover’s Oasis

barbie1This is a little girl’s dream (and perhaps an adult’s nightmare). It’s the Barbie Dreamhouse hotel room that is available for rental at the Hilton Buenos Aires. You, too, can stay here for $179 a night with prices that rise to more like $569 during the peak periods. The room opened in September, after extensive consultations with the toymaker Mattel. It’s available year-round but it’s already fully booked until the start of 2015.

The room, at number 136, has a 32 inch television that runs non-stop with Barbie films, a marble bathroom, a walk-in wardrobe and all sorts of Barbie dolls and items in the room.

Guests actually go through a separate check-in specifically designed for kids before being sent in VIP-style up the private staircase to the room.


For parents who just can’t handle this much Barbie – they can book a normal adjoining room with a connecting door.

barbie

7 Suggestions for Using Post-Halloween Candy

Most children don’t need nearly as much candy as they collect on Halloween. So what should you do with all of the leftover junk? Here are some ideas that don’t force the kids to part with their candy, but simply to use it for future enjoyment.

  1. Freeze the candy. When you freeze it you’ll then be able to use it in the future. Give the kids one piece a day (a week?) or put it in smoothies and milk shakes over time.
  2. Make a cake or more than one. You can always add delicious candies to your cake recipes.
  3. Trail mix. Open up little bags that have M&Ms and other items in them and make a trail mix. Add nuts, raisins and other goodies to the mix.trailmix
  4. Hot chocolate. The kids can add chocolate candies to their hot chocolate (or you can add it to your coffee) for a great treat.
  5. Make a gingerbread house. You can always put that candy to good use by making a gingerbread house and getting ready for the Holidays.

  6. Lunch treats. Put one piece of candy in each child’s lunch bag so he can look forward to a treat each day.
  7. Meltdown remedy. Keep some of the candy in your purse so that you’re ready for the next melt down. Just whip out the candy and give it to a kid when you’re in the mall or in a situation where you need that quick pick-me-up.