Off-id

TEA, as highly touted, is good for digestion. It is now very popular and the choice beverage for health-conscious
individuals. But the cola-loving Filipino race did not bite–or should one say, sip?–at first. Until an enterprising company re-introduced tea as a refreshing and healthy drink. The product became an instant hit and became a popular thirst-quenching drink.

Soon enough, other brands followed and even came out with a sugar-free variety for the figure-conscious. Other flavors emerged, from oolong to black tea to chamomile,etc.

Tea, especially the green variety, is good for one’s health because of its flavanoid components.  A study in Japan among 40-year old male subject reports that those who regularly drank green tea had lower total cholesterol, lower bad cholesterol and a higher level of good cholesterol.

Another study on Norwegian men and women showed that as tea consumption increased, total cholesterol level went down. Since tea, to a degree, blocks the absorption of dietary cholesterol, it is safe to assume that tea-drinkers have lower incidence of coronary heart disease.

The polyphenols in green tea have also been theorized to boost the immune system, giving the individuals drinking it a higher resistance to diseases in general.

These so-called polyphenols are natural phytochemicals found in tea leaves, most fruits and vegetables, and in vitamins and minerals. Aside from tea also being an antioxidant that deactivates the free radicals in our body, other benefits include its ability to prevent the destruction of DNA strands, inhibit abnormal cell reproduction that blocks the formation of cancer cells, and its ability to decrease the contact of cancer causing agents with the cells.

When a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti Jan 12 at 75,000 people died and about a million were left homeless. An estimated two million people were affected by this disaster.

“When something like happens, it’s always the children who suffer most,” says Vanessa Tobin, United Nations Children Fund (Unicef) country representative.

Miss Vanessa says that the biggest needs of Haitians right sanitation, emergency shelters clean water. Water purification tablets and oral rehydration salts are important to keep children and adults from getting diarrhea and other waterborne diseases.

Unicef is supplying the victims with high-energy biscuits containing high-protein cereals. These special biscuits are packed with vitamins and minerals.

“It is not a replacement for food. It is a supplement for the food provided by the World Food Programme,” she says.

According to Miss Vanessa, the children  will also given Plumpy’nut if they showed signs of malnutrition Plumpy’nut is a peanut-based paste which sweeter than peanut butter. It ca help kids gain weight tastes.

Although help been pouring in from different parts of the world, Miss Vanessa says that the United Nations is far from reaching the $500 billion needed to for the next six months.

It is very important for children in the Philippines to help out because they can relate better to the children of Haiti after all the recent disasters that they have faced,” she says.

She suggests that students can organize a collection in their school and ask their teachers to turn over the amount to Unicef by calling the donor hot- line, 758-1000.

Your teachers or guardians may also get in touch with the following organizations.

While the holidays are behind us, the celebrations continue as we look forward to all the hopefullness that the New Year brings. And there’s nothing like facing 2010 with a new look that will bring out the best in you from  SM.

Give yourself a gift of time with global watch brands like Esprit, Axis, Giordano, Police. There are elegant dress watches in gold and silver finishes, classic timepieces in leather straps, and sporty watches iii fun colors to keep you in great time as you navigate through your 2010 appointments.

Give yourself a gift of style with trendy shades from SM’s branded accessories collection from Ray-Ban, Lacoste, Carolina Herrera, Dolce & Gabbana, Kenneth Cole, Montblanc, Just Cavalli, Escada, and Tommy
Hilfiger.

Take your pick from a wide selection of sporty aviators and wayfarers, trendy gradient lens sunglasses, preppy style retro and tortoise shell sunglasses, and glam oversized sunglasses to update your look. These luxe watches and sunglasses are available at the branded accessories section of selected SM department stores.