An ‘Oz’ of prevention

OZ is short for ounce.

It’s enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) season once again and while depressing, on the flip side, we look forward to creations of food entrepreneurs. May this be the last ECQ season for 2021.

Aside from ube pan de sal and sushi bake, there were also a few healthy products born during ECQ Season 1. One of these was Berryporium, created by friends Cath Diverson, Patricia Tobias, Julie Manuel and Aya Beltran who, though working in different fields (law, architecture, engineering, hotel and restaurant management) had the common quarantine goal of helping everyone stay fit.Berryporium sells raw, all-natural, premium quality, freshly frozen berries that have no added sugar and no preservatives. Follow @berryporium on Instagram.

Later, it made sense to sell smoothies made of these berries as well, so OZ was born.

OZ is short for ounce, of course. As Diverson says, “our bottled smoothies are made to deliver healthy goodness in every ‘ounce.’” As with the packed berries, there are no preservatives and no added sugar here. They are also high in fiber, antioxidants and disease-fighting nutrients so you can consider the OZ smoothies as immunity boosters in a bottle. The berries are individually frozen using special quick-freezing technologies so the quality, nutritional benefits and flavors are preserved. They are also vegan-friendly.

Their original selection of smoothies includes: a strawberry and banana mix; a blueberry and banana mix; a nut butter and banana mix; a peach, mango and passion fruit mix; a berry mix with blueberries, strawberries, peach and lime; and a green smoothie with peach, mango, passion fruit and spinach. All are mixed with chia seeds and flaxseeds for a healthier smoothie.

Immune system

They also launched this month a new line incorporating dragonfruit. They have four flavors: dragonfruit with banana; with peach; with spinach; and with berries (blueberry and strawberry). They are all made in small batches and delivered with insulation to ensure freshness.

Dragonfruit is great in boosting your immune system. It is rich in antioxidants like flavonoids, phenolic acid and betacyanin, which supposedly help prevent cancer and premature aging. It is naturally fat-free and high in fiber and may help lower your blood sugar. It contains prebiotics, is high in vitamin C and other antioxidants, and can boost iron levels.

At this time when we need to take extra good care of our health, what’s not to love? This is definitely a drink we can all benefit from and a quarantine creation I am personally grateful for.

Let’s expand the silver lining of this gray quarantine cloud and take this as an opportunity to all get healthier one Oz of healthy berries—or dragonfruit—at a time. Oz by Berryporium. To order, message @berryporium on Facebook and Instagram or message or Viber 0905-4685168.

More from the author at margauxsalcedo.com.