Healthy noche buena fare a mouse click, a call away

Christmas isn’t complete without food. The abundance of goodwill and good cheers going around this season is naturally accompanied by an abundance of chow, as well. And although we can do with an overabundance of joy this time of the year, we cannot say the same of the foods that are laid out on the table.

Unfortunately, though, when it comes to food, most Filipinos seem to throw caution to the winds, letting their stomachs do the thinking for them at the expense of the other organs. According to the National Nutrition and Health Survey, an inter-government agency study participated in by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology, 90 percent of Filipino adults have at least one risk factor to atherosclerosis (the thickening of the walls of our artery as a result of the accumulation of fatty materials, which can lead to heart disease, organ failure, stroke and a host of other so-called lifestyle diseases). The identified risk factors were dyslipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, smoking and obesity.

Except for smoking, these identified risk factors are directly related to our diet.

Though there are many factors that lead to degenerative diseases (including a sedentary lifestyle, stress and environment), food is the more common factor that exposes us to disease risk.

Now more accessible

Healthy, alternative food fare, especially for the holiday season, is now more accessible, thanks to the Internet and social networking sites. Accessing the happycow.net website would open the inquisitive and famished surfer to over 16,000 vegetarian restaurants not only across the country, but all over the world, as well. On Facebook, clicking “like” on the group Pinoyvegs will allow friends to share comments, inputs, food discoveries and even moral support for struggling vegetarians trying to “survive” in a carnivorous society.

Former health secretary Jaime Galvez Tan’s daughter Riva maintains the website naturalshelf.com that features healthy noche buena recipes, complete with instructional videos on their preparation. Inquiries can be posted at [email protected], or you can get in touch with Riva herself at +639178674353.

Kitchen Revolution’s Marie Itchon Gonzales holds a class today, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Pino Kitchen Studio at 39 Malingap Street, Teacher’s Village, Quezon City, intended for those who would want to try something truly different for their holiday feast. Learn how to make a classy herbed cashew cheese, a tofu roast with killer stuffing and smothered in gravy that will be begging to be eaten at your next party, and leche flan. To register, e-mail [email protected], call 09178945086 or check out facebook.com/kitchenrevolution.

Tomorrow, starting at 12 noon, an eat-all-you-can vegetarian food fair will be held at the country’s biggest vegetarian event, the annual Mabuhay Temple Vegetarian Food Fair. It is open even to nonvegetarians. Tickets to the fair cost P500 each. Before this, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., nutrition and breastfeeding expert Nona Andaya Castillo will discuss topics like:

How can a vegetarian maintain a balanced diet?

What are our sources of protein that are low in uric acid?

How do we deal with the difficulty of finding vegetarian food when eating out?

The talk is open to the public and admission is free. The Mabuhay Temple and Waterdrop Teahouse is at 656 P. Ocampo Street, Malate, Manila). RSVP Dave Albao at 0917-8124424.

Bali-certified chef and professional educator Asha Peri presents “The lighter side of raw 6: A raw platter of plenty (A Christmas special)” on Dec. 10 and 11 from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. To register, e-mail [email protected].

If you don’t have time to cook, vegan macrobiotics chef Alice Ty prepares Kare-kare with bagoong, Kinunot, Pochero, Gyoza, spicy noodles with Gyoza, Shawarma, her original tomato-basil vegetable pie, curry vegetable pie, sate Tofu-on-a-Stick, creamy Pumpkin Soup, miso soup with leafy green vegetables, tofu and wakame, homemade sauerkraut, and homemade condiments. Check out https://veganmacrobiotics.weebly.com, or e-mail [email protected], call at (632)343 6616 or (63922) 8148193.

Café Vegis in Moomba Plaza, Mother Ignacia corner Roces Avenue in Quezon City, offers its tasty Broccoli Pierogi in Mornay Sauce, among others ([email protected]).

Child-friendly

For lasagna-loving kids, Ella Galang Ampongan offers child-friendly vegan lasagna, as well as other treats, at https://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2005/12/es-kid-friendly-recipes.html.

Another promising vegetarian restaurant is Corner Tree Café at 150 Jupiter Street, Bel-Air, Makati. Call (632)897-0295 or 63906-5586177.

For affordable vegan and vegetarian preparations, get in touch with professor Blecenda Varona, RND, at +639274281221, or e-mail [email protected].

Meanwhile, neuroscientist Custer Deocaris has also called for Filipinos to eat more healthy noche buena fare, as he offers his “Memory-Boosting Gaba Brown Rice Puto Bumbong.” For more details, call 639155648717.