Malunggay and Camote Tops Smoothie

CEBU, Philippines - Sixty years ago, cancer case was recorded at just one patient out of 16. Today, one of two individuals in the Philippines is stricken with the ailment, or an estimated one case per 1,000 people.

Engr. Nestor Archival, former Cebu City councilor, who is an advocate of green practices and healthy living, pointed out that mass production of toxic food in the name of economic prosperity is not only connected directly to massive deforestation and the enormous usage of energy. The illusion of instant economic rewards has fed in frenzy our self-destruction. Man’s refusal to live in harmony with nature has taken its toll. Our decaying bodies say it all.

Through a practical demo on food preparations using raw vegetables and fruits during the recent “Organic Fair and Conference” at the Cebu International Convention Center, Archival showed how we can reverse the trend effectively beginning with a “cleaner, greener” eating habit.

Since Archival encouraged attendees to cultivate a lifestyle of eating only healthy food items, preferably raw, he came up with “Malunggay and Camote Tops Smoothie.” A smoothie (also spelled smoothy) is a blended and sometimes sweetened beverage made from fresh fruits. Smoothies have milkshake-like consistency which is thicker than slush drinks. The addition of malunggay and camote tops makes the blend a “green smoothie.”

Archival used bananas and mangoes as natural sweeteners to temper the bitter taste of miracle vegetable malunggay (Moringa oleifera; Horse radish/Ben oil tree or drumstick tree). Camote tops are the leaves of sweet potatoes.

To prepare the smoothie, you need the following:

Blender

Water (make sure it would consist 50 percent of the smoothie)

Malunggay leaves and camote tops (25 percent of the smoothie)

Bananas and ripe mangoes (25 percent of the smoothie)

How to prepare:

1.            Wash malunggay leaves and camote tops in running water. To sift stubborn dirt off the leaves, add two teaspoons of “real vinegar” (from coconut toddy) to the water in a basin where you can immerse the greens for a time.

2.            Pour in water to a blender. Make sure that water consists half or 50 percent of the smoothie.

3.            Place malunggay leaves into the blender. Top with the camote leaves. Make sure that the leafy greens consist 25 percent of the smoothie.

4.            Place two pieces of peeled bananas. You can use tungdan or lakatan. Add ripe mangoes. Make sure that the rest of the 25 percent of the smoothie is made up of fruits.

5.            Plug in the blender to work.

6.            If bitter taste overpowers sweetness of fruits, add more bananas and mangoes.

7.            Pour smoothie in a tall glass. This serves as your breakfast as this is complete food already. For best results, intake is recommended one hour after consuming carrot juice early in the morning.

“You have food. You have raw food rich in nutrients, rich in green enzymes to aid digestion. The practice is very eco-friendly. No firewood used; no cooking oil. Not even dishes to wash,” Archival pointed out the health and economic benefits of preparing smoothies for the family.

He said that he used to have a problem with his eyesight. “Before, I can’t drive. I relied on contact lens. But when I started drinking malunggay and camote tops smoothie, I’m back to driving at 64 years old,” he proudly shared.

Archival further encouraged participants to plant their own vegetables to be assured of the quality and hygiene of products.