A 'raw' evening with Chef Cheloy

As promised (and as per her request), we showed up with “empty stomachs” early Wednesday night at Chef Cheloy Ignacio’s newly-opened (only last May 8) Living On Live Food resto on Kamuning Road, Quezon City. “We” included Ronald Constantino (Tempo columnist), Nestor Cuartero (Tempo entertainment editor and Bulletin assistant entertainment editor), freelance-writer Mario Labad and yours truly.

As most people must know by now, Cheloy (ex-wife of a semi-retired actor’s father) is the Rawfood VEGAN Chef/Health Coach, graduate of a health-oriented school in California, who has started what she called a “RawVolution” dedicated to the proposition that eating raw food is good not only for one’s health but may also cure a lot of illnesses.

“I am a living proof,” said Cheloy who, at her prime, was one of the endorsers (called Super Angels) of a men’s drink.

We have heard her tell her story which won’t sound stale with one more retelling, a success health story Cheloy has printed for posterity at the back of her resto’s flyer. A summary:

At 19, I was pregnant and diagnosed to have pre-eclampsia. My sugar level was way beyond border line and blood pressure shot up to 280/110. My baby died two days before due date.

At 23, I suffered a mild stroke. For decades after that, I was regularly visiting hospitals and a walking drugstore, with my travelling bag packed full with all sorts of medicines for my kidney ailment, migraine, arthritis, pharyngitis, gastroenteritis — name the ailment, I had it.

Then, I read somewhere about the raw-food diet. I also started reading books about it and doing research.

Since 2006, I’ve been on a raw-food diet and I’ve been healthy since then, my ailments gone, my blood-sugar level and my blood pressure back to normal. From a sickly person, I became a healthy and forward-looking. And, I bade my bagful of medications goodbye.

Ask Cheloy about the rest of the story if you cross paths with her, or if you attend one of her regular lectures with Dr. Sam Dizon, M.D. (a natural-medicine advocate).

Nestor and I have tried Cheloy’s diet before. In fact, since then, I’ve been taking a variation of her raw-fruit drink. Mine consists of five greens (green apple, ampalaya, cucumber, green pepper and celery) blended and taken with breakfast. No, it’s not an herbal supplement, but just a simple “veggie shake.” (Many people I know, Susan Joven and lawyer/TV host Joji Alonzo-Antonio, have been taking it with satisfactory effects.)

That “raw” Wednesday night, Cheloy first served us Seaweed Salad (a.k.a. Smokers’ Delight, consisting of cinnamon, coconut, almond milk, camote, banana, etc.), one plateful each, followed by a serving each of Pad Thai (consisting of, among other mixes, singkamas and red pepper) and capped with Mango & Banana Ice Cream (with red pepper). Cheloy wanted to serve us more but we begged off.

“My clients come from all levels of society,” said Cheloy who used to conduct how-to-prepare-a-raw-diet seminars at her condo unit in Ortigas Center, until her clientele grew too big to be accommodated in that small place. So she decided to open an outlet, the one on Kamuning Road. “Most of them are just like me before, maraming sakit. Just a few weeks of taking my raw-food diet, they come back feeling well. They hug me and thank me dahil gumaling daw ang mga karamdaman nila.”

No harm in trying.

Tomorrow, June 5, and on Sunday, June 6, Cheloy and Dr. Sam will conduct seminars on The Healing Wonders of Foods starting at 9 a.m. Topics to be discussed (along with actual raw-food preparation) include Rejunevation, Longevity, Weight Management, Virility in Men, Age Reversal, and Disease and Prevention.

“Those interested should come with an empty stomach,” said Cheloy. “The seminars include breakfast and lunch, all for P1,000.”

(Note: The Natural Health [RawVolution]-Institute of the Philippines is located at 113 Doña Julita Building, Kamuning Road corner K-E Strret, Quezon City. For inquiries, call landlines 355-0619, 687-1121 and 546-4181; or celfone numbers 0917-386-8277, 0927-950-5590 0r 0920-550-9819.)

Belo remains the name to beat

Whether or not she gets enmeshed in a headline-hogging controversy, Dr. Vicki Belo remains the “brand” to beat when it comes to cosmetic surgery. Her patients, most of whom come from the upscale bracket, apparently have a mind of their own. They certainly know how to distinguish Vicki the celebrity from Dr. Belo the cosmetic surgeon.

As long as the patients get the world-class treatments and services being offered by the Belo clinic, they are happy and satisfied. They remain loyal Belo clients who keep coming back to the clinic and at the same time, follow every interesting chapter happening in the life of their popular doctor.

Vicki’s controversial love life is also not an issue among her patients. Although most of them are curious about her relationship with Dr. Hayden Kho Jr., that’s as far as their interest goes when it comes to her personal life.

The buzz that Vicki and Hayden are back together remains a guessing game for many. Recently, the two were spotted in the live audience of the highly rated Hollywood reality series, Dancing with the Stars. Vicki and Hayden were even seated on the front row, with Vicki beside host Tom Bergeron.

Vicki followed Hayden to the US West Coast where Hayden celebrated his 30th birthday last May 20. He went there ahead for a much-needed spiritual retreat in Arizona.

Contrary to reports that Hayden left without the court’s approval, since he has an ongoing case filed by Katrina Halili, he was given permission to leave the country. He assured the courts that he would be back in time for his next hearing on June 7.

To prove that Vicki remains the name to reckon with when it comes to cosmetic surgery, the Belo clinic recently merited an international award from Reader’s Digest as one of the most trusted brands in Asia for 2010. Belo was given the platinum award in the beauty clinic category.

Along with that, Belo was also recently featured in the Asia Business Channel report, The Philippine Advantage, that discussed medical tourism in the region. It was aired on Channel News Asia.

A production crew based in the United Kingdom flew to Manila to feature the clinic and interview Vicki, who talked about cosmetic surgery and the world-class treatments and services being offered by The Belo Medical Clinic.

Briefly noted

• Congratulations to Kiana (photo), 17, daughter of Gary Valenciano and Angeli Pangilinan, who is now officially in college. She started attending classes the other day at De La Salle University, taking up Organizational Communications. After Kiana’s high school graduation from La Salle Antipolo last March 27, she and the Valencianos watched Justin Timberlake at his concert with Timbaland at the Mall of Asia Concert Ground. “We decided to forego a graduation dinner,” said proud Mama Angeli. Kiana used to be a soccer varsity player but her asthma has prevented her from taking rigid practices. “On her orientation day at DLSU,” added Angeli, “she was picked at random for a fashion contest and she won.”

• From reader Siegfred Legaspi: The King and I recording done by Ben Kingsley and Julie Andrews, whom you mentioned in a recent Conversations, included our very own Lea Salonga who plays Tuptim on that album. (Incidentally, Lea is playing Fantine in the concert version of Les Miz to celebrate the musical’s 25th anniversary set for Oct. 2 and 3 this year at 02 Arena in London, and not “next year” as Funfare wrote yesterday. Also, Lea played Eponine in the same musical’s concert-presentation marking its 10th anniversary, not 20th anniversary as Funfare also wrongly wrote.)

• The much-awaited P99 CD & DVD mid-year sale starts today at the 10th Floor, #1487 Quezon Avenue, Quezon City, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. A wide variety of musical genre are available at giveaway prices. The sale continues tomorrow, June 5, and Sunday, June 6, same time. Hurry up! Early birds get hold of limited items which will never be available on the market again.

(E-mail reactions at rickylo@philstar.net.ph or at entphilstar@yahoo.com)