Cooking up healthier Filipino meals

MANILA, Philippines - With indulgent, flavorful dishes that are a delight to feast on, it’s no wonder Filipinos and their food are inseparable. Yet with Filipino cuisine overloaded with saturated fat, salt, and MSG, the question remains: Can one still enjoy the pleasures of local food while still being healthy?

Fortunately, the answer is a resounding yes. With skillful cooking and healthier substitutes to staple kitchen ingredients such as the heart-friendly olive oil, one can still enjoy the gustatory gratification that only Filipino cuisine can give.

At the recent cooking class of the Doña Elena Cuisinera Club, a group of concerned mothers, health practitioners, and food enthusiasts rallying for a healthy eating lifestyle flocked to the Podium in Mandaluyong to learn how to make delicious and much healthier Filipino meals.

“Most people associate healthy living with sacrificing delicious food,” observes Professor Luchie Callanta, a faculty member of the University of the Philippines College of Home Economics. “But the truth is, one doesn’t have to let go of their favorite dishes. In the hands of a good cook who makes use of healthier variants, no one has to endure bland, tasteless meals.”

The place was filled with the mouthwatering aroma of popular dishes as kitchen master Chef Golda Laurel-Liamzon entertained guests with her culinary take on popular Filipino recipes using Doña Elena. And after watching the chef whip up her versions of pancit luglug, tortang alimasag, and kare-kare, guests found out that the healthier versions were as tasty as the original.

“Unlike when you use cooking oils rich in saturated fats, these meals which were cooked using olive oil help reduce cholesterol levels in the blood, possibly preventing the risk of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease,” notes the professor. “And apart from this, those who use olive oil will also benefit from its anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.”

With olive oil’s versatility, everyone can enjoy the healthy benefits of Doña Elena come mealtime. For salads and bread dips, one can use the extra-virgin variant to give these dishes a fruity taste and aroma.  Pure Olive oil, on the other hand, is ideal for everyday cooking that involves sauteeing, basting, frying, and pasta preparation. This makes the healthy lifestyle truly easier to achieve every day.

For further info, log on to www.cuisineraclub.com or call the Doña Elena Cuisinera Club Secretariat at 713-8144.