Green is in

Annie Pascual-Guerrero has a mouthful to say about “excessive consumption”: “It is amazing to note that a mere three square inches of the mouth of a human being, the palate, governs much of human activity. People like to eat, not so much to fill the biological needs of the human organism but to satisfy these three square inches of surface of the mouth … In the process of eating, there is so much waste produced … Yes, while so much waste is generated, one out of five people in the Philippines is hungry-poor.”

Food lover and true-blue green advocate Annie Guerrero can wield a ladle with the same flair as she can a garden shovel, and talk with the same passion about braising and glazing, and recycling and reducing.

Fact is, Annie is on her second book, An A-Z Guide for a Green Chef, sequel to An A-Z Guide for a Green Pinoy and published by the Culinary Education Foundation.

In the foreword to Annie’s second book, environmental lawyer and 2009 Ramon Magsaysay awardee Antonio Oposa Jr. (who also wrote the foreword to her first book) notes that finally, there’s a book for the Filipino chef — whether she/he is working in a five-star hotel, a world-class culinary school, a posh restaurant or one’s humble home.

Green and bare it, so the book invites everyone as it digs deep into the philosophies of informed and sustainable food choices that minimize waste in the kitchen and maximize efforts to save the environment.

Let me share some toothsome gems of wisdom from the green chef:

• Buy breads with the word “whole” in it. Taking grams of additional dietary fiber per day, as can be found in whole grain breads, is associated with an approximate 26-percent reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease.

• Oat-taking: Traditional cereals like oats and breakfast-shredded wheat are considered greener choices as they contain nothing but oats and wheat; hence, although processed, they are simple. Make your own greener alternatives by incorporating fresh local fruits in season to your favorite cereal.

• Cut the fat. When it comes to fat, the key factors are cut, portion, size, and cooking method. Choose the leanest cuts — round or loin is preferable — then trim all visible fat from the meat. Reduce further the fat by broiling, grilling or roasting on a rack to drip the fat away.

• Meaty green tip: Vegetarian burgers have found their way in the realm of healthy cooking. Filipino ingenuity has come up with many substitutes and extenders for meat —like beans, legumes, lentils, grains, puso ng saging, palm, and even banana peelings.

• Go herbal. Herbs, both fresh and dried, add incomparable aroma to food. Sometimes, all a recipe needs is a sprinkling of fresh parsley or basil for that final touch of flavor.

• Choose your juice. Juices provide a concentrated form of fruits and vegetables that is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and hundreds of other substances that protect against cancer and other diseases. But if you’re watching your calories, juices may not be your best bets. Support our local farmers by choosing locally sourced juices from fruits that are plentiful all year round.

• Grain of wisdom: Plant-based  protein is as good as meat or dairy protein. Your daily protein requirements can be met with a bowl of lentil soup, two slices of whole meal bread, a handful of nuts, a selection of grains, and green vegetables.

• Salt is a sin. Salt promotes fluid retention and may contribute to high blood pressure. Cut your salt intake by substituting with spices that do not contain sodium, like fresh herbs, ginger, hot peppers, chives.

• Choose mostly plant-based diets. A diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains typically costs 20-percent less than a diet that revolves around meat. More, a high red and processed meat diet can lead to health problems, including cancers and other lifestyle diseases.

Hail to the (green) chef!

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Beware of these (un)lucky charms

As the Year of the Snake comes slithering in, we get a snake, er, sneak peek of what 2013 holds for us via forecasts from renowned feng shui masters or your friendly neighborhood manghuhula. To ensure our luck, we get ourselves some lucky charms to wear and fill your homes or offices with.  They even tell you what auspicious colors to wear. To ward off bad luck, one geomancer prescribes going to the bank wearing a red top and red underwear — so you won’t be in the red this year? Tough luck!

But did you know that a consumer safety watchdog recently discovered dangerous chemicals in 28 lucky charms and accessories, including a chi lin (dragon horse) amulet that is supposedly “the bearer of fortune gift – the gift of a baby”?

Toxic metals such as chromium, lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic, and antimony were detected by EcoWaste Coalition’s Task Force Chemical Safety in 28 out of 30 samples after subjecting them to chemical analysis using an X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) device.

Of the 30 samples, 60% (18 out of 30) were found positive for chromium, 43% (13 out of 30) for lead, 30% (nine out of 30) for arsenic, 20% (six out of 30) for antimony, 13% (four out of 30) for cadmium, and 10% (three out of 30) for mercury.

The (un)lucky charms were purchased last January 31  from shops and vendors in Manila’s Binondo District (Chinatown), center of assorted activities ushering in the Year of the Water Snake.


Among the charms tested were amulets, animal figurines, baguas, bracelets, hanging decor, iconic figurines such as Buddha and Confucius, urns, and other fortune enhancers and good health activators.

Says Aileen Lucero of the EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect, “Lucky charms which are believed to produce a positive influence over a person’s good health and fortune should not contain hazardous substances that bring adverse health effects.” She especially called attention to a yellow-gold chi lin amulet intended for childless couples, which registered the highest level of lead at 47,400 parts per million (ppm), way beyond the 100 ppm limit for toys and children’s articles under the US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008.

“Lead is extremely toxic and can be passed from a mother to her unborn child.  Too much lead in a mother’s body increases the risk of miscarriage or stillbirth, premature birth, and low birth weight, and may cause the child to have behavioral or learning difficulties.  This makes the presence of lead in a ‘baby boom’ amulet bizarre and unacceptable,” Aileen notes with concern.

More alarming findings:

• A door decor with red and yellow beads showed the highest amounts of cadmium and antimony at 15,200 ppm and 3,357 ppm.

• A yellow and green Confucius figurine with a red base had 8,801 ppm of lead, 5,359 ppm of chromium, 1,069 ppm of arsenic, and 12 ppm of mercury.

• One of the three baguas registered 4,399 ppm of lead, 2,212 ppm of chromium, 531 ppm of arsenic, and 31 ppm of mercury — the highest among all samples.

• Six of the nine snake lucky charms tested positive for chromium ranging from 103 ppm to 972 ppm.

• Four out of five bracelets tested positive for multiple toxic metals.


Arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury are included in the World Health Organization’s list of “Ten Chemicals of Major Public Health Concern.” According to the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), “Lead is a heavy metal that is toxic at very low exposure levels and has acute and chronic effects on human health,” as “it is a multi-organ system toxicant that can cause neurological, cardiovascular, renal, gastrointestinal, haematological, and reproductive effects.”



Good luck, good health, everyone!