Relax, there’s a worm in your apple

The youngest daughter of a doctor of medicine, Mara Pardo de Tavera has not taken antibiotics in the last 30 years. Neither have her husband and three kids, the eldest of whom is 21 years old.

Mara hails from the Pardo de Tavera family of "rebels," which brings her to the forefront of the campaign for an organic lifestyle and now, "Slow Food"!

Mara does not remember having the flu in the last six years. She has clear, supple skin; is still energetic at 8 p.m. despite a full day; and is always refreshed when she gets out of bed in the morning. At 52, she is proud of her long thick hair because a lot of her contemporaries are complaining of thinning locks.

All this Mara attributes to her diet, which is, if she can help it, 100 percent organic. Mara also credits her diet for her cheerful disposition in life, which she believes is like a vitamin in itself.

Mara started the first organic market in the Philippines and Asia 13 years ago, and continues to hold organic markets in Alabang, Eastwood City, Legaspi Park every week. She also supplies organic fruits and vegetables to Rustan’s Supermarkets.

"Organic" means nothing has been manipulated in the process, and nothing synthetic has been used (like pesticides) to enhance its production and growth.

"I’m like a witch doctor," she jokes, "because of my remedies to common ailments." Her top two secrets to good health are brown upland rice (grown in Kalinga in the north) and seaweeds.

Organic is expensive, admits Mara, but the extra pesos you spend on organic food now more than make up for the cost of medicines later. Mara believes most of the illnesses we contract are from pesticides and genetically-modified organisms and preservatives.

"Aren’t you surprised that more and more children are getting cancer? Their bodies just cannot take all the pollutants in the air and in the food they eat," points out Mara.

Mara asserts that upland rice, which takes about three months to grow, is best for us. The so-called "miracle rice," which takes only about a month to harvest and is reportedly peppered with pesticides, is unhealthy, claims Mara.

When choosing vegetables and fruits, don’t go for the "perfect" ones, she advises. Those with brown marks and tears from insect bites are healthier than those that look picture-perfect.

"In fact," says Mara, "I rejoice when I see a worm survive in a fruit or vegetable. It means the fruit has not been treated with pesticides. People think I’m weird, but you see, if the worm has survived the fruit, then so could you."

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Mara is now promoting "slow foods," as opposed to fast food. She is part of the International Movement for the Defense of and the Right to Pleasure, which was established on Nov. 9, 1989 at the Opera Comique in Paris.

The movement believes that people of today "are enslaved by speed and have all succumbed to the same insidious virus: Fast life, which disrupts our habits, pervades the privacy of our homes and forces us to eat Fast Food."

"Our defense should begin at the table with slow Food. Let us rediscover the flavors and savors of regional cooking and banish the degrading effects of Fast Food."

"That is what real culture is all about: developing taste rather than demeaning it..."

Guess what the symbol of the movement is: A snail.

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My personal belief is that as long as we are not obsessed or consumed by our search for healthy food – but give preference to it as often as we can – then healthy food will work for us. But when we are enslaved by our desire to eat only healthy food that it affects our social interactions – like bringing our own baon to parties – then I think the over-vigilance will wear us down.

My grandfather thrived on tostadong hotdog and adobong baboy for more than half of his 96 years. And how he enjoyed his meals! But I guess that whatever synthetic and high-cholesterol foods he ingested were negated by the fresh air and the fresh vegetables (and natural vinegar, not acetic acid) that were staples in his table. (He died at age 96 from complications that resulted from a bad fall.)

So I’m off to buy upland rice from Kalinga now, and also a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, still my favorite.

Finding your one true love

You are 25 going on 40 – and still single. People – your mother, aunt, cousins, friends, neighbors – nag you every single day with the question: When are you ever getting married? Even new acquaintances – strangers! – once they come to know your age, ask you the same question, as if it is their business to get you hooked.

And so not a few single women, faced with this constant pressure, desperately look for a man, and not a few of them end up with the wrong guy and live miserably ever after.

If you are still single you might save yourself from committing the same mistake by reading the latest book from best-selling and relationship author Bo Sanchez, titled How To Find Your One True Love.

Bo, a lay evangelist, points out that many women tend to over spiritualize matters of the heart. Many a Christian woman ascribes to the basic philosophy that declares: "Trust in God the Matchmaker. He’ll pick the guy for you. He’ll give you a husband. Don’t look. Don’t search. Don’t do anything."

Well, Bo says we should not give God the responsibility He gave us. He points out that trusting God does not mean staying put and doing nothing, that trusting Him means doing all you can with all He gave you – with Him on your side.

In his new book, Bo gives eight very practical steps on how to attract a lifetime partner – even if you’re already past 40. "I’m so tempted to give a guarantee with the book that you’ll be married within two years if you apply what I teach," Bo laughs.

Aside from the book, Bo also has the Complete Take-Home Course which contains DVDs or audio CDs of his talks in his recently concluded seminar, How To Find Your One True Love, a manual with a load of crucial strategies, penetrating questions, and practical wisdom not found in his book. He also has the Life Dreams and Success Journal to help you discover your mission in life.

How To Find Your One True Love is available in bookstores nationwide and may be purchased online at shepherdsvoice.com.ph. It is also available in E-book form at onetruelovenetwork.com

Aside from his best-selling books, Bo’s writings appear in Kerygma, an inspirational magazine that a Catholic bishop once called "the publishing miracle of Asia."

Farewell, Bambi

My Assumption (San Lorenzo) High School Class of 1979 mourns the death of Rosa "Bambi" Vergara-Falgui of Section 6, who many will remember was the corps commander of our CMT class. Bambi died of complications from pneumonia yesterday morning.

She was a loving wife to lawyer Tomas Falgui and a devoted mother to their four children, Maki, 16; Neil, 15; Pundit, nine; and Tommy, six. She was an accomplished lawyer, with a thriving practice in General Santos City. Her clients included DOLE Phils. and ALSONS. She was the lead counsel to the governor of the province of Saranggani and the Cabanatuan Electric Corp.

Farewell, Bambi.

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(You may e-mail me at [email protected])