good eats and health talks

After today's yoga class at the neighbor's, we went to a classmate's house for some healthy eats and a talk by Dr. Escalona.

We were greeted by a generous assortment of greens, toppings and dressings, and a green juice shot of cucumber, pineapple, kale and turmeric.

Green juice shots

Healthy eating isn't always as appealing as full blown buffets, or meals of meat and carbo overload, but with hosts like Joy who are in the food business and know their way around the kitchen, you're surely in for a delicious healthy treat.

Today's talk was conducted by Dr. Escalona who shared with us the importance of overall wellness that most of us nowadays neglect because of the fast pace lifestyle that we keep. Some new things my ignorant self learned during this talk:

1. Milk is good to take when you're young. As you get older, it's something to avoid because our body can't absorb it as well. You can get your calcium from other fruits and vegetables, or take more healthy alternatives like almond milk.
2. What you do everyday is more important than what you do once a week. So 15 minutes of running everyday is healthier and more effective than one 10k run a week.
3. When getting a second round during meals, wait 20 minutes before you do. This helps your body digest all the food you're eating and gives it time to register in your head that you don't need more food, you've had enough.

Something to keep in mind the next time #danielaeats!

#danielaeats: green living

One thing I know I will never be able to give up is eating good food. Even dieting is too hard to do because how is it possible to decline delicious food when you know you're stomach's not fully satisfied? When food is there, I'm always there (and so is my iPhone, ready for that food post). Eating just gives a different kind of happiness that doesn't only last the meal. Which is why I might pull back a few bucks when spending on clothes and other necessities, but with food, i'm all in. 

In the last couple of days I've been exposed to different vegan and vegetarian restaurants because of my work. I've heard of these places a lot, but since most of them are located up north (aka anything past the skyway), I don't usually make an effort to try out these places. Aside from that, the term veg or green was never appealing to me. I regularly eat my veggies, but I don't go out of my way to get some. Aside from that, I can never imagine myself having consecutive meals without my meat. But visiting these places totally changed my perspective on vegan or vegetarian restaurants, debunked all my initial thoughts about it being bland, boring and not filling, and has opened a new door for me to explore. 

Pipino (Maginhawa, QC)

Edgy Veggy (Kapitolyo)

 Susi (Bonifacio Global City)

They don't look boring at all and they definitely don't taste bland. These dishes (and others that missed the photo op) were, to my surprise, very, very delicious. They were more flavourful than I expected and were so fun to photograph! Being a visual/photo person, I immediately judge the dish by its looks. When they were served and I saw all the colors, I immediately whipped out my phone and snapped away. I got to taste majority of the dishes, and they were all. so. good! They may come with a lot of veggies, but having them prepared the way these restaurants do makes you want to have them all the time. 

The Earth Kitchen (Bonifacio Global City) 

The Earth Kitchen is not exactly veg or vegan (as you can see, we had super good kebab!), but it will be on the show mainly because it's one of the few organic restaurants we have in the metro. They make all their ingredients from scratch so nothing's processed, and they have a farm up in Tarlac with almost 200 communities working together. Like all others, this restaurant is one to try out when you're in Bonifacio Global City because the food is delicious, it's HEALTHY, and the restaurant setup is so beautiful it's like dining in a garden with aircon. You may not be able to go the veg/vegetarian route early, but eating in places like The Earth Kitchen is a step towards keeping a healthy diet without compromising flavor.

Until next time #danielaeats!