Lesson on TATAKalikasan in 10 parts: Be healthy and happy with the food you eat

Lesson on TATAKalikasan Ateneo de Manila University

97.8 FM Radyo Katipunan, 11 to 12 a.m. Thursday, July 25, 2024

Be healthy and happy with the food you eat

"Sama-sama sa Nutrisyong Sapat Para sa Lahat!”

Dr Abe V Rotor

Co-Host with Fr. JM Manzano SJ and Prof Emoy Rodolfo, AdMU

July 2024 - National Nutrition Month

Theme: “Sa PPAN: Sama-sama sa Nutrisyong

Sapat Para sa Lahat!”,

As the nation marks the 50th year of National Nutrition Month, it has never been more urgent for everyone in society to get behind the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) 2023-2028 to transform children’s nutrition, combat stunting, and reverse the tide of childhood overweight and obesity. - Nutrition National Council and UNICEF

Part 1 - 10 Healthy Food Rules
Part 2 - Natural Food and Natural Farming
Part 3 - Simplify food preparation for enjoyment,
Part 4 - Rare Dishes of the Ilocos Region, Philippines
Part 5 - Don't waste food, don't!

Part 6 -

Part 7 - Food - something different to break monotony

Part 8 - Beware of food coloring. The case of jubos in tamarind sweet.

Part 9 - Bahay Kubo is an enduring symbol of food self-sufficiency

Part 10 - Food and Obesity. Fat Plague: Is Obesity Contagious?

Annex A - A touch of Philippine culinary arts in Australia*

Annex B - Tips on how to minimize the effects of pesticides on your health

and the environment

Part 1 - 10 Healthy Food Rules

Ukoy na kalabasa, with egg and small shrimp.

It is served in patties, or rolled like lumpia

Bulanglang or diningding: young pod of batao, malungay pod, soup

thickened with kamote or sweet potato, topped with sea weed (Gracillaria).

Fresh seaweeds as salad: Gracillaria and Codium (pokpoklo)

Sweet potato paste (suman)

Tamales, fish with onion, tomato black pepper, salt and ginger,

wrapped with banana leaves - steamed.

Sinkamas or yam with natural vinegar and salt.

Buko - direct from the young nut

Health Food Rules

Rule 1 - There is no substitute to freshness. Perishable food must be prepared and served without delay: newly caught fish (better if alive), animals and fowls direct from the slaughter house (better if butchered or dressed at home), newly picked fruits and vegetables (fully mature when harvested).

Rule 2 - The less processed your food is, the better. Reduce if not avoid eating processed food (canned, preserves, dairy, etc), heavily spiced, overcooked, over decorated, culinary loaded - they are unhealthy, They burden body physiology from digestion to circulation to excretion. Besides they are very expensive and unfriendly to the environment.

Rule 3 - Food residues are harmful, if not poisonous. Antibiotics residues in meat and poultry, eggs and dairy; sodium in salted products, instant noodles, sauce; chemical residues in fruits and vegetables from insecticide, herbicide, fungicide, nematocide; and hydrocarbon from fossil fuel and smoke emissions. The miracle insecticide against malaria mosquito - DDT (Dichloro-diphenyl-tetrachloro-ethane) remains banned because it is not degraded even as it passes from one organism to another in the food chain. Thus it accumulates in predators - among them humans. DDT poisoning builds even after years from ingestion.

Rule 4 - Metal poisoning causes permanent impairment, or results to death. Lead is the most common toxic metal around from, china wares to car batteries. It damages the central nervous system and internal organs. Mercury poisoning is more severe. Cadmium is a recent introduction with cell phones and other electronic devices. Other than direct contamination, these metals are absorbed by plants and animals and find their way on the dining table. Kitchen wares made of aluminum, tin, nickel, antimony are being phased out.

Rule 5 - Avoid particulates in food, water and air. Car and factory emissions scatter particulates in the environment which we can only observe in the form of smog, sediments and dusts. Tar from cigarette and asphalt, asbestos from car brakes, unburnt carbon from tires, and old and faulty engines, metal particles in factories, silica from cereal mills.

Rule 6 - Avoid synthetic food and additives, they are harmful, and affect mainly the nervous system and senses. The Number One food additive to avoid is Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) or Vetsin, and many surreptitious names or brands. It is the cause of Chinese Food Syndrome. A friend of mine died of vetsin overdose. It is also used in dognapping by simply throwing a piece of bread saturated with vetsin. Avoid sweeteners - NutraSweet, saccharin, aspartame and other concealed brand names. Another is Olestra - fatless fat. The fat molecules are so large the villi cannot absorb them. So the unbroken fat simply leaks and causes discomfort - and quite often, embarrassment. Go natural, like brewed rather that decaffeinated coffee.

Rule 7 - Beware of the invisible poison: radiation. The worst kind of radiation is from fallout following a nuclear explosion (Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 1945), and nuclear plant meltdown (Three-Mile Island in the US, Chernobyl in Russia in the seventies, and Fukoshima Japan following a massive tsunami in 2011). Radioactive decay slowly takes hundreds of years, thus it can cause harm to the members of the food chain. (grass to cow to milk to baby, back to the same or similar cycle). Radiation from high voltage lines, transmission towers, electronic gadgets may get into the food we eat. So with hospital waste containing radioisotopes. The innocent looking microwave oven is now being phased out in many countries.

Rule 8 - Beware of Frankenfood from Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO). Frankenfood is named after the creator of the monster in Mary Shelley's novel –Frankenstein. Examples are Bacillus thuringiensis Corn (Bt Corn), GM potato, GM soybean, SavrFlavr tomato, and golden rice which contains the yellow pigment gene of daffodil. Pharmed food has built-in medicine or drug. An increasing number of food grown in the laboratory includes in vitro stem cell burger which is dubbed lab meat.

Rule 9 - Drink natural instead of distilled water. Manufacturers call bottled water as mineral water because the process did not take away the naturally occurring minerals which are removed through distillation. But why buy mineral water when you can make your own at home with seeds of malunggay (Moringa oleifera), and through simple water treatment?

Rule 10 - Don't overeat, and eat the right food with the proper nutritional value. Eat more fruits and vegetables and less of meat and meat products. It is best to grow or procure your food, cook at home and serve it yourself to your family. The family that eats together stays together happy and healthy. Food indeed is santa gracia. ~

LESSON on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid

738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday

Part 2 - Natural Food and Natural Farming

"Natural farming is the key in the pursuit of this global trend. It is important in sustaining economic production, above all, the integrity of our ecosystems." - avr

Home Gardening, author's residence QC

Dr Abe V Rotor

Good health and good food go together, doctors all over the world tell us. Even our children quite often explain to us the importance of proper nutrition, balanced diet, fortification with vitamins and minerals. They tell us to take high protein food, or ask us if we are taking adequate calories. Lately such terms, beta-carotene and good cholesterol have come into the picture.

Now I hear a new term, probiotics. The way I understand these substances is that they keep our body always on the alert to fend off stress as a result of overwork and diseases. They are front liners and act as defense shield, Now if probiotics and antibiotics (substances that directly kill germs) work together, can we then say we can have better health and longer life?

Apparently yes, confirmed a balikbayan United Nations official who is working on a new food source from cyanobacterla or blue green algae. Again, this is a revolution in food and agriculture by the fact itself that we are now taking unconventional food such as Spirulina, an ancient organism probably the first kind of living thing that appeared on earth.

Going back to the main topic, I would like to see the other side of the fence. There are many reported ailments and abnormalities, which are traced to the food we take, and it is not only for the lack of intake. Cancer for instance, is often related to food. So with high uric acid which leads to kidney trouble. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, high sugar level. Aftatoxin causes cirrhosis of the liver. Ulcers are food related. So with many allergies.

Given these premises, I would like to discuss a new frontier of agriculture which I believe is also the concern of other sectors of the food industry. It is not only that we must produce enough food. We must be able to produce quality food, which ensures good health, reduces risks to diseases and ailments, and prolongs life. This is the topic that I would like to take up with you in this special occasion, the 40th anniversary of NFA that I was once a part. I am going to talk about food, which should contribute to good health, long life, enjoyment, and peace of mind.

Here then are seven postulates to address this challenge to present day agriculture. We reckon the Green Revolution in the sixties which ushered production gains from improved varieties and techniques, followed by another wave in the seventies and eighties which was responsible in opening the fields of mariculture (farming the sea), and conversion of wastelands into farmlands. We soon realized that there is need “to go back to basics". Thus ecological farming was born. It is also farming with a moral cause: the enhancement of quality life, good health and long life on one hand, and the maintenance of an ecologically balance environment.

1. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO EAT FOOD GROWN UNDER NATURAL CONDITION THAN FOOD GROWN WITH CHEMICALS. This statement can be captured with one term "natural food". All over the world this is a label is found on food grown without chemicals. People are afraid of becoming sick because of the chemicals introduced into food. They know that chemical fertilizers and pesticides go with the crops and are passed on to the body destroying our organs and systems.

No artificial additives, please. Additives such as food colorings and fillers are looked upon with suspicion.

2. PEOPLE ARE AVOIDING HARMFUL RESIDUES AND ARTIFICIAL ADDITIVES IN FOOD. A trace of certain farm chemicals is enough to condemn a whole shipment under the rules of the US Food and Drug Administration. One kind of residue that people are avoiding is antibiotics. Poultry and hog farms maintain high antibiotic levels to safeguard the animals from diseases. In so doing the antibiotics is passed on to the consumers. In the first place our body does not need antibiotics. But every time we eat eggs, chicken, pork chop, steak, and the like, we are taking in cumulatively antibiotics. This makes our immune system idle. This punishes certain organs like the kidney and liver. To others, antibiotics cause allergy.

Another culprit is radiation. Traces of radiation can be hazardous. Many countries immediately took drastic action to avoid contamination following the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident ten years ago. Then we have toxic metals emitted from manufacturing and from vehicles. These are mercury, cadmium, and lead, to name the most common pollutants in our waters today.

3. PEOPLE ARE BECOMING MORE CONSCIOUS OF THE NUTRITION VALUE OF FOOD RATHER THAN ITS PACKAGING AND PRESENTATION. Many people now reject junk foods, even if their packaging is attractive. Softdrinks have taken the backseat, courtesy of fruit juices and mineral water. People have even learned that plant varieties have different levels of food value even if they belong to the same species. To a lesser extent this is also true among the different breeds of an animal species.

4. FRESHNESS IS THE FIRST CHOICE CRITERION FOR PERISHABLE FOOD. Indeed there is no substitute to fresh-ness, a function of handling and marketing. The farmer has the first and direct hand in enhancing this quality. If he keeps his plant; healthy, their products will 'have longer shelf life. Products free from pest and diseases stay fresh longer.

5. FOOD PROCESSING MUST BE APPROPRIATE AND SAFE.

Processing such as drying, milling and manufacturing, is key to higher profit. The profit that is generated from it is referred to as value-added to production. Economists tell us that there is money in postproduction and marketing.

6. FOOD MUST BE FREE FROM PEST AND DISEASES.

It is shocking to find certain pest in food. So with the possibility that food is a carrier of disease organisms. Reports about infested NFA rice needs serious attention. Poor rice is an insult to the Filipino whatever is his economic status.

There has been news of food poisoning too, as a result of food deterioration, or contamination. Remember the Seven Eleven Store mass food poisoning? For a reputable establishment, such an accident deserves something to look deeper. What is the truth behind image building and advertisement?

7. FOOD PRESERVATION MUST ENSURE QUALITY, AND ABOVE ALL, SAFETY. Be aware of the fish that is stiff yet looks fresh. Be keen with formalin odor. Salitre is harmful, so with vetsin. Too much salt is not good to the body. I saw a puto maker use lye or sodium hydroxide to help in the coagulation of the starch. Sampaloc or tamarind candies are made bright red with shoe dye. So with ube to look life real ube.

Now I am going to discuss in details each postulate as it applies to the farmer, and the condition of his farm. I will try to relate the issue with actual practices so that we can draw up innovations to improve them, as we explore technologies that would settle certain issues.

8. AVOID AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE FOOD FROM GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS OR GMO. There is an increasing awareness worldwide on the potential harmful effects of taking GMO products as food. Bt corn for example carries a gene of the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, golden rice carries the yellow gene of the daffodil, milk contains recombinant bovine growth hormone. Other GMO food include soybeans, papaya, squash and zucchini, which carry "foreign" genetic material. Here is a list of countries that have banned both GMO imports and GMO cultivation: Algeria, Kyrgyzstan, Bhutan, Madagascar, Peru, Russia, Venezuela, Zimbabwe. EU members are selective in banning GMO. Most countries require labeling of GMO products, and are strict in their quarantine laws, and land use policy against GMO.

NATURAL FARMING

The other name of natural farming as we all know is organic farming, that is the use of organic fertilizers instead of chemical fertilizer such as urea and NPK or complete fertilizer. In the US and Europe, people go for organically grown food. Lately in malls and big groceries, we find rice in package or bag labeled "organically grown rice". Let me point out that the use of organic fertilizer must be complemented by other factors.

Community gardening, QC

First, the organic fertilizer must be free from pathogen that causes diseases.

Second, it must not carry toxic waste or metal as this kind of fertilizer is manufactured from waste materials.

And third, It must go hand in hand with no spraying, or if it can not be helped, at least the spray used is biodegradable, such as substances that are of botanical derivatives like derris, neem and chrysanthemum.

Let me give you scenarios of natural farming.

1. Payatak method (Samar) - This is a local version of zero tillage. No plowing, no harrowing. A herd of carabaos trample of the soil until it turns puddle, then the one-month old seedlings are transplanted. No spray, no fertilizer. This is natural farming in the marginal sense, a carryover of traditional farming.

2. Mixed orchard (Zambales) - A mixture of several kinds of trees, orchard, firewood trees, forest trees grow together without any apparent planning. Yet these trees follow a natural pattern of arrangement. They have no common pest, they need soil fertility differentially, they have their own space niche, they make up several storeys. Management is very little. Nature takes care of everything.

3. Multiple cropping model (Sta. Maria. Bulacan) - Here the farmer engages in the production of three commodities. For Narciso Santiago, national outstanding farmer, his 2.5-ha farm produces frults,vegetables and rice. He has several heads of carabao and cattle grown on homelot, pastured between the orchard trees. A pond supplies irrigation, as it produces tilapia and mudfish. Why three commodities? It is because they are closely integrated. This is the key to natural farming where there are a number of products to be desired. First the animals produce, other than meat and milk, manure for the plants, the plants produce food for the family and market, and they together with their residues give feeds to the animals. The pond is source of irrigation for the plants, principally rice and vegetables. It is a waterhole for wildlife for biological control. Because of its integrated structure and management. the farm itself becomes a balanced system. This is the key to sustainable production. This is ecological. farming.

4. Sloping agricultural land technology or SALT (Bohol) Call this natural farming even if the farm is a logged area. Precisely the idea is for the farmer to return the land to its natural state as much as possible. How does he do it? If one sees the model, the land has a grade of 20 to 40 degrees. The steeper the grade the more difficult it is to apply the system. Over and above 45 degrees the model may not work at all.) Here the contour of the slope is marked and outlined so that the sole of the plow, so to speak, will be level at all times. The contours are spaced uniformly, and the rows which follow the contour are planted at interval of annual and permanent crops.

Mushroom growing: Auricularia, Pleurotus,

5. The idea is for the permanent crops like fruit trees and firewood trees to sandwich the annual crops like peanut, rice, corn vegetable. The herbage of, say ipil-ipil, is used as organic fertilizer. Neem tree is used for pesticide. Lantana is a natural pest repellant, so with Eucalyptus. Legume intercropping and crop rotation replenish the soil of Nitrogen.

6. Modified models (rice and corn areas). Rice farming can be modified to suit the conditions of natural farming. There are farms today that rely entirely on homemade or commercial organic fertilizers. These are contracted farms to supply organically grown rice.

An equally important aspect of successful farming is cleanliness. This means no weeds, trimmed waterways, properly disposed farm wastes, efficient drainage, well arranged rows, properly scheduled farming activities, and the like. All this requires but low technology that is also affordable, and contributes to good health to both producer and consumer, and the whole community.

Genetically resistant varieties are chosen. Proper time of planting and harvesting is needed. We should know that clean farms, healthy plants and good management, are basic. What we are saying is that the use of chemicals is dispensable. To a single farmer, this is easier said than done. There is a need for collective and community effort, in which case farming , especially if it intends to shift to organic, likewise becomes more efficient as cost of production can be brought down.

Coconut farms (Southern Tagalog and Bicol). Seldom do we hear of coconut cultivation that follows the agronomic practices of other major cropslike sugar cane or corn.

Perhaps there is no plant more resistant than coconut. It is because it perfectly fits our soil, climate and latitude. It is indigenous to us. In fact it evolved with our islands and our culture. Evolutionarily and historically what I am saying is that natural farming is not new. And more importantly, it is a product of long years of development. It is not just acclimatization. It is co-evolution.

The message is that let us explore the richness of our biodiversity and our culture as a people to be able to understand the working of nature. Nature shows us the way. Nature, the way our ancestors knew then, is the nature we know today, except that we have embraced many changes in farming as well as in life style. Many of these changes had not passed the test of time.

In Laguna and Quezon, coconut is the dominant species of an ecosystem. The presence of man in the ecosystem has modified it to suit to his needs. For example, he has chosen only the trees and plants that grow between the coconut trees. Unknowingly he raises animals, which reduce the richness of plant species diversity.

We still see around well-established, stable coconut areas where man's intervention is kept low, but my fear is the current practice of logging old coconut trees for lumber.

Natural farming then is important as a way of farming. It is also important in sustaining economic production, and above all, the continuity of our ecosystems that we have placed in our hands. Given these premises the farmer today faces a new challenge worthy of the title, "the backbone of the nation." ~

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LESSON on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio 738 DZRB AM, [www.pbs.gov.ph] 8-9 evening class Monday to Friday

Part 3 - Organic Farming - Today's Green Revolution for Health and Environment

While organic food accounts for 1 to 2 percent of total food sales worldwide, the organic food market is growing rapidly, far ahead of the rest of the food industry, in both developed and developing nations.

Dr Abe V Rotor

Senior citizens attend to the barangay garden where most of the vegetables are organically grown. Lagro QC

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Above all concerns about organic farming, you gain peace of mind in eating products that are friendly to your health and the environment. Your fears of toxic metals like cadmium, lead and mercury are eliminated. So with residual toxicity from pesticides and chemical fertilizers. There are no antibiotic residues, induced hormones, engineered genes from bacteria and other organisms. You keep fields and waterways free from harmful runoff of chemical substances. Biologically, you keep down chances of pest and disease organisms to mutate and develop resistance.

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Eat more fruits and vegetables, those grown organically – without chemical fertilizers and pesticides, antibiotics, and the like, and above all – not genetically modified. You will live a healthier and longer life - and kind to Nature, too.

It is true. The whole world is going green and organic. It is the current Green Revolution that provides the foundation of sustainable agriculture, balanced ecology, and healthier and longer life.

Here is a basic comparison between conventional farming and organic farming:

Conventional farmers vs Organic farmers

• Apply chemical fertilizers to promote plant growth. /Apply natural fertilizers, such as manure or compost, to feed soil and plants.

• Spray insecticides to reduce pests and disease. /Use beneficial insects and birds, mating disruption or traps to reduce pests and disease.

• Use chemical herbicides to manage weeds. /Rotate crops, till, hand weed or mulch to manage weeds.

• Give animals antibiotics, growth hormones and medications to prevent disease and spur growth. /Give animals organic feed and allow them access to the outdoors. Use preventive measures, such as rotational grazing, a balanced diet and clean housing, to help minimize disease.

As one who grew up in a farm and practitioner of organic farming, here are other features of organic farming, which I would like to contribute.

1. Minimized wastage. Example: gleaning of grains is done by chicken.

2. Milling of grains practically leaves no waste, even the hull is ground with bran to serve as natural fiber and roughage for animals and fish.

3. Less mess and odor on the farm through efficient recycling. Farm wastes – crop residues and animal waste - immediately go to composting.

4. Organic farming is key to tri-commodity farming – crops, animals and fish farming.

5. Agribusiness is highly profitable through organic farming. Farm produce is immediately processed like natural fruit puree, natural vinegar, natural fish sauce, and the like.

Mushroom is a health food, it has anti-cancer properties. It is the only vegetable that

grows in total absence of sunlight.

6. Freshness of farm harvest and products is enhanced, hence requires no preservatives.

7. Community-based farming is ideal with organic farming.

8. Direct marketing linkage with outlets and endusers.

9. lesser risk to human health.

Avoid giving commercial formulated food to babies. Prepare it yourself from fresh fruits, squash, sweet potato and other native plants. It is safer and cheaper.

10. More environment friendly. It enhances ecology, that is, it promotes welfare of the ecosystem.

11. Less dependent on fossil fuel, favors tapping alternative and renewable energy sources.

12. Integrated with farm life, managed by family or by small and medium enterprise.

13. Aesthetics and quaintness of farm life through organic farming.

14. Farm becomes a tourist attraction as model in agriculture, ecology and sanctuary of wildlife.

15. Low technology, affordable and practical, thus less expensive.

Organic food has higher nutritional value and better taste.

There is no substitute to buko (young coconut) as food and drink. The roots of coconut sieve toxic metals and other harmful substances from getting into the plant system.

Results from Quality Low Food Input (QLIF), a 5-year integrated study funded by the European Commission, confirmed that the quality of crops and livestock products from organic and conventional farming systems differs considerably. Specifically, results from a QLIF project studying the effects of organic and low-input farming on crop and livestock nutritional quality "showed that organic food production methods resulted in:

(a) Higher levels of nutritionally desirable compounds (e.g., vitamins/antioxidants and poly-unsaturated fatty acids such as omega-3);

(b) Lower levels of nutritionally undesirable compounds such as heavy metals, mycotoxins, pesticide residues and glyco-alkaloids in a range of crops and/or milk;

(c) A lower risk of fecal Salmonella shedding in pigs.

Regarding taste, a 2001 study concluded that organic apples were sweeter by blind taste test. Firmness of the apples was also rated higher than those grown conventionally. In the market, organically grown fruits and vegetables look fresher and more solid.

Organic food may also have potentially higher amounts of natural biotoxins like solanine potatoes, as to compensate for the lack of externally applied fungicides and herbicides.

Organic farming favors community farms where the produce is geographically closer to the consumer. Local food is seen as a way to get fresher food and invest in one's own community.

Facts and statistics about Worldwide Green and Organic Movement.

• While organic food accounts for 1–2% of total food sales worldwide, the organic food market is growing rapidly, far ahead of the rest of the food industry, in both developed and developing nations.

• World organic food sales jumped from US $23 billion in 2002 to $52 billion in 2008.

• The world organic market has been growing by 20% a year since the early 1990s, with future growth estimates ranging from 10%–50% annually depending on the country.

• Organic food is the fastest growing sector of the American Food market. Organic food sales have grown by 17 to 20 percent a year for the past few years while sales of conventional food have grown at only about 2 to 3 percent a year.

• In Canada, organic food sales surpassed $1 billion in 2006, accounting for 0.9% of food sales in Canada. Organic food sales by grocery stores were 28% higher in 2006 than in 2005.

• In the European Union 3.9% of the total utilized agricultural area is used for organic production. The countries with the highest proportion of organic land are Austria (11%) and Italy (8.4), followed by Czech Republic and Greece (both 7.2%). The lowest figures are shown for Malta (0.1%), Poland (0.6%) and Ireland (0.8%)

• In Austria 11.6% of all farmers produced organically in 2007. The government has created incentives to increase the figure to 20% by 2010. Some 4.9% of all food products sold in Austrian supermarkets (including discount stores) in 2006 were organic. There were 8000 different organic products available in the same year.

• In Italy, since 2005 all school lunches must be organic by law.

• In Poland, in 2005 168,000 ha of land were under organic management. 7 percent of Polish consumers buy food that was produced according to the EU-Eco-regulation. The value of the organic market is estimated at 50 million Euros (2006).

• In UK, organic food sales increased from just over £100 million in 1993/94 to £1.21 billion in 2004 (an 11% increase on 2003).

• In Cuba, after the collapse of the USSR in 1990, agricultural inputs that had previously been purchased from Eastern Bloc countries were no longer available in Cuba, and many Cuban farms converted to organic methods out of necessity. Consequently, organic agriculture is a mainstream practice in Cuba, while it remains an alternative practice in most other countries. Cuba exports organic citrus and citrus juices to EU markets. Cuba's forced conversion to organic methods may position the country to be a global supplier of organic products.

Organics Olympiad 2007 awarded gold, silver and bronze medals to countries based on twelve measures of organic leadership. The gold medal winners were:

• Australia with 11.8 million organic hectares.

• Mexico with 83,174 organic farms.

• Romania with 15.9 million certified wild organic hectares.

• China with 135 thousand MT of organic wild harvest produce; and with an increase of 1,998,705 organic hectares.

• Denmark with 1805 organic research publications recorded.

• Germany with 69 members of. International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), the worldwide umbrella organization for organic agriculture movement, uniting more than 750 member organizations in 108 countries.

• Liechtenstein with 27.9% of its agricultural land certified organic.

• Mali with an 8488% annual increase in its organic hectares, and with a 10.9% 4-yearly increment of the organic share of its total agriculture.

• Latvia with an annual 3.01% increase in its organic share of agricultural land.

• Switzerland with a per capita annual spend on organic produce of 103 Euros.

Eating the right food enhances happiness, peace of mind, good health and long and active life - and the quality of your environment. This is a primordial Human Right. It is also the best you can contribute in saving the earth. Enjoy the quaintness of Farming with Nature.

References: Living with Nature in Our Times, Food and Fertilizer Technology Center publications, Internet.

Part 3 - Simplify food preparation for enjoyment,

health and economy

"The greatest dishes are very simple." - Auguste Escoffier

Dr Abe V Rotor

1. Edible fern salad (with red egg, tomato, onion rings, vinegar,

and a dash of salt.

2. Twin fried eggs over brown rice (onion leaves topping)

3. Halaan shell soup with sili (pepper) tops (thickened with corn starch)

4. Green corn on the cob (Serve with buko or young coconut juice or just water)

5. Nangka served as whole fruit

6. Empanada and ukoy (Eating while cooking)

7. Broiled tilapia cum scales (Burnt scale removes fishy taste and smell)

8. Tamales (fish steamed in banana leaves, add tomato,

ginger, onion and a dash of salt)

9. Paksiw sapatero fish (Just don't overcook)

10. Arusip or lato (Caulerpa) most popular sea vegetable. (You may add red
tomato and onion)

Simplify food preparation with these guidelines

1. FRESHNESS: There's no substitute to freshness - fruits picked from the tree, newly harvested vegetables, newly dressed chicken and slaughtered meat.

2. CLEANLINESS: free from contamination, healthy source of crops and animals, strict sanitation and quarantine.

3. SIMPLE PREPARATION: broiled, steamed, boiled, blanched, and the like.

4. AVOID PROCESSED PRODUCTS: canned, hammed, pureed, and the like.

5. HOMEMADE: direct choice and preference of recipes, others

6. ECONOMICAL: less handling, less processing, less advertising.

7. EDUCATIONAL: to children, members of the household and immediate community.

8. PEACE OF MIND: food security from vetsin (MSG)*, aspartame, olestra or fatless fat, decaf, enhancers.

9. HEALTH: investment and legacy to children and future generations.

10 PRODUCTIVITY: enjoyment in life and good health = high productivity.

11. BONDING: with family, friends and neighbors

12: VALUES: free from guilt and fear; fulfillment, and confidence.

*Vetsin or MSG comes in different names and brands, It is claimed to cause asthma, headaches and even brain damage, other ailments notwithstanding. On the other hand, it is also claimed safe. Don't put yourself and your family, especially children, at risk. The best way is to avoid using MSG!

LESSON on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio
738 DZRB AM, [www.pbs.gov.ph] 8-9 evening class Monday to Friday

Part 4 - Rare Dishes of the Ilocos Region, Philippines

"I, a prodigal son, I atone for my past;

join me, for the world's a stage of fun."

Dr Abe V Rotor

Caliente, ox hide. Hide is cleaned, and softened under low fire for hours, sliced thinly, spiced heavily with onion and pepper, and salt.

Favorite goat recipes: kilawin (left) or medium rare; and pinapa-itan (soup made of entrails and chyme, which gives the bitter taste. Chyme is extracted from the partially digested grass, and heated to pasteurization temperature, around 70 degrees Celsius. Gall is often used as substitute.)

Ngarusangis shellfish is washed and cooked until shell opens. Skillful winnowing completely separates the shell. This shellfish is gathered in unpolluted shallow

estuaries.

Let me go back to my origin
with old folks of my time;
only then can I claim myself a GI,
and all the world's mine.

I live in the past with pinapa-itan,
jumping salad and ipusan
caliente, pulutan and basi wine
my version of Bacchanalian.

With the vernacular Bannawag,
live the great Angalo and Lam-ang,
heroes always are to the Ilocano,
with pinakbet and pinulpugan.

Ay, kakabsat, take a break just now,
I am your kail-lian, a balikbayan;
a prodigal son I atone for my past;
join me, for the world's a stage of fun. ~

GI - Genuine Ilocano
Jumping salad - live shrimps served on the table with salt and calamansi
Ipusan - long tail guppies caught on the river
Caliente - oxhide (carabao hide) softened with prolong coiling, garnished with red pepper, Ilocos vinegar, chopped onions and ginger, and a dash of refined salt (asin ti Ilocos).
Pulutan - appetizer that goes well with basi (Ilocano wine)
Bannawag (Dawn) - weekly magazine in Ilocano language read locally and internationally.
pinakbet - a potpourri of native vegetables notably eggplant, ampalaya, with sweet potato (camote) to thicken the soup. Cooked with bagoong (fish paste) and topped with bagnet (lechon kawali - roasted pork in kettle)
pinulpugan (imbaliktad) - medium rare fresh meat or large fish, such as dalag (snakehead)
Bacchanalian - lavish feast in honor of Greek God Bacchus
Angalo, Lam-ang - Ilocano epic heroes
Kabsat - brother; in a brotherhood perspective (kakabsat)
Balikbayan - an overseas resident or transient visiting his homeland
Kail-lian - town mate

Have you tried Jumping Salad?

This is a favorite dish of Ilocanos known as “jumping salad.”

What is it really? In Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (school-on-the-air) program, five callers phoned in to give their answers. Except one who said he learned about this rare dish from a friend, the callers apparently Ilocanos, said they have actually tasted jumping salad.

Newly caught juvenile shrimps, promptly dressed with tomato or calamansi and a dash of salt. Pick them up individually by the head, put it into the mouth in reverse, severe the rostrum (unicorn) and antennae with the teeth to avoid injury. It is the kicking in the mouth that gives this unique dish its name jumping salad.
This dish is prepared from newly caught small to medium shrimps from the estuaries and rivers, and while they are still very much alive are served right there and then with calamansi and salt, momentarily agitating the ill-fated creatures.

Pronto! The shrimps, on removing the cover, frantically jump out of the plate, save the dazed ones. You should be skillful in catching them from the table (and even on the floor) deftly picking them by the head, taking caution so as not to get hurt by their sharp rostrum. You can imagine the danger you face as the creature makes its last attempt to escape. You must get a firm hold before putting the struggling creature into your mouth, tail first and quickly bite off the head, severing the sharp dagger in your hold. The creature wriggles in the cave of your mouth and you can actually feel its convulsion fading as it undergoes the initial process of digestion.

Being an Ilocano myself, eating jumping salad is an adventure and rarely do you experience having one nowadays, unless you are living near the sea, river or lake, or a good friend brings live shrimps to town in banana stalk container to keep them alive.

Try jumping salad. It’s one for the Book of Guinness.~

Other Favorite Ilocano Food

Singkamas or yam is eaten fresh with Ilocos vinegar and a dash of salt. It is also an ingredient of fresh lumpia, and fruit cocktail.

Tamalis - this mixture is divided into small packs wrapped with wilted banana leaves, and cooked in earthen pot (banga).

Malunggay pod is skinned, and cut into pieces, cooked into dinengdeng, with camote (buridibud) and alukong. Broiled tilapia or bangos is excellent sahug.

Ngarusangis shellfish is washed and cooked until shell opens. Skillful winnowing completely separates the shell (right). This shellfish is gathered in shallow estuaries.

Squash ukoy. Squash is grated like noodles, used fresh or partially dried. Cooked with egg, small shrimps, and condiments, like any ukoy

Tupig being cooked. Ingredients: glutinous rice flour, coconut milk and sugar.

Sinambong - glutinous rice in woven coconut leaves, cooked with sugarcane juice during the manufacture of muscovado sugar.

Two kinds of suman

Ar-arusip, a green seaweed (Caulerpa racemosa) is served fresh with tomato,

often with onion

Sinigang na malaga (Ilk), samaral (Tag)

Ilocano-inspired cooking and serving chicken

Alimasag crab

Ilocano dishes include pinakbet, tinubong, saluyot, imbaliktad or dinakdakan (medium rare beef or pork)

Acknowledgement: shrimp photo
Lesson, former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio
738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday

Part 5 - Don't waste food, don't!

Yes, children there is a Santa Gracia

Dr Abe V Rotor

Don't throw away food left on the table. Please don't.

Recycle leftover in a different presentation.

• Food is Santa Gracia (holy grace) as old folks reverently call it.

• Food waste could otherwise go to millions who have not enough to eat.

• Food waste breeds pest and disease, sickens the air.

• Anything that goes to waste draws down the economy.

• Waste widens inequity in resources.

Here are some things to do with food leftovers.

1. Sinagag - fried rice mix with bits of bacon, ham, fried egg, fish, and the like.

2. Torta - tidbits like those mentioned in scramble egg. Include veggies like carrot and onion.

3. Pickle – excess veggies and fruits plus vinegar, sugar and salt, and spices. Good for carrot, bell pepper, cucumber, green papaya, yam (sinkamas), others.

4. Paksiw – if not consumed is fried, makes a new menu.

5. Daing – fish in season is dried, cooked with gata’ (coconut milk).

6. Suka – fruit vinegar from overripe pineapple, banana, others, but not tomato and kamias.

7. Pudding – bread not consumed on time is also made into pizza bread- bread crumbs, garlic bread.

8. Sopas – Grind bones, shrimp head for soup and broth. Bulalo' for whole bone.

9. Pastillas – milk powder not consumed on time, also grated hardened cheese.

10. Veggie and fruit peelings – for animal feeds, composting. Include solids from brewing (coffee) and juicing fruits. Ultimately, inevitable food waste is collected for feeds in poultry and piggery.

Food waste also emanates from carelessness in handling, food preparation and serving. Much is also lost due to lack of proper processing, transport and storage facilities. Estimated loss in postharvest alone runs from 10 to 37 percent of actual harvest of crops.

In "Give us this day our daily bread..." in the Lord's Prayer, us here is regarded as thanksgiving and remembering the millions people around the world who may not have the food they need.

I believe in the wisdom of the old folk who reminds us of the value of food. They have experienced hunger during war, drought, flood, crop failure, pestilence - even in normal times. They have not lost sight of the presence of Santa Gracia.

Yes, children there is a Santa Gracia .

*In observance of World Food Day October 16, every year.

Part 6 - Wild Food Plants in 3 Articles

How familiar are you with these plants?

This article is dedicated to the late Professor Eduardo de Leon,

botanist and professor, University of Santo Tomas

Dr Abe V Rotor

Part 6.1

"Famine or Survival” Food Plants

Palauan (Crytosperma merkusii) has large, starchy rootstock which is prepared for food in times of scarcity. It grows luxuriantly in thickets and on wetlands. This photo was taken on Mt Makiling with the late Professor Eduardo de Leon, a well known botanist and professor of the University of Santo Tomas.

Survivors of war, plane crash, shipwreck have a lot of lessons to share, among them are edible plants that kept them alive.

• Talisay (Terminalia catappa) bears nut like fruits that contain small seeds that taste like almond.

• Tibig (Ficus nota) The fruits are edible and have a good flavor. They are soft and fleshy when mature.

• Isis (Ficus odorata) or isis because its rough leaves are used as natural sandpaper for utensil and wood. Its fruits like tibig are edible.

• Balleba (Vallisneria) is an aquatic plant growing in clear streams, ponds and lakes, whose leaves appear like ribbon, hence it is also called ribbon grass. The leaves are gathered and served fresh with tomato, onion and salt. PHOTO

• Apulid or water chestnut (Eleocharis Dulcis). Our native apulid produces very small bulbs - only one-third the size of the Chinese or Vietnamese apulid. It grows wild in places where water is present year round. It is boiled, peeled and served. PHOTO

• Aratiles (Muntingia calabura) bears plenty of tiny berries which are red to violet when ripe. It is sweet and somewhat aromatic.

• Wild sinkamas (Pacchyrhizus erosus) has enlarged roots which may remain in the soil even after the plants has dried up in summer. It is gathered and eaten raw.

• Urai (Amaranthus spinosus). The plant become spiny as it matures. It is the very young plant that is gathered as vegetable. PHOTO

• Mulberry (Morus alba). Its leaves are the chief food of silkworm. The fruits when ripe are purple to black, and while very small are juicy and fairly sweet.

• Taro (Colocasia sp.). The Palawan gabi grows twice the height of man and produces a large corm. There is a technique in preparing and cooking the corm. Or making starch out of it. The key is thorough cleaning and cooking.

• Gulasiman (
• Alugbati (Basella rubra) is a twining plant with reddish stems and leaves. The tops are gathered as vegetable which is mucilaginous when cooked.

• Talinum (Talinum triangulare) PHOTO. The succulent stems and leaves are gathered as vegetable.

Part 6.2

Wild Food Plants

Saluyot and Spinach

Wild food plants, may be a relative term today. Saluyot (Corchorus olitorius) and spinach (Amaranthus sp) which used to grow in the wild are now planted commercially. But the bulk of wild edible plants remains ethnic to remote communities and certain cultures. For example, nami (Dioscorea hispida) is a poisonous root crop but natives in the hinder lands where this plant abundantly grows know how to remove the poison before eating the starch of the tuber. During WW II people by necessity had to eat unlikely food such as the corm (enlarged base) of wild banana (butolan or balayang) and maguey (Agave cantala), earning the name famine food.

Bagbagkong (Telosma cordata) flower buds

Squash (Cucurbita maxima) male flowers,

and saluyot (Corchorus olitorius)

Many of these wild edible plants are facing extinction, including the less popular varieties of common crops. It is because our attention has been on the propagation of economically important ones, and those our palate has been accustomed to. Until lately however, people are becoming more conscious of natural and nutritious food, evading many crops which are raised with chemicals, and lately, crops that have been genetically altered (Genetically Modified Organisms or GMO).

Other wild food plants which are found in the market are portulaca (ngalog), dampalit, katuray, rosel, spinach, gulasiman, wild ampalaya, himbaba-o (alukong), to name a few. Old folks have also a way of making ordinary things edible such as the male flower of rimas (Arthocarpus communis) is made into sweets, the same way the thick rind of pomelo (Citrus maxima) is sweetened in boiling sugarcane juice. Sweets are also made from kamias (Averrhoa balimbi.

Wild food plants include corm of banana, core of maguey (Agave cantala), bamboo shoot, bignay (Antidesma binuis), kumpitis (Clitorea purpurea), kamkamote, rattan fruits, sabawil, alukong, lotus seed, wild papaya, botolan (seeded banana), wild mushrooms, and many others.

All these made a green revolution in some corner, so to speak. It might as well usher a signal that not all times is food plentiful. ~

Part 6.3 - Wild Food Plants

Papait, Tanglad, Sorosoro

Papait (Mollogo oppositifolia), wild and cultivated

Here is one for the book of Guinness. What is more bitter vegetable than ampalaya, Momordica charantia?

Answer: It is an unassuming slender, spreading, smooth, seasonal herb, Mollogo oppositifolia, a relative of a number of wild food plants belonging to Family Aizoaceae, locally known as papait (Iloko), malagoso or sarsalida( tagalog), amargoso-damulag (Pampango).

Anyone who has tasted this green salad that goes well with bagoong and calamansi or vinegar, plus a lot of rice to counteract its bitter taste, would agree that papait is probably the bitterest of all vegetables. Ampalaya comes at its heels when you gauge the facial expressions of those who are eating them.

Papait belongs to the same family - Aizoaceae – as dampalit, talinum, gulasiman, spinach, and alugbati- all wild food plants.

As a farm boy I first saw papait growing on dry river beds, the very catchments of floodwater during monsoon. There along the length of a river that runs under an old wooden bridge( now a flood gate made of culvert) which divided the towns of San Vicente and Sta.Catalina then, three kilometers from the capital town of Vigan, grew patches of Mollogo. It is difficult identify it among weeds- and being a weed itself none would bother to gather it. Wild food plants do not have a place in the kitchen - and much less in the market - when there is a lot of conventional food around. I soon forgot the plant after I lelt my hometown for my college education in Manila. In fact it was not in the list of plants which Dr. Fernando de Peralta, a prominent botanist, required us in class to study. That was in the sixties.

It was by chance that I saw the plant again, this time in the market at Lagro QC where I presently reside. Curiosity and reminiscence prompted me to buy a bundle. It cost ten pesos. What came to my mind is the idea of cultivating wild food plants on a commercial scale. The potential uses of dozens of plants that are not normally cultivated could be a good business. They augment vegetables that are not in season, as well as provide a ready and affordable source of vitamins and minerals.

Annual plants start sprouting soon after the first heavy rain ushering the arrival of the monsoon habagat. It seems that this year’s summer is short. In some places rains have started. A proof for this is the early appearance of papait in the market. From it I planted a few hills of papait in the backyard in anticipation for the May and June season which greatly favors the growth of annual plants.

For its food value, I found it in the book of my former professor, Dr. Eduardo Quisumbing, Medicinal Plants of the Philippines, and from that of William H. Brown, Useful Plants of the Philippines. As fresh food, it contains, among others

Phosphorus, 0.11%
Calcium, 0.11%
Iron, 0.003%

Its bitter taste, old folks say, is good for skin. And it makes the skin "glow" for reasons we have yet to know other than its high vitamin and mineral contents. It is also good for those who have problems with high cholesterol and diabetes. Of course, the general rule in whatever we take is that, let’s take it with moderation.

Its bitterness is associated with bitter medicine, an impression most of us have. And yet many relish the taste of papait. It reminds us also of the sacrifice at Golgotha. Take a bite of Mollogo.~

In my research I found out that a number of popular wild edible species are related to Mollogo. They all belong to Family Aizoaceae. In one way or the other, the readers of this article may find the following plants familiar, either because they are indigenous in their locality, or they are found being sold in the market.

Lemon Grass or tanglad (Baraniw Ilk) and Sorosoro or karimbuaya (Ilk) are the most popular spices to stuff lechon - baboy, baka, manok, and big fish like bangus.

Tanglad - Andropogon citratus DC; Soro-soro or Karimbuaya (Ilk) - Euphorbia neriifolia

These are wild plants that do not need cultivation; they simply grow where they are likely useful, indeed an evidence of co-evolution of a man-plant relationship. Tradition and culture evolve this way. Scientists elevated this knowledge to what is called ethnobotany, a subject in the graduate school. Retrieving and conserving traditional knowledge is as important as beating a new path.

For tanglad, all you have to do is gather the mature leaves, sometimes roots, make them into a fishful bundle and pound it to release the aromatic volatile oil. Stuff the whole thing into the dressed chicken or pig or calf to be roasted (lechon). Chop the leaves when broiling fish. Crushed leaves are used to give a final scrub. Tanglad removes the characteristic odor (malansa) and imparts a pleasant aroma and taste.

Tanglad is also used to spice up lemonade and other mixed drinks. It is an excellent deodorizer for bathrooms and kitchen. It is also used in the preparation of aromatic bath.

Not so many perople know that sorosoro makes an excellent stuff for lechon. The mature leaves are chopped tangential and stuffed into the dressed chicken or bangus for broiling.It has high oil content in its milky sap. It leaves a pleasant taste and it serves as a salad itself. It has a slight sour taste. Like tanglad, sorosoro removes the characteristic flesh and fishy odor. Add chopped ginger, onion and garlic as may be desired.

One word of caution: The fresh sap of sorosoro may cause irritation of the eye and skin. Wash hands immediately. Better still, use kitchen gloves.

Perhaps the first wild food plant placed under commercial cultivation is saluyot (Corchorus olitorius ). The technology lies in breaking the dormancy of its seeds, which under natural condition, will not germinate until after the first strong rain. Today saluyot can be grown anytime of the year and is no longer confined among the Ilocanos. It is exported to Japan in substantial volume. Doctors have found saluyot an excellent - and safer - substitute to Senecal for slimming and cleansing.

Wild varieties of ampalaya (Momordica charantia), eggplant (Solanum melongena), patani (Phaseolus lunatus), and the male flower of himbaba-o or alukong (Ilk)

Gulasiman or ngalog (Ilk) Portulaca oleracea;
Edible fern (pako) Diplazium esculentum.

Dampalit, Sesuvium portulacastrum- it is found growing along the beach, around fishpond and in estuarine areas. It is prepared as salad or made into pickles.

New Zealand Spinach, Tetragonia expansa, is known as Baguio spinach. It is sold as salad vegetable. The leaves are fleshly and soft, typical to other members of the family.

Gulasiman, Portolaca oleracea- also known as purslane, a common weed cosmopolitan in distribution, rich in iron, calcium and high in roughage. Cooked as vegetable or served as salad.

Talinum, Talinum triangulare- a fleshy herb that grows not more than a foot tall. It is excellent for beef stew and sinigang. It was introduced into the Philippines before W W II.

Libato, Basella rubra- it is also called alugbati, a climbing leafy vegetable that is much used in stews. It makes a good substitute to spinach. The young leaves and shoots are gathered, and when cooked the consistency is somewhat mucilaginous.

Dampalit (Sesuvium portulacastrum) is found growing along beaches, around fishponds and in estuarine areas. It is prepared as salad or made into pickles.

*Living with Nature Center San Vicente Botanical Garden features a series of articles in this blog avrotor.blogspot.com which serve as guide and reference to visitors and researchers. The garden is located in San Vicente Poblacion in IIocos Sur. It is owned and managed by the Rotor Family. ~

Part 7 - Food - something different to break monotony

Dr Abe V Rotor

Bagnet or lechon kawali from Vigan, Ilocos Sur, best in cooking pinakbet. Or simply heat until crispy, cut into pieces

and serve with tomato, onion and ginger, with a dash of salt.

Paksiw na Ayungin, a freshwater fish with yellow fat,

often laden with eggs

Champorado with dried dilis and bulong unas fish, easy to prepare

for breakfast - for a change.

One-dish meal: patola, sotanghon, pork, tomato

and atswete as coloring (optional)

One-dish meal: Bamboo shoot, saluyot and pork.

Banana-wrapped mataan or galunggong, cooked in low fire.

Add ginger liberally. Serve with banana wrapper.

Luslusi, blanched with tomato, onion and a dash of salt;

or simply eaten with hand, sans condiments to savor its

juicy freshness.

Green or semi-riped mango served with bagoong alamang.

Sinambong, glutinous rice and coconut milk cooked in woven

coconut leaf in sugar syrup

Farm fresh egg , upland rice, and homemade tocino, with native coffee (kapeng barako).

Home, Sweet Home with Nature , AVR

Part 8 - Beware of food coloring.

The case of jubos in tamarind sweet.

Dr Abe V Rotor

Batso (Ilk) - upo and pork, colored with achuete. Acheute comes from

a tree, Bixa orellana. It is widely used in coloring cheese and butter.

Dye enhances color of strawberry pie

Salitre (nitrate) in Longanisa; red color of salted eggs

All of a sudden when answering the call of nature, I was alarmed to see the color of my urine bright red. I cried, Blood! I tried to compose myself to be able to reach the hospital in the earliest possible time.

But what surprised me at the same time was that my fingers were also stained red. I examined the “tamarind sweet” I had just eaten. I found the culprit - Jubos, the dye used in dying shoes. Jubos is used to color the local confectionery. How many food preparations are artificially colored for better presentation? Since that time on I have been very careful with colored foods. Ube cake, anyone?

These are things to remember about food dyes, specially if you suspect of a food or drink to be colored artificially.

Be familiar with the natural colors of fruits and other food products. There are rare ones though. For example, purple rice cake (puto) comes from a variety pirurutong or purple rice. Ordinary rice flour and ube flour produce the same color. This can be imitated with the use of purple dye.

· Processed foods like smoked fish and ham are colored, usually golden yellow, to be attractive.

· Confectionery products are made to appear like cocoa, coffee, orange, strawberry, grapes and the like, when in fact the ingredients are mainly sugar artificial flavors and food dyes.

· Fruit juices carry dyes to enhance their natural colors. Example, calamansi juice is made to appear like lemon or orange. Softdrinks would look dull and unattractive without artificial colors.

· Cakes and other bakery products may deceive the eye and even the palate. Cake decors are definitely made of food dyes of many colors and different color combinations.

Artificial colors are filtered by our excretory system so that they appear in the urine. This is not the case of natural colors such as achuete or anatto (Bixa orellana), pandan (Pandanus odoratissimus), ube (Dioscorea alata), and mango (Mangifera indica).

Part 9 - Bahay Kubo is an enduring symbol of food self-sufficiency, indigenous biodiversity, simplicity and quaintness of living and natural beauty.

Dr Abe V Rotor

An old painting of Bahay Kubo, circa 1970

Bahay Kubo (My Nipa Hut) is one of the most loved traditional songs. All kids in my generation learned it by heart in the elementary. Not so many kids today are familiar with it. It is good to rediscover the beauty and lesson of the song.

Bahay kubo, hahit munti, ang halaman doon ay sari-sari. Singkamas at talong, sigidillas at mani, sitao, batao, patani. Kondol, patola, upo, kalabasa, at sa ka mayroon pa, labanos, mustasa. Sibuyas, kamatis, bawang at luya, at ang paligidligid ay linga.

Different versions of the Bahay Kubo

These are main features of the song.
There are eighteen (18) plants, which are indigenous, mostly native varieties. (biodiversity)
Many of the plants have medicinal values and are effective home remedies for common ailments (luya, sibuyas, bawang).
The four kinds of vegetables are represented: leafy (mustasa), fruit (kamatis, talong, kalabasa), root (labanos, singkamas), seed (linga, patani, mani).
Spices and condiments are included in the list (linga, luya, bawang)
The plants have different planting and harvesting schedules, thus enhancing whole year round supply of vegetables, and the use of resources and family labor.
The plants have different growing types or habits which means they occupy specific places and have space allocations. (viny, herb, bush).
Nutrition-wise they provide the basic requirements for growing up and good health.
The ambiance projected by the scene is green, tranquil, clean, shady and cool (environment-friendly).
The garden exudes a feeling of self-sufficiency and offers a potential for livelihood.
Simplicity is the key to a contented life (with least energy consumption, and amenities).
Such a scene expands the imagination to include a backyard fishpond, chicken coop, orchard trees and ornamental plants, among others – all of these contribute to the enrichment of the Bahay Kubo, without modifying its basic concept and structure.
Folk wisdom tells us how good it is to live simply and naturally, eat properly, stay young, healthy and active, save and earn money, depend less on energy and imported goods, and enjoy being at home with the family. Bahay Kubo takes us closer to nature, to appreciate our culture, and leads us to the inner calling for peace, quiet and joy.

Part 10 - Food and Obesity

Fat Plague: Is Obesity Contagious?

Obesity is the latest epidemic threatening the whole world today, spreading like wildfire. The disease now affects millions of people, mostly those living in cities, in both developed and underdeveloped countries. More than one-third (36.5%) of U.S. adults have obesity.

By Dr. Abe V. Rotor

Living with Nature - School on Blog (avrotor.blogspot.com)

Also open Naturalism -the Eighth Sense

According to a recent finding by a young Indian medical doctor, Michael Dhurandha, a virus (Code name Adv-36) infects humans and causes obesity. The virus attacks pre-fat cells stimulating them to grow into giant fat cells that accumulate excessively as ugly body fat. (National Geographic)

This finding challenges present knowledge about obesity, which has long been thought as a kind of physiologic imbalance predisposed by heredity and compounded by comfortable lifestyle. The popular idea that robust and fat people are models of health, affluence and progress is now seriously challenged.

Dr Dhurandha stirred one of the most controversial issues in medical science, its implication encompassing practically all aspects of human life, from economic to cultural. It opened a Pandora box of global concern, casting discrimination against people who show signs of obesity, to the point of suspecting them as carriers of the fat plague virus. The world waits from the finding the true explanation of the many complications of obesity that predispose the victim to various kinds of ailments and early death.

With Dr Richard Atkinson of the University of Wisconsin, more proofs were presented that indeed obesity is caused by a virus.

Obesity in Chickens - Early Beginning of Research

The discovery started with chickens getting exceedingly fat and dying prematurely, whereas the lean chicken developed normally. On examination the obese chickens showed the presence of antibodies, which means that the chickens through their immune system, produced a substance to counteract the effects of a virus, which was later on tagged as SMAM 1, after the initials of another Indian doctor. Histological examination of the diseased chickens showed enlargement of liver and kidneys, including the thymus gland, altogether accompanied a tremendously large accumulation of body fat.

The Case of the Identical Twin

Among the findings of Dr. Dhurandha is a comparison of an identical twin. An identical twin developed from a single egg and fertilized by a single sperm. It is in the early cleavage stage that the fertilized egg splits into two, later to develop into two individuals. Thus the two carry exactly the same genes.

In this particular case, one member is of normal weight while the other is obese. Yet both ate the same kind of food, had the same amount of exercise, or in short, led the same lifestyle. But what predisposed one to become obese while the other remained normal? On examination of blood samples, the obese partner was found positive with Adv-36, while the other had negative result. The finding does not only point at the causative agent, but raises the question, “Why didn’t both get the virus?”

Findings Raised Vital Questions

1. Cross-species transmissibility – The virus, which was discovered to cause obesity and death of chickens in Bombay, similarly caused the same effect on chickens in the US laboratory. It also caused obesity in primates (monkeys) in the second stage of the experiment. Then the antibodies produced by the infected chicken and monkeys were compared with those taken from obese human volunteers. The result proved to be positive: the antibodies have common characteristics, which indicates that the causal organism could be the same pathogen, Adv-36 virus.

If this is the case then the suspected fat plague - Ad-36 virus – like the viruses that cause AIDS, SARS and Ebola is transmissible across species – between humans and animals. Therefore, humans can pick up the fat plague virus from infected humans or animals. If this is so then Ad-36, like the other viruses mentioned has developed the capability of crossing the species barrier. As such these questions are inevitable.

- What factors cause certain viruses to turn from a passive to virulent state, and to cross the barrier between animals and man as what has happened in SARS, Ebola and HIV-AIDS? Is this being repeated in the case of Ad-36?

- What predispose them to transfer from one host species to another? And why is it that a virus may be harmless to one host, but harmful to another?

- If these viruses were part of the evolution of certain species through thousands or millions of years, what is their role in the survival of these species and in controlling their populations?

- Are these viruses remnants or renegades of primordial microorganisms that became symbionts and ultimately part of the complex bodies of higher organisms? Or are we seeing through a keyhole a glimpse of continuing co-evolution?

2. Lateral transmissibility – Could it be possible that the fat plague virus is transmitted between and among humans? Could one get it as easy as getting the cold or flu virus? Then we should be wary of the possibility of contacting the virus from an innocent sneeze in a loaded elevator. Is the fat plague virus transmissible through blood and body fluids like HIV and Hepatitis? If this is so then it is extremely necessary to observe aseptic conditions in homes and hospitals, and invariably also, to restrict social and personal interactions.

A crucial question as to whether or not a non-obese individual can transmit the virus, the researchers answered yes, if he carries the virus. In fact the non-obese can be a more efficient carrier and source of the disease because there are no visible warning signs for potential victims to avoid.

To date we know very little on how a person can contact the fat plague virus. Yet this is a growing discrimination against those who are apparently fat. This is unfair and incriminating. There may come a time when obese people will be avoided virtually the same way people distanced themselves from lepers during the Middle Ages. We are indeed facing a social dilemma in dealing with this fast growing global problem, which poses to be the next and human pandemic disease.
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Predisposing conventional factors leading to obesity

· Genetics
· Overeating
· A diet high in simple carbohydrates
· Frequency of eating
· Physical inactivity
· Medications
· Psychological factors
· Diseases such as hypothyroidism, insulin resistance, polycystic ovary

syndrome, and Cushing's syndrome are also contributors to obesity.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Role of DNA in Disease Transmission

Like any virus, the fat plague virus seeks a suitable cell once it has entered the body. It has a lipo-affinity characteristic as if it holds the key to unlock the door pre-fat cells, which are stem cells destined upon the signal of Deoxyribose nucelic acid or DNA to develop and mature into adipose tissues. The virus, though incomplete of the parts typical of a living organism, possesses DNA that is no different than the DNA of all living things.

Obesity virus (Ad-36)

DNA is a double helix structure like a ladder connected with rungs. It is universal in all living things. When cells divide, this double helix splits and replicates itself exactly as the original. Thus a skin cell replacement assumes the exact characteristic of the lost one. The growing bud copies the structure of the mature leaf. It is also the same structure that carries traits from parents to offspring. In short, DNA is the code of heredity.

Through DNA-to-DNA contact, the virus dictates what the host cell is going to do. It is its DNA that the virus uses as a tool in “manipulating” its host cell, generally getting what it wants. In the case of the flu virus for example, it dictates the host cell to reproduce millions of its kind. Fortunately our body immune system produces antibodies that soon destroy the virus and make us well again without apparent harm.

But not all viruses behave this way. Not at all times are our bodies on the guard. In some cases, viral attack leaves a devastating effect like polio, permanently impairing organs and tissues. Viruses may be as fatal as rabies and Ebola. Their presence may linger and may permanently remain dormant in the host, long after the episode of the disease. Such is the case of Hepatitis, which comes in a number of strains. A virus may be debilitating and deadly like HIV-AIDS (and Corona virus or COVID-19 virus).

Obesity is a burden to healthcare program

All viruses generally “milk” their hosts, so to speak, draining the body at the expense their virulence and tremendous number. In the case of the fat plague virus however, the effect to the host is the opposite. The virus causes the accumulation of stored energy – fat, and therefore the longer the infection is, the more obese the victim becomes. This is the reason why the new theory was first shelved because all virus diseases are generally debilitating. That is not the case with the fat plague.

When do we say a fat person is an obese? The other question is, “Why does one just get fat, while others become fat virtually without limit?” These are some perplexing questions the researchers are presently working on. Among other queries are the following:

Is an individual predestined to become fat or lean?
Is heredity sufficient to dictate the condition of a person?
What can he do without impairing his health?
If the fat plague is contagious at what age is a person most susceptible?
Is there racial resistance? Is there immunity?
Is there a cure? Can a vaccine be developed? How soon?

Obesity cases in the US have doubled since 1980. Like a tidal wave, obesity has been moving rapidly from the East Coast, sweeping across the continent to the West Coast and up beyond the border with Canada. This condition in not confined in the US. In Europe, UK leads the most number of cases, while India tops the list in Asia.

A Survey of Local Incidence of Obesity

One can conduct this survey, a kind of baby thesis that a professor would assign his student. The setting could be a church on a Sunday, a school campus, the mall, or on a busy street. Fold a whole paper into three columns. On the first column write the heading normal, on the middle overweight (approximately 20 percent above normal weight), and on the third obese (30 and above normal weight). Before conducting the survey, make a test run among your friends or relatives. Be acquainted with the visual signs that differentiate the three categories. Refer to a practical medical book or consult a physician.

Choose an ideal station and mark, Comelec style, the appropriate classification of each observed individual (sample). At the end, get the total of each column, and the grand total from the three columns. Compute using this formula. Divide the total number of each column with the grand total. By multiplying it with 100 you will get the percentage of each category.

What is the ratio of normal to overweight? Normal to obese? Overweight to obese? What does the result of this field survey indicate? Does the result show similarity with the trend in other countries like the United States, India and Great Britain? If you are going to present this in class or in a scientific meeting, it is recommended that the survey be repeated involving more samples so that the data can be computed statistically. Draw a pie chart or bar graph to visualize the overall result .

“A fat child is a healthy child,” is Wrong

By changing our views, we may change our ways. We still entertain the idea that a fat baby is a healthy baby. Thus we are made to believe in milk and baby foods advertisements, with a fat baby at center stage. Baby fat, we are advised, will burn during adolescence. It is therefore a good way of rearing a child. Parents suspect that there is something wrong when their children are not fat. It is better to have children who are neither fat nor thin, but this is difficult to measure. Being fat at an early age may be sign of incipient obesity, so that medical checkup is advised. Obesity is thought as sign of good health, but in fact it may even lead to incorrect diagnosis and late treatment.

Because of our limited knowledge on the mechanics of metabolism, we do not realize that a person who is active burns calories faster than one who lives a sedentary life. In the case of the latter, this equation favors the storage of food in the form of fat. Thus he becomes fat, while his active counterpart remains trim, and even skinny. Too much fat is burden to our organs, such as the heart and kidneys, in fact, the whole body. Thus obesity is associated with heart ailment, high blood pressure, kidney failure, cirrhosis of the liver, allergies, skin diseases, and those who are obese are prone to various infections, from colds to tuberculosis. There is also a higher incidence of cancer among obese.

Diet and Obesity

Balanced diet, our doctors and teacher say, is having the right kind and amount of food. Food is classified into protein, the grow food; carbohydrate, the go food; and minerals and vitamins, the glow food. Often illustrated into a pyramid to show the approximate amounts of each kind to take, it would be easy to follow a balanced diet formula. But this is easier said than done in modern living, especially in the urban areas. The truth is that we are far from being discriminating when it comes to food. We have a tendency to overeat, responding more to psychological demand than genuine appetite. The more affluent we are, the more food we take - and more nutritious at that. It is an indulgence with which our society has evolved in modern times.

Is obesity changing the concept of beauty?

Our omnivorous nature that enhanced our survival as a species has been vastly changed. Fast foods are part of our lives today. Fast foods are everywhere - turo-turo (just point at your choice), dimsum (packed and ready for pickup), ambulant food stands, and the popular food chains of McDonalds, Jollibee, Chow King, KFC and Kenny Rogers, et al. Fast food share the following characteristics:

- Livestock and poultry dominate the menu list, while fish is

rarely served.

- Servings are large, predisposing customers to overeating.

- Fat, oil, and dressing elevate cholesterol level.

- Fruits and vegetables are seldom served, thus fiber, vitamins

and minerals are far from adequate to meet body’s need.

- Heavy use of additives such as preservatives, coloring,

flavoring and other condiments, to increase shelf-life and

enhance product presentation. There are those harmful to

health like aspartame and monosodium glutamate (vetsin).

- Imported ingredients dominate local source, especially for meat

and baked products. Frozen products (e.g. hamburger) may

be weeks or months old.

- Fast foods do not offer or display any nutrition/dietary guide.

Choice is based on convenience and price – and it is often limited.

From these observations fast foods are believed to be progenitors of a lifestyle that predisposes us to obesity.

Fatless Fat and Sugarless Sugar

First we had coffeeless coffee (decaffeinated, 1895) so that one can have as much as seven cups of coffee a day. Then came sugarless sugar (diet sugar, 1957) that one can have softdrinks any time and eat unlimited sweets as long as they are made with saccharin, nutrasweet or aspartame. The newest is fatless fat – fat whose molecules are too large to be absorbed by the villi of the small intestine, and beside it cannot be acted upon by digestive enzyme.

Fatless fat, called Olestra, is made up of six or more fatty acids attached to a sugar molecule, are much bigger then the triglycerides in normal fat. (Normal fat is made up of three fatty acids arrayed around a molecule of glycerol). The developer, Procter and Gamble, claims that a chocolate cake that used Olestra gives only 163 calories per serving as compared to 235 calories if made with normal fat. Chocolate ice cream would give only 110 calories instead of 270 calories per serving. Reduction of calories in other food preparations, which include our favorite potato fries, is up to 50 percent. The idea is that people can eat all the food they want without fear of getting fat. And this is favorable to the food industry.

One danger of using Olestra particularly in poor countries is that it will exacerbate malnutrition problem, not only in impeding or reducing the absorption of fat and other nutrients, but that it can even mask the lack or absence of much needed nutrients the body needs. Vitamins A,D,E and K must be dissolved in fat to be able to enter the bloodstream and reach parts of the body. This is not the case with Olestra. Because of its giant structure it is not an efficient carrier. It freely moves down the alimentary track and leaks out directly with waste, which is very discomforting.

On the other hand there is available in the market a drug that is claimed to block the digestion and therefore the absorption of dietary fat – Xenical. Promotions show that taking this drug will result to weight loss from fat but not muscles, and that it even helps reduce the risk of diabetes and hypertension.

Mucilage from Saluyot – Natural Reducer

I know people who maintain their body weight and keep trim by eating a lot of vegetables and avoiding meat and other fatty food. Ilocanos for one eat saluyot (Corchorus olitorius), a mucilage-rich leafy vegetable cooked with broth, or simply garnished with garlic and vinegar. (Okra – Abelmoschus esculentus - which belongs to the same family Malvaceae is also rich in mucilage.)

Mucilage makes a coating like a film over fat molecules, and on the surface of the villi, thus regulating absorption. Together with dietary fiber, it also traps toxin which is otherwise absorbed by the body, while it facilitates release of waste because of its laxative property. As a rule, absorption and assimilation is directly proportional to the length of food retention in the digestive system.

Junk Food also Contributes to Obesity

How about junk foods? They are so-called because the have practically no nutritional value. Nata de coco is nutritionless save the sugar it is cooked with. Gums, agar, and other colloid carriers (alginate and carageenan) have become popular in many food preparations because they add to the bulk in food, and that it contributes to the sense of fullness. These and many other foods dominate stores and eateries today.

Ironically these foods do not offer solutions against getting fat or becoming obese. The truth is that the more we eat indiscriminately, the more we have the tendency to get fat. It is because we simply ignore to account for the accompanying ingredients that may contribute to weight gain.

When the value of a food we take is unknown we become living garbage bins. This is the source of many ailments. The artificial ingredients and imbalance food value have cause in many people in the US to early Alzheimer’s disease to cancer. Others show symptoms of debilitation which doctors cannot diagnose. Thus people are getting more and more conscious of eating natural foods.

It has been observed that in the urban areas, eating out is becoming more and more popular. At the present trend, the urban dweller will be eating in fast foods more often than he eats in his home. The quaintness of cooking and eating at home with the whole family is a vanishing custom.

On the other side of the picture, people believe that the younger generation is taller and bigger because they are eating more and better food, richer in protein and fats. This could be one of the factors that have led us to modify our model for health and beauty.

Wrong Models of Fitness

One proof is that we have grown accustomed to RTWs (ready-to-wear clothes) that do not emphasize good physical features, whereas before clothes were tailored to fit and enhance body physique. The coca-cola body is no longer a strict measure of sexiness. Consciousness of shape, poise and weight is no longer as strict, so with grooming and body language. RTW hides unsightly bulges and curves, and coupled with modern hairstyles, shoes and body ornaments, even obese people are made attractive of sort.

The marks of a good body were in well-developed and placed muscles, the likes of Arnold Swharzenegger and Victor Mature, and for women, those of Marilyn Monroe (PHOTO) and Kim Novak. During our generation, and before, the standards of beauty were the same. But today it is different. There are beauty contests among the obese (e.g. longganisa queen), and beauty contests among the “third sex.” There is a beauty contest among ginang ng tahanan (Mrs. Housewife). One can only imagine the criteria used judging the winners of these contests.

One reason why fat people are regarded models to many is that, they look funny, even before they utter a word. In the entertainment world, there are personalities who are popular because of their extraordinary size. This is not new though. As early as in the 1930’s The Three Stooges, a bunch of funny obese characters, rose to fame. Remember the late flabby Ike Lozada? Then there are other movie idols like Dely Atayatayan, and Mitch Valdez. Sumo wrestlers make a rare group with which obesity is looked up to. Today, there are more and more obese people invading the entertainment world. However with the new findings about the fat plague, apparently their days are counted.

Being Fat is a Liability

For the 20 percent overweight, there are 25 percent more death for men and 21 percent more death in women than for those of normal weight in the same age group. For those who are 30 percent overweight, there are 42 percent more death among men and 30 percent more death among women. There may be truth to a statement that people who are twice their normal weights are virtually walking towards their grave.

We can imagine an obese strip down at the beach, or ride a bicycle. There are many jokes about obesity. Don’t hike with an obese too far. Don’t sit beside one at the dining table. Guess why a car is heavier on one side. There’s a flat tire again. Do you know why transport fares are getting higher? Laki sa kusina kasi, eh. (Referring to one who literally grew up in the kitchen)

If obesity is contagious, here the is a version of a popular saying, “Tell me if your friend is an obese, and I can already see how you look like.”

We are creating is a “fourth estate”, a world of the obese. This means we are going to do a lot of re-designing our articles and facilities of living, from bed to car, clothes to doorway. There is need to revise policies and conditions of insurance, hospitalization, and funeral services, to name a few.

Advertisements are misleading and dangerous.

Take the case of a very young boy, barely of school age, voraciously finishing a whole fried chicken. The advertisement runs counter with values, good nutrition and the kind of economics a country needs. Other than the high food value of chicken that predisposes one to becoming fat, the idea of one child eating a whole chicken is bad economics. For a chicken to gain one-kilogram live weight, it has to feed on 7 to 9 kilos of grain. (Feed to body weight conversion ratio is 8 is to 1, on the average)

A country like the Philippines which can not produced sufficient grains (staple food) for its population can ill-afford to allow the conversion of precious grains into meat. The child on TV, in effect deprived eight children – especially the poor - from the calories that they badly needed. Affluence of one is deprivation of another. This is more so if the affluent is an obese.

From this premise a new paradigm emerges, raising a question whether or not obesity is sin. If this is so, then the atonement for it lies in the very solution to obesity itself – moderation, if not abstinence. For the child on TV, his act shall be regarded as temptation to committing sin, which is naturally abhorred. On the larger scheme there is need to review current economic policies and give a second look at social, theological and philosophical norms and idiosyncrasies.

While the new finding continues to shed light to the true nature of obesity, what we can do are the following.

Do not pamper your baby or child to becoming fat.

Follow a strict regimen of eating food that provides a balanced nutrition.
Do not overeat. Eat on time. Limit snacks, coffee breaks, soft drinks, finger food and sweets.
Watch out for your weight. Keep within your prescribed weight for your height and age.
Do not attempt to lose weight by whatever means without consulting your doctor. Don’t go for liposuction. There are many fatalities resulting from this quick reduction-shape up technique treatment. Operation to shorten the food-assimilating small intestines is not also advisable.
Too much TV and computer lead to obesity. It is healthier to be active. Shake those lazy bones. Take time out to exercise.
Obesity may be caused by hormonal imbalance. Get early treatment.
If you have a history of obesity, there is still chance you do not fall into the same trap. Heredity is just one factor.
Change your lifestyle that predisposes you to getting fat. Be conscious of your shape, poise, and other physical features.
Avoid emotional problems that are associated with obesity. See your doctor. Reflect, meditate, you may need a spiritual adviser, too.
Follow a strict regimen of eating food that provides a balanced nutrition.
Do not overeat. Eat on time. Limit snacks, coffee breaks, soft drinks, finger food and sweets.
Watch out for your weight. Keep within your prescribed weight for your height and age.
Do not attempt to lose weight by whatever means without consulting your doctor. Don’t go for liposuction. There are many fatalities resulting from this quick reduction-shape up technique treatment. Operation to shorten the food-assimilating small intestines is not also advisable.
Too much TV and computer lead to obesity. It is healthier to be active. Shake those lazy bones. Take time out to exercise.
Obesity may be caused by hormonal imbalance. Get early treatment.
If you have a history of obesity, there is still chance you do not fall into the same trap. Heredity is just one factor.
Change your lifestyle that predisposes you to getting fat. Be conscious of your shape, poise, and other physical features.
Avoid emotional problems that are associated with obesity. See your doctor. Reflect, meditate, you may need a spiritual adviser, too.

A Damocles sword hangs over millions and millions of people who are potential victims of the obesity. Keep calm. Let us keep abreast with the developments with hope and prayer that it will not turn out to be a plague or pandemic. Let us be vigilant at all times. Acknowledgement: Internet Photos

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Published online 2015 Jul 8. doi: 10.3390/v7072787
PMCID: PMC4517116
PMID: 26184280
Adenovirus 36 and Obesity: An Overview
Eleonora Ponterio* and Lucio Gnessi
Alexander Ploss, Academic Editor

Abstract

There is an epidemic of obesity starting about 1980 in both developed and undeveloped countries definitely associated with multiple etiologies. About 670 million people worldwide are obese. The incidence of obesity has increased in all age groups, including children. Obesity causes numerous diseases and the interaction between genetic, metabolic, social, cultural and environmental factors are possible cofactors for the development of obesity. Evidence emerging over the last 20 years supports the hypothesis that viral infections may be associated with obesity in animals and humans. The most widely studied infectious agent possibly linked to obesity is adenovirus 36 (Adv36). Adv36 causes obesity in animals. In humans, Adv36 associates with obesity both in adults and children and the prevalence of Adv36 increases in relation to the body mass index. In vivo and in vitro studies have shown that the viral E4orf1 protein (early region 4 open reading frame 1, Adv) mediates the Adv36 effect including its adipogenic potential. The Adv36 infection should therefore be considered as a possible risk factor for obesity and could be a potential new therapeutic target in addition to an original way to understand the worldwide rise of the epidemic of obesity. Here, the data indicating a possible link between viral infection and obesity with a particular emphasis to the Adv36 will be reviewed. Acknowledgement: Internet

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ANNEX-A

A touch of Philippine culinary arts in Australia*

Dr Abe V Rotor

Diningding - an indigenous Philippine recipe - a complete one-dish
meal, rich and balanced in ingredients and nutrition, a healthy diet.

Top, clockwise: A tray of lumpia, squid rings, chicken nuggets, and

green pea salad; papait (beef-entrails with cud-enzyme), Ilocano

signature recipe; ground beef topped with fresh eggs; fried salmon.

Philippine fruits: papaya, santol, calamansi, karamay, saba banana,

pineapple; right, pichi-pichi, a variety of rice cake (puto, kuchinta)

Barbecue and fish in alum foil, marshmallow on stick - campfire style.

Author and family are house guests of their kababayan and

neighbors in San Vicente, Ilocos Sur, now residing in Brisbane.

Outdoor barbecue adds quaintness to a get-together of former

co-workers in the Philippines before they moved in to Brisbane,

the author's daughter and her family among them,~

* Culinary art is a broad term that refers to the preparation, cooking, plating, presentation, and service of food. It applies to meals and their components – like appetizers, side dishes, and main courses.

ANNEX B - Tips on how to minimize the effects of pesticides to your health and the environment

Dr Abe V Rotor

A healthy one-dish meal, sinigang na
samaral fish with local vegetables

What should we do with vegetables under the second category – those that are raised with chemical spraying as a prescribed horticultural practice? Here are some tips of getting the least effect of the pesticide used.

1. Avoid the organophospates. Get advice from the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority, or from your agriculturist. Organophosphates are the most poisonous of all pesticides. Examples are Parathion, Azinphos, Bromophos, Demethon, Diazinon, EPN, DDVP, TEEP, Thiomethon. There are 70 organophosphates packed and marketed under different brand names in the FPA list. Read the label carefully and check for the kind of active ingredient.

2. Carbamates have lower lethal dosage and are therefore comparatively less toxic to human and animals. Examples are Aldicarb, Benomyl, Carbaryl, Carbufuran, Carboxin, Methomyl, Cartap, Thiobencarb. FPA listed more than 20 carbamates, which carry different brand names in the market.

3. Intermediate in toxicity between the two groups (organophosphates and carbamates) are the organochlorines or chlorinated hydrocarbons such as Endusulfan. Pertane, Heptachlor, BHC Toxaphene. Because the residual toxicity does not only stay long but persists in the organism it is carried through the food chain. Many of these organochlorines are banned. This is particularly true with DDT and Chlordane. Under FPA regulation the presence of these in the market is considered illegal.

4. Herbicides belong to two groups: chlorophenoxy compounds and nitro and chlorophenols. One big disadvantage of herbicides is their destructive effects to living things and the environment. But when it comes to toxicity, gram for gram, rodenticides or rat poisons are the most dangerous. Keep them away from humans and animals. Dispose used baits and containers properly, particularly the acute rodenticides (e.g. zinc phosphide and sodium cyanide). Note: these are highly regulated by FPA

5. Remember, spraying with chemicals is an ultimate recourse in pest control. Pest control must be integrated with good farming. That is why the government is pursuing Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Successful IPM models in other countries have drastically reduced the use of chemical pesticides. Follow the threshold level formula which means, spray your field only when the pest has reached the destructive phase. Do not spray because of its mere presence of the pest.

6. Choose botanical pesticides, such as nicotine, rotenone, neem and pyrethrum because they are biodegradable and very much less expensive. In fact they can be formulated on the farm. Ask your agriculturist how to use them.

Here are additional tips to both growers and consumers:

1. Do not harvest newly sprayed crops even if the market is good. Through laboratory analysis, samples of pechay (Brassica chinensis) coming from four Metro Manila markets are positive to contain residues of the highly toxic organophosphate insecticides. One is positive in 15 pechay for methyl parathion (0.1 mg/kg), and one is positive in 15 for endosulfan (.01 mg/kg).

2. Washing may help reduce the poisonous residue, but systemic poisons remain in the body of the plant. Avoid eating vegetables, which are heavily protected with pesticide.

3. There are laboratories that determine pesticides residues. These are: Pesticide Analytical Laboratory of the Bureau of Plant Industry, the Pesticide Residue Laboratory of UPLB, Food Development Center of the National Food Authority, the Department of Science and Technology, Siliman University, and the Philippine Atomic Research Center. If you are in doubt with your favorite vegetables, consult any of these centers, or have your vegetables analyzed.

4. Better yet, plant your own vegetables and practice organic gardening. Spend time outdoor with your plants. Enjoy true freshness of vegetables. One thing you are sure of, they are pesticide-free.

But if you do not have time and space to raise vegetables, it is good to have the list of pesticide-free vegetables always ready on hand. They are not only health-friendly, but environment-friendly as well. ~

Thursday, August 1, 2024

Lesson on TATAKalikasan in 10 parts: Be healthy and happy with the food you eat

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