Pass the food—not judgment
Mothers are the first nutritionists of their children. We decide what they eat, where we buy it, and how much of it we buy. My interest in this area is what brought me to my current career as a nutrition advocate and recipe author. I often learn a lot from the people I meet, from their beliefs and best practices. I have met very interesting people working in the areas of food, nutrition, and agriculture—all of whom believe in doing their best for what is good for people and the planet.
There are those who believe in the spiritual side of farming and food, who thank the earth and every seed for its life. There are others who promote the bounty of the Philippines, and record and document all the wonderful food that we have. Then there are others who protect the biodiversity of our local species, and those who promote organic farming.
And, in every group, there is also a Marites.
Spoken from a place of privilege
A few years ago, I was part of a panel of experts who spoke about the state of food and agriculture in the Philippines. A question that is often asked of me is “Is organic food the best food?” or “Do we need to eat organic?”
I said that organic food in the Philippines is expensive. I was quickly refuted by someone else on the panel who is an advocate of organic food. He said that it is not expensive, that organic farming is actually cheaper than regular farming, and that everyone should be eating it.
On the topic of it being cheaper than conventional farming, I would tend to agree, as organic farming makes use of natural inputs. But from the front of affordability, I really have to disagree. As much as we would like everyone to access organic produce, the truth is that it is available in places of privilege—to those who have the disposable income to make the choice to spend more on organic produce. Places like Salcedo Market, Healthy Options, Real Food, and of course, the village markets, Viber chats, and restaurants are the bulk of where organic food goes.
Funnily enough, I recently saw a post of the same organic advocate who told me off, driving his child to a school abroad, in his Porsche. Talk about privilege.
Making do with what you can access and afford
Farmers who have been used to conventional farming for years are more often than not sceptical of switching to organic, unless mentored by a practitioner. They worry where the produce will end up, and only really do it when there is a sure end customer.
For the most part, Filipino customers are still driven by price, affordability, and accessibility. It is for this reason that I strongly advocate making use of what is available to you, what is accessible to you. Not everyone has the same access to things. It is well and good if you are able to choose the best and cleanest produce, but it’s also important to be able to eat well if all you have near you is a mini-mart with limited produce.
I have been obsessed with watching videos on YouTube of single people living in Manila and what they eat. Search for “living alone cooking Manila,” and a whole slew of videos appear of people doing their food shopping and cooking along with the budget they have for food. Out of about 100 videos, I have seen that people spend about 25 percent of their budget on buying food—the rest goes to bills, entertainment, and small personal indulgences.
For those living in apartments and working full-time, they buy food in the grocery store or the small express versions of large chains. Food, especially fresh vegetables and fruit, tends to be more expensive in these outlets compared to wholesale or larger supermarkets. People who care to buy fresh produce are paying slightly more in an effort to stay healthy.
And I firmly believe that anyone who decides to spend money on a fruit or vegetable, no matter how it’s grown, should be applauded and not shamed just because it’s not organic. Everyone is really doing their best with what is around them.
And this is most especially true for moms who want to provide the best for their kids.
Tips for eating healthy
When we have children, we don’t realize right away that the health and nutrition of our kids are also in our hands. Feeding our kids doesn’t need to be hard, and we certainly don’t need people in privilege telling us that we are doing it wrong and making us feel like less of a good mother. Here are a few simple tips to help in every day nutrition.
- Eat the rainbow (wherever you can buy it)
Diversifying the colors of fruit and veggies your kids eat ensures they are getting a full range of vitamins, minerals, and fiber in their diet. Greens are wonderful, but so are reds, oranges, and purples—and if you can find them, it’s amazing.
Local veggies are full of these colors—red bell peppers, kalabasa, carrots, tomatoes, eggplants—are all found even in the most badly stocked supermarkets.
- Skip the packaged food
While I definitely see the ease of a grab-and-go snack for the kids, a little reminder to ourselves that the extra 10 minutes we take to make a sandwich, cook pasta, make a quick stir-fry, adobo, or menudo is better than food in a pack.
There are days when I am so overloaded with things that the last thing I want to do is cook and prepare. But over the years, it’s become a habit that I’ve developed and conditioned myself to do. It’s a small sacrifice for our kids to grow up well. Packaged food is often enhanced with flavors, too.
These artificially enhanced flavors soon train our kids’ palates to look for more of these flavors, making regular home-cooked meals seem boring. At home, our food is seasoned very simply. Salt, pepper, herbs (dried or fresh—whatever I have), and a simple tomato sauce are part of our daily fare.
- Healthy protein and fat for growing kids
Lean proteins are found in chicken, fish, seafood, and legumes—all essential for proper growth. I always encourage the use of coconut oil, too, as it’s the most unprocessed of the cooking oils available in the supermarkets.
Everyone’s journey to a healthy lifestyle is different. Organic, not organic, backyard, or taken from the empty lot—every vegetable is healthy, and we should get it where and when we can. One of my mentors in the area of nutrition always reminds me that every food is nutritious; it’s the amount and balance of it all that comes into play in living a healthy life.
