Eating Your Way to Wellness was a program I started with St. Luke’s Global. Ever since, I’ve been trying to look for ingredients that are grown and raised as naturally as possible.
Lately, I’ve made new discoveries, thanks to Vienna Tan, Melanie Chua and Jenny Dee.
One discovery is Gana Vida Tasty Chicken. According to Alan Tingcang, one of the owners who calls himself a “full-time farmer,” Gana Vida means “gaining life.” “So we are committed to providing premium-quality organic and natural food and nonfood products,” he said.
Gana Vida started in 2011. It was focused primarily on bangus products (sea-farmed, no preservatives, all natural).
Tingcang said Gana Vida believes in sustainability. “We are what we eat [so we] let “food be our medicine,” he said.
He said Gana Vida developed its food as natural and organic substitute for “the flavorful taste of chicken and pork that we used to enjoy when we were growing up.”
“We realized there was a growing number of people with special dietary requirements—gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free—who had difficulty sourcing for their needs,” Tingcang added.
Gana Vida Econaturales Store in Parañaque sells all-natural bangus; naturally farmed and organically grown hogs and chickens; and naturally farmed and organic vegetables and herbs. (The last are mostly used as chicken and hog feeds.)
Gana Vida will soon launch its organic lechon manok—naturally raised, herb-seasoned, hormone-free, no synthetic additives, no antibiotics.
Tingcang said Gana Vida chickens are raised the old-fashioned way. They thrive on an all-natural diet designed for nutrition that also enhances the meat’s flavor.
“We care about what goes into our chickens and also how they are raised,” said Tingcang. “Our chickens spend almost the whole day grazing in a stress-free environment.”
He added that Gana Vida follows the Korean natural-farming protocol: “No antibiotics or medicated feed, no steroid implants, no feed additives containing hormones and hormone-altering drugs, no chemically altered feeds.”
To guarantee freshness, Gana Vida keeps its batch production small.
Tingcang said Gana Vida pork and chicken are “very tasty, full of flavor, juicy, lean and contain less fat.”
As for the best preparation for its products to maximize its benefits, Tingcang replied, “It is best to use all-natural ingredients in your recipes and to keep it simple.”
Gana Vida’s product list is a roster to wellness: chicken (whole dressed, legs, breast, breast fillet, wings, thighs, soup pack, ground, liver); pork cuts; bangus; beef cuts from Farm Organic; Real Fruit Healthy Ice Popsicles (no preservatives and artificial coloring, low calories); Carmen’s Best Ice Cream (100 percent real fresh dairy); vegetable noodles; mushroom burger patties, natural condiments; seasoning; Chia, Quinoa, Organic/Dairy Free/Gluten-Free Chocolates; natural and organic soap, dishwashing soap, shampoo, conditioner; and Green Charcoal.
For orders/delivery: tel. 3865238, 0939-9239665, 0908-7390415
Organic vegetables
Back to Basics is where I get vegetables for juicing. Its sweet corn, saba and iced tea are delicious. Its rice selection, such as brown basmati and fiesta gold combination of three grains, is very interesting.
Back to Basics Corp., was established in 1997, according to Mia Millare. “It came to life as a concern for the worsening situation of my husband who was way overweight (230 lbs) and which could not be addressed by conventional medication,” said Millare.
In 1995, Mia, a nurse by profession, took Herbology and Nutrition at the British Institute of Homeopathy. Earlier, in 1994, she had embarked on a quest for organic and alternative
medication.
“My husband and I attended conventions, shows and exhibits in the US and Europe on organic products and the various aspects of water,” she said. “These played a big part in the preparation of our organic products and juices.”
Between 2000 and 2004, Millare’s spouse was a consultant of the Department of Agriculture and initiated an organic awareness campaign in Marinduque, Mindoro and Romblon.
Back to Basics products are sourced from organic farmer cooperatives.
“All the seeds for planting are sourced from certified organic producers and firms in the US and some from Europe,” said Millare.
“We are proud of all our products, especially the Raw Organic Juices (carrot, celery, sugar beets, cucumber, parsley, potato, lettuce), which are sourced from and grown by our cooperative farmers in Benguet, Mountain Province,” said Millare. “These products are all organic and the pineapple is natural.”
For optimum benefits, Mia Millare said, “We practice low-fire and minimal heat in cooking.” She advised: “If you need to fry, use only droplets (through sprayer) of extra-virgin coconut oil and use low fire or minimal heat.”
She also advised against overcooking vegetables. “We do not overcook,” she said, “we blanch or just half-cook.”
Back to Basics tel. nos. 9970809 or 0927-9457224.
Milk from grass-fed cows
My son Diego used to hate drinking milk. But not anymore, thanks to Kenneth Lao’s Real Fresh Cow’s Milk.
The milk is delivered right at your doorstep from Lipa City, Batangas, where it’s pasteurized and homogenized, with a shelf life of four to five days only since it has no preservatives.
The milk is obtained from grass-fed cows, and comes in whole, low fat, and chocolate variants.
The whole cow’s milk is delicious and so is the chocolate— winey, a bit like Choco-Vim but more refined. It’s the kind you drink with your pinky up!
Tel. 0927-8335000