Eat your way into health this New Year

With spices and sauces, these common vegetables can create unique dishes that are both healthy and delicious

A cleanse or a burst of inspiration for a healthy lifestyle is a great way to start the year fresh. Even though it’s likely that at the end of the year, our bodies are tired and overloaded again, the chance to make a new start every year is a gift in itself. I try not to beat myself up if I slip up, especially after a week of being “good,” rather, I focus on incorporating more nutritious food into my diet every day, and I am thankful for the chance to start again if I mess up. 

In the past, I used to focus on completing a liquid fast at the start of the year, only to find myself consuming sugary drinks and sneaking in crackers just to stay sane. As I got older, I found that consuming whole clean plant food is a good way to do a cleanse or detox, that would keep my blood sugar balanced and cravings at bay. 

READ: Mesa ni Misis: Mid-holiday detox

The act of chewing green leafy vegetables such as alugbati releases nitrous oxide into the bloodstream and helps sweep out any cholesterol in the arteries. Who knew that the actual act of chewing on greens had so much to offer? A fully plant-based diet at the start of the year for a few days is a great way to clean out your digestive system, especially if you are feeling heavy. 

Do note that shifting to a full plant-based diet after consuming lots of processed food and meat will induce gas and some stomach discomfort, just because you are eating so much more fiber. If this is the case, it’s best to eat cooked vegetables. 

I always try to find the most cost-effective methods to eat healthy, and I found that in eating lots of local vegetables. Alugbati and camote are two vegetables that are available year-round in the Philippines and keep a somewhat low and steady price. 

Creating a soup and salad with these vegetables and enjoying them together as a whole meal, or simply adding them to your weekly rotation can increase your diet diversity without breaking the bank. It is the spices and sauces that change these rather common vegetables to create unique dishes.

The mango tamari dressing of this alugbati salad is refreshing, and provides a whole flavor to the salad, making it enough to eat on its own, or as a side dish. The Indian-inspired spices of the camote soup were grouped to create another whole and hearty flavor to an otherwise bland vegetable. The added beta carotene of the sweet potato, especially if it’s yellow or orange makes it superior to a regular potato, while its subtle sweetness contrasts nicely with the spices. 

Eating your way into the new year can be a delicious way to start the year!

Alugbati Salad with Mango Tamari Dressing

Alugbati or Malabar spinach is rich in anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties, and rich in vitamins. It has a natural mucilage, or sliminess to it that can be off-putting for some people, but it is precisely the mucilage that has so many benefits, including dietary fiber and prebiotics. The dressing of this salad, made with mango and tamari (or soy sauce if not gluten intolerant) cuts the slimy feel of the alugbati and even cuts out the sometimes earthy flavor alugbati can have. The red onion adds a contrast of spiciness to combat the sweetness of the mango.

Ingredients

3 bunches alugbati, washed
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 red onion diced

Dressing
1 whole mango, flesh removed from skin
1 tablespoon soy or tamari sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
Salt to taste, if needed

Procedure

1. Chop the alubati together with the leaves and stem, discarding only any hard parts. Chop into 1/4 inch pieces.
2. Toss the alugbati with the tomato and onion.
3. In a blender, combine the mango, tamari/soy, olive oil, and vinegar and blend till ingredients are combined well
4. Serve the salad with the dressing on the side.

Camote Detox Soup

Sometimes giving your digestion a break is exactly what you need after the holidays. But it doesn’t mean stopping yourself from getting the right nutrition. The spices in this soup, such as the fennel seed, provide diuretic effects while the coconut oil provides a source of good fat for your body to draw energy from. 

Ingredients
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coconut oil
2 pc cardamom pods
1/2 tsp cinnamon
6 pieces camote, skin on and diced
5 cups water

Procedure

1. Heat up pan with a little coconut oil.
2. Add the spices (except for the cinnamon) and sauté for two minutes. 
3. Add the diced camote and coat the pieces in the spice mixture. 
4. Add 2 cups of water and boil camote till it is tender.
5. In a blender, puree the camote. 
6. Put the puree back in the pot and add water until desired consistency is reached. 
7. Before serving, mix in the cinnamon or choose to dust a little over the individual bowls.