food, Practical Advice

Weight Benefits of a Balanced Vegetarian Diet

When it comes to healthy weight loss, one of the secrets of success is to eat a balanced diet. Balance here means eating the right amount of nutritious food. In our fast food, take-out world, it is easy to get the quantities wrong and also miss out on the quality.

Getting back to the basics is important. Instead of snacking constantly during the day, do your best to eat three regular meals. Cook or have your food cooked using wholesome, natural ingredients, and then eat in a relaxed, mindful manner. It is not only a question of what you eat but how you eat that counts.

Photo by Polina Kovaleva from Pexels

You may be surprised to know that in France, the land of indulgent cheeses and gourmet foods, people, in general, stay slim. The reason is apparent once you go to a local outdoor market where large quantities of fresh vegetables are sold. The French prepare balanced meals and still manage to eat together more often.

So, sit down with your family and friends and eat nice meals together. If you are troubled by “demon hunger” during the day, eat a few pieces of fruit rather than a donut or any other fattening food.

While there are many fad diets (low fat, low carb, paleo etc.) that are being promoted today, it is far better if you can settle into a way of life that you can easily and happily follow for the rest of your life.

The vegetarian diet consists of fruits, vegetables, grains, and milk products. While this diet has benefits, you still have to be mindful that if you have too much all the time and do not exercise, then it can still lead to weight gain.

Substitute meat dishes with soy products, lentils, other legumes, and whole grains. You can get enough protein (especially if you also consume nuts and milk products) so you don’t have to worry about it.

You can also enjoy yourself in the process. Instead of an ice cream thick shake, blend together fruits, juice, and yogurt and make a healthy smoothie. Losing weight does not require you to suffer; it is only a question of choosing your food well and balancing your lifestyle.

If you want to lose weight in a long-term basis, you have to change your diet or your pattern of exercise or both. Try out a balanced vegetarian diet and if you find it helpful, you can stick with it for the rest of your life.

food, Video Blog

INGRID NIETO Cooks: Meatless Menudo

Welcome to another healthy, meat-free cooking session! We tried out Astig Vegan’s version of Filipino Vegan Menudo but we didn’t have all the ingredients listed on her website so we just worked with what was available at home.

Ingredients:

-Tofu (diced and fried)

-Garbanzos/Chickpeas

-Garlic (3-4 big cloves, minced)

-Onion (medium, chopped)

-Tomato (3-4 pieces, chopped)

-1 small packet of tomato paste

-1/2 cup soy sauce

It wasn’t bad for a first try and I’m glad it DID taste like menudo. Of course, I know we can make it taste richer and better when we cook this again. Let me know if you try this at home. Thanks Astig Vegan for the recipe & inspiration!

food, Practical Living, Video Blog

Ingrid Cooks: Tofu and Eggplant Steak

Hey everyone! A lot of you have been asking about the #meatless & #plantbased recipes my husband & I prepare at home, so here’s another cooking video. I got this recipe from one of the vegan groups I follow on Facebook and gave it a try. Here are the ingredients: -Half a block of tofu -2 eggplants -Garlic and onion -Toyo (soy sauce) -Kalamansi Please let me know if you get to try this for yourself! I love that the ingredients can be found in the market or grocery store and that it’s so easy to cook.

 

food, Reviews, Video Blog

VLOG SHORTS: At Greens Vegetarian Cafe w/ Yeng Constantino!


Uy! Familiar face! Le boyfriend and I were hungry and decided to try Greens Vegetarian Restaurant & Cafe at Tomas Morato. Pag pasok namin, Yeng was there and she was so happy to see us. :p She stayed a little bit to talk about life so far (behind the scenes), her husband, their vegan lifestyle, ministry opportunities and challenges and even gave us marriage advice! Thank you Yeng. Nakakabusog lahat ng kwento mo. 😀

This is not a full food review by the way! We will come back and try the other dishes. I had the Vegetarian Barbecue with Brown Rice (P115) while Dave had the Sweet and Sour “Fish” with Brown Rice (P140). I haven’t had regular barbecue since 2017 and I’m happy that the vegetarian barbecue did not disappoint–flavor and texture-wise. Prices are affordable. You can order a lot with a P500-P1000 peso budget.

Street parking is limited, although they have a designated empty lot where diners can park. I highly encourage you to not leave valuables in your car as there are no CCTV cameras and only a single guard roving the parking area. The restaurant has a very homey feel and the menu is straightforward. I find their servings a bit small though. The dishes are tasty but tend to give you that “bitin” factor. I like that they also sell vegan and vegetarian-friendly products in the store.

food, Philippines, Reviews, Video Blog

Greens, Juice Bar and Meatless Options at Hillside Cafe

Adding this to my list of happy, vegan-friendly restaurants that I must frequent! Since I went on a lifestyle and diet adjustment in August of this year, one of the challenges (aside from strictly preparing my own meals) was finding easily-accessible restaurants that served plant-based, organic food.

Go Salads is good but my tastebuds started looking for something different, specially now that I’ve tried almost everything on their menu. To be fair to Go Salads though, I’d say it’s my new “fast food” now because when you walk into their store or stall, they get to prepare your salad, sandwich or green smoothie in less than 15 minutes.

Back to Hillside Cafe and Juice Bar.

The only branch they have presently is at Mo. Ignacia, which is surprisingly just near the seminary I go to. I like that the place isn’t so huge. It’s very quaint, perfect for meetings, dates and catch-up sessions. Their salad servings are huge, good enough for two, I would say but if you’re a vegetable monster like me, I’m sure you can consume the entire plate by yourself. I ordered the Superfood Salad (which has kale, mixed greens, quinoa, beets, carrots, malunggay flakes and a vinaigrette dressing) and the Hillside Greens Smoothie (which has spinach, moringa, mango, banana, chia seeds, coconut meat and coconut water). Sophie and Kath ordered the Aglio Olio Pasta and the Tropical Smoothie. Watch the video below and do visit Hillside Cafe! 😀

food, HappySingles, Philippines, Reviews, Video Blog

Vegan/Vegetarian-Friendly Place: Happy Garden Cafe

A few VLOGs ago, I told you that I switched to the plant-based diet as recommended by my doctor due to a lump that grew out of nowhere. While I am out of danger (thankfully), it’s been tough adjusting to the lifestyle change. I’ve always loved vegetables; I’ve never had a problem with my greens and fruits. However, I also love my flavored fries (hello Potato Corner), my Chicken Joy from Jollibee and ugh… CHIPS. The cheesy ones in particular. So imagine my dilemma when I was told that I cannot eat any of those. I can’t even have dairy. Good-bye cheese platter.

So for the past three months, I’ve just been having a lot of the greens, mushrooms, root crops and my daily barley supplement. The weight loss has been very obvious to the point that people have expressed concern over it. I’m okay, I’m fine. It’s just that I don’t have meat. And dairy. And processed food. And pancit canton from Lucky Me. 😦 It’s also been tough not having a lot of restaurant or fast food options. The only vegetarian “fast food” I know is Bodhi at Megamall (because they serve halal food) and Go Salads and Pho Bac near GCF. This diet change meant I’d have to always prepare my food, source the ingredients and cook them myself.

One evening after seminary classes, Dave and I went looking for a good place to eat that serves vegan/vegetarian-friendly food. Since we end our class at 9pm, most of the ones we checked out were already closed. Happy Garden Cafe along Jupiter Street was the only one that opened til late so we decided to check it out. Watch the vlog below: