DAY 2
I thought since we live in an agricultural country, we would be one of the most avid vegetable-eaters this side of the world, but according to a
study it seems that
we are not.
Mass media and schools tell us that fruits and vegetables are good for you but we also pick up a silent message that the people who can't afford to eat meat are probably poor.
What’s so wrong with eating like the poor?
"Pag maraming pera, maraming sakit," a poor woman once told me.
The diseases of the affluent are often caused by personal excesses while the diseases of poverty are caused by less-than-ideal living conditions. But they are all preventable.
Obviously, my main motivation for a vegetable-rich diet is health. I don't want to check out of this world via a hardcore disease, like how most of my ancestors did.
But I also discovered something else: eating vegetables is cheap! And it helped me lose all the unnecessary weight I have been lugging around for years.
So why isn't everyone eating vegetables?
* * *
There isn’t a poorer man’s dish than ginisang monggo. And in a predominantly Catholic country like ours, it is usually served in the homes and in carenderias during meatless Fridays. I like monggo because it’s so easy to cook, very delicious, and packed with nutrients.
To prepare this dish, simply boil the beans until they get a bit soft then toss them in a pot with sautéed garlic and onion. You can add things like shrimp, ampalaya leaves, and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.
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| Handa... Kain! |
