Healing Present Nature and Wellness Farm

Free tastes get better if it's organic! Free demos are quite popular in department stores and supermarkets. Although they pretty much catch every one's attention, I am not really a major fan of those except if a free taste is offered! But this time, I intentionally went to the Rustan's Supermarket at Ayala Center Cebu yesterday afternoon to witness a free demo from Healing Present Nature and Wellness Farm's Ms. Eleonor A. Rivera who does the free demonstration herself on preparing organic food! 

Eleonor explaining to us the essential of the veggie before
putting it to the blender for the green smoothie

There she was, already demonstrating how to prepare an organic and vegan lumpia (wrap). The wrap itself is gluten free with organic lettuce. 

Then, the best part came as she showed us how to make a green smoothie! One doesn't really need milk to make such creamy smoothies. 

Most if not all of Healing Present Nature and Wellness Farm's food are prepared raw to preserve the food enzymes of the veggies and fruits that could help it work in our body more. 

Since, it is raw, it is best eaten organic because it will be like eating pesticides if it isn't and might as well cook it but there's a great chance of getting bad cholesterol as well. As what she said that afternoon, whatever oil even as healthy as EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil), once heated could still produce bad cholesterol. 

My share of the Green Smoothie. Yum!

Now, that reminds me of one of our leaders also in Gawad Kalinga who is into healthy eating when he gave a small lecture on my gaining weight to try raw fruits and veggies in one month and see the difference ,"raw,raw,raw!" he reiterated  so that perhaps made sense! ;-) 

There are numerous plants, herbs and fruits used in the concoctions such as the smoothie but just to name a few, it includes oregano, turmeric, lemongrass, calamansi, basil, ginger, passion fruit and soursop or guyabano.All of which have been known to have its own essential uses to the body take for example guyabano that has been greatly related to killing  cancer 10,000 times stronger than chemotherapy! Amazing huh!

My personal favorites are the Green Smoothie, Herbal Tonic (a good alternative for tea) and the Green and Tomato Pesto which is perfect for dips and pasta (yes, with my favorite pasta!).

Two of the concoctions on display:
Organic Herbal Tonic and
 Organic Tomato Pesto

I am thankful that I attended Human Nature's Magalogue Turnover and Product Launch at the Mandaue branch where I first saw Ms. Rivera last Saturday as she was introduced and awarded the Pinay and Proud of Human Nature Mandaue Branch at the Orchard Hotel. She is indeed  Pinay and Proud because aside from her advocacy on natural healing, indigenous and integrative medicine, she is also a social entrepreneur in the Healing Present Nature and Wellness Farm since proceeds from these endeavors goes back to the farming community who are assisting with the farm. The Healing Present 4-day Wellness Retreat,  which is a program that helps you detox, rejuvenate and start a healthier lifestyle with Yoga sessions, scrubs and more! I have always wondered if there will be a local organic farm here in Cebu that somehow is similar in some ways to the Gawad Kalinga's Enchanted Farm in Bulacan and imagine how excited I was to hear about Healing Present Nature and Wellness Farm last Saturday which led me to visit Rustan's Grocery the next day to witness the demo! Now, I can't help but spread the word!

receiving the Pinay and Proud Award at the
Human Nature Mandaue's  Magalogue  Turnover
and Product Launch last Saturday 
with two of the branch owners 
(from left: Rina , Eleonor and Josine)

Can't get enough of Healing Present Nature and Wellness Farm? Check out their website and you can also catch Ms. Eleonor Rivera and taste the concoctions and see for yourself the demo at Rustan's Supermaket in Ayala Center Cebu (lucky this mall!) every weekend at 3:00pm-to 4:00pm. Looking forward to see you there! 

Cheers! :-)


Rosette

Opting Organics Will Soon Turn 2!

Opting Organics will soon turn 2 this November! Expect more stories to share on organic and natural products! I have been opting organics by using only products through a brand that I trust the moment it was introduced to me way back 2009 since I knew the owners and the integrity they have built for themselves as partners in nation building. For the past year that I started this blog, I have written and shared the following in Opting Organics:

 * experiences as I disciplined myself in opting organics even in the food I ate (honestly, I'm still working my way on it..any suggestions? :D)   

* Organic products in the Philippines and outside the country that I chanced upon 

 * related articles from experts such as Dr. Mercola to remind us the advantages of using organic products and natural products! 

* Organic and Natural seals were also introduced to assure that what we buy are genuinely organic (although there are still genuine ones who don't carry the certified organic seals) 

 * Essentials of plants and herbs such as moringa (malunggay), cucumber and turmeric were also featured 

 * people here and abroad who are opting organics for a healthier lifestyle. 

In addition to that, we will soon feature recipes using organic produce and from scratch every month and a lot more stories! Want to be updated on the latest organic bits? Feel free to click on the RSS Feed Burner on the upper right corner of this blog or click below: 

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and you may share it away through facebook, twitter and other social media sites. In the mean time, enjoy reading our previous articles and contact us for comments and suggestions!

Cheers to Organics! :)

Organic Spice and Herbs

Seems like Dr. Mercola is my new doctor now...You see, he has always emphasized to eat as much as possible organically grown food in order to achieve optimal health. Well, most of us are focusing much on the vegetables or main dish side but how about our herbs and spices? Should we continue to patronize processed herbs that could probably contain serious risks to our health? I used to be a hater of ampalaya or if I eat it, I cover my mouth or put as much rice as possible to hide the bitter taste and swallow it right away knowing that it has a lot of benefits, I force myself to eat it! Yet, a few years ago, our household help was taught to cook it with the use of of course processed spices and herbs with probably heaps of MSG and other synthetic preservatives. I have loved eating it then on. But as I knew more about organically grown plants and vegetables, I began to refrain eating it anymore unless of course I have no choice and just cross my fingers that it will do more good than harm to my system.

So going back to what Dr. Mercola has emphasized, he has observed that herbs and spices were overlooked which is one way to enhance and improve our health. But of course, it should be organically grown. Their nutrient-dense status to vitamins and minerals and antioxidants more potent than fruits and veggies, it promotes the overall well being in the entire body and not just in a specific body area. At the same time, it is low on calories as well as boost metabolism that could help burn calories!

The next time we shop for spices and herbs, we better be selective and make sure it is harvested, grown and processed organically or else we will be missing out some healthful ingredients beneficial to our body. It might as well be 100% organic!

One of the herbs that Dr. Mercola recommends and which actually made him travel all over India was an ancient herb called Turmeric. This herb was used by India and China thousands of years ago..It contains a lot of benefits and one of them is promoting immune system and supporting healthy bones and joints. I have not scouted yet if we have some available here in the local market but if we can´t get hold of it , then might as well make do with our local herbs and spices which I´m sure has benefits of its own as long as we know it is organically grown (I believe that most of them are). You may check out his article if you want to find out more the Turmeric´s benefits. 

Gotta go for now and more organic stuff to talk about soon!

Cheers to organics and health! :-)