Beware!
Comfort foods to addiction
By: Camille Sy
Eating is maybe, one of the most favorite past times of many
Filipinos. Proofs to this are the various food kiosks, fast food
chains, street foods, and many other food related businesses that
are scattered around the country. That is why food business in the
Philippines is very successful despite the existing global crisis.
Aside from that, Filipinos are always on the search for new and
innovative things that will satisfy our cravings for food. Needless
to say, it has been part of our culture.
Food for us is more than just a basic necessity or a source of
energy that our body needs. It is more likely on a personal level.
For example, when one is depress, instead of crying or spoil
ourselves in self-pity, we turn on to foods because it gives us
temporary comfort and pleasure. When one is in a cheerful mood or
there is a celebration, we eat because food is part of our blissful
moment. When we want to relax, we look for food because it calms
us. In other words, food is not just an ordinary thing for us
humans but it is a personal attachment. That is why theres such a
thing called comfort food. Comfort foods are food that has a
nostalgic or sentimental appeal. But what if the foods that
supposed to give us comfort goes beyond the ideal limit that our
body can only take? What will be the effect on us?
We ask some people about their comfort foods and the bad effects
on them when they had too much of it.
Sweet Tooth
I love chocolates. Every time I eat chocolates, I feel relaxed.
It relieves my stress and Im really happy when I eat one especially
the dark chocolates but I noticed when I eat too much of it, it
gives me sore throat or tooth ache the next day thats why I try to
minimize my cravings with chocolates even though its very hard.
Maricar Paquit, Data Analyst, Accenture Philippines
Chocolates are one of the most popular and favorite comfort
foods around the globe. It is said that chocolates serve as the
comforter of girls every time they mend a broken heart. But kidding
aside, chocolates are actually good for our heart. According to
Regina Bailey of About.com, it is found out that chocolate,
especially the dark ones, acts as an antioxidant and has a positive
effect on platelets. Researchers found out that after consumption
of chocolate, the platelets were less likely to aggregate and cause
a blood clot. But we should also remember that too much intake of
everything will lead to distraction. In case of chocolates, it has
high calories and high in sugar that leads to some health problems
like diabetes and high blood pressure.
Popular street food
I always am craving for isaw (chicken intestine) especially with
vinegar. It is really irresistible but I know it is bad for my
health so I try to minimize my intake. Anonymous
One of the most famous street foods in the Philippines is the
isaw or the chicken intestine. It can be grilled or fried. Isaw
vendors can be seen outside in every streets of Metro Manila thats
why it became a household name for Filipinos. But frequent eating
of isaw is dangerous to our health. The bitter taste in isaw is
actually the remaining waste of the chicken that is not removed.
Aside from that, isaw is high in cholesterol and calories. It can
lead to heart problems and even cancer. So again, we should limit
the intake of isaw (ideally, one stick per day) as well as other
street foods.
Pizza Frenzy!
I always crave for pizza. That is my most favorite. Any type of
pizza, thin crust, thick crust, sausage packed, cheese top,
everything! I can consume 1 box of it in just one eating. But I
noticed I get bigger and bigger and it is really alarming. Rosilyn
Tayamora, Data Analyst, Accenture Philippines
Pizza came from Italy and became popular in many parts of the
world. It is usually round in shape and topped with tomato sauce,
cheese and other toppings. Through the years, it has been
reinvented. The standard round shape, now it can be seen in square
form. Also, various flavors were made in the country like pinakbet
and laing pizza. This reinvention adds up the cravings of Filipinos
to pizza. But, again, repeated eating of pizza is also bad to our
health. Pizza is a refined carbohydrate because of extensive
process and transformation. According to Ashley Jacob of
Livestrong.com, foods made from white flour and sugar is refined
which are the major ingredients of pizza. It can cause obesity
because of empty calories that lead to more carb cravings and
overeating which exposed us at risk of developing chronic diseases.
It can also be cause of diabetes and heart problems.
It is tolerable to give in to our cravings as long as we know
our limit. There is nothing wrong to indulge ourselves to all the
good things that life has to offer. But as what they say, too much
of everything can kill us. What we thought that will satisfy us, it
will only put us in danger at the end.
