Practically many people are familiar that a healthy diet meal would often involved high fiber

foods. This is essentially because fiber is good for digestion. Foods high in fiber are low in fats
and calories which if not burned up by the body causes weight gain and obesity. Fibrous foods
moreover, takes time for our bodies to digest which keeps us full longer and reduces our
predilection to eat. On the other hand, insoluble fiber foods which are not processed in our
digestive tract serves as stool binder that helps in our excretion of waste.
The number one source of fiber is plants especially fruits and vegetables. In the Philippines, the
most common high fiber fruits included Bananas, pina (Pineapples), Papaya, buko (Coconut),
pakwan (Watermelon) and citrus fruits (dalanghita, Calamansi, pomelo, etc), Avocado and
durian.
Other fruits that fibrous that are commonly available in the Philippines include orange, orange,
Strawberries, Apples, and Pears, among others. For vegetables, there are the Eggplant (Talong),
Ladys Finger (Okra), Bitter Melon (Ampalaya), String Bean (Sitaw), Squash (Kalabasa), Water
Spinach (Kangkong), Jute (Saluyot), Winged Bean (Sigarilyas), Luffa (Patola), kamote tops,
Chinese Cabbage (Pechay) and Malunggay.
Other important Filipino vegetables include Carrot, Cauliflower, Cabbage or Repolyo, Broccoli,
Chicharo, and Lettuce etc. While these vegetables are healthy, it is advised that people should
clean these vegetables very well by soaking them on water for at least 20 minutes before
cooking or including them in the meal to get rid of the chemicals and pesticides that were
sprayed on these vegetables.
Nuts and legumes are also high fiber Filipino foods. Under this heading would be peanuts and
kasuy (cashew nuts), Pumpkin seeds (squash) and butong pakwan (water melon seeds). Finally,
whole grains is another fibrous food source such as rice and corn. While these foods are rich in
fiber, it is still important to control the servings for this food. Too much butong pakwan can
result to too much salt intake which is also bad. Too much rice is also bad, especially because it
can cause weight gain. Aside from eating healthy fibrous food, people should equally engage in
exercise to effectively use up energy, which could otherwise be stored as fat if not effectively
used.
Chop Suey Recipe
Ingredients
1/4 lb shrimp
1/2 lb boneless chicken
1 tsp garlic
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 piece cabbage, quartered
1 cup green bell pepper,sliced
1 cup red bell pepper, sliced
1 small cauliflower, cut into small pieces
1 cup snow peas
1 cup carrots, sliced
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup chicken liver, sliced
Shrimp juice (derived by crushing the head of the shrimp) or use shrimp bouillon
1 1/4 cup water
salt and pepper
Cooking Procedure
1. Saute the garlic and onion
2. Add the boneless chicken and saute for 2 minutes
3. Put-in the chicken liver and let cook for 3 minutes more
4. Pour in the shrimp juice and 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and simmer for 5
minutes.
5. Add the shrimp then sprinkle some salt and pepper.
6. Add the oyster sauce and simmer for 2 minutes.
7. Put-in the cauliflower and cabbage then mix well
8. Add the carrots,snow peas, and bell pepper. Cover the pot and simmer for 5 minutes or until
vegetables are cooked
9. Dilute the cornstarch in 1/4 cup of water then pour mixture in the pot. Mix well.
10. Serve hot. Share and Enjoy!
Number of servings (yield): 6

KFC Style Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter or vegetable shortening
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 piece chicken cube or 2 teaspoons chicken powder
1 piece beef cube or 2 teaspoons beef powder
2 1/4 cups water
Cooking Procedure
1. Dilute the beef and chicken cubes in water.
2. Heat a saucepan and put-in the butter. Let the butter melt under low heat.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and cook in low heat while continuously stirring for 7 to
8 minutes or until the color turns medium brown. There is a tendency that the flour might burn
when overcooked or if high heat is applied. Be extra cautious.
4. Add the remaining flour and continue stirring.
5. Gradually add the chicken and beef broth (the result of procedure 1) while stirring. Continuous
stirring is needed to prevent lumps from forming.
6. Put the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes more while stirring
once in a while until the texture thickens.
7. Serve hot with fried chicken or mashed potato.
8. Share and enjoy!