Daily Tribune (Philippines)

WHERE TO BUY KALE - THE MOST NUTRITIOUS FOOD ON EARTH

The problem with most veggie salads, when eaten raw — which is what doctors recommend is they taste bland. The solution is to have good salad dressing

- STREETLIFE POCHOLO CONCEPCION

For many years I lived near the Cubao area in Quezon City. But it was only a few weeks ago that I got to visit Farmer’s Market, which my mother said is where one could buy really fresh produce for both household and commercial consumptio­n.

Ages ago, I read in the papers that chefs of top restaurant­s source the food in their menu from Farmer’s.

My main mission in going there was to look for kale or leaf cabbage for the vegetable salad that my wife prepares as my daily main dish.

Kale is regarded as the most nutritious food on earth.

A chapter in Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s book,

The End of Heart

Disease, discusses the Aggregate Nutrient

Density Index or ANDI, a scoring system that rates foods on a scale from 1 to 1,000 based on nutrient content. Kale earned a score of 1,000 along with other leafy veggies collective­ly known as collard greens.

The supermarke­ts in SM and Robinsons malls sell kale, but not all the time. My eyes widened when I saw lots of it at Farmer’s — crispy fresh and, the vendors said, delivered straight from provincial farmlands.

More surprising­ly, kale, as well as other veggies, are sold cheap at Farmer’s. And so I ended up buying all the veggie ingredient­s that go with my salad, mostly ANDI top scorers, too: red cabbage, carrots, onions, tomatoes, red and green bell peppers, Romaine lettuce, Japanese cucumber, sugar beets and turnips.

Yet another discovery at Farmer’s was its seafood section. The notion that the fish sold there is expensive is wrong.

The problem with most veggie salads, when eaten raw, which is what doctors recommend, is they taste bland. The solution is to have good salad dressing.

Wifey makes savory salad sauce — her latest concoction is composed of extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, honey, mustard and lots of garlic.

Farmer's stall at VEGETABLE Quezon City. Cubao, Market,

I’m not vegetarian, though, and Dr. Fuhrman says you don’t have to be one to be healthy — just make veggies your main dish daily, plus a bit of meat or seafood for variety.

And so my salad may have shrimp, eggs, pork or, sometimes, bacon (the ones sold with no preservati­ves).

I also love adding mangoes and orange slices as toppings.

Yet another discovery at Farmer’s was its seafood section. The notion that the fish sold there is expensive is wrong.

Proof:

My

The supermarke­ts at SM and Robinsons sell kale, but not all the time. My eyes widened when I saw lots of it at Farmer’s Market in Cubao — crispy fresh and, the vendors said, delivered straight from provincial farmlands.

wife bought a really large bangus at a price much lower compared to those sold in supermarke­ts. Haggling is key, wifey said. The big news in the house is that she and my only child have started eating the veggie salad that used to be only for my own consumptio­n.

It would add to my weekly budget for vegetables, but that’s not too much when bought at Farmer’s Market, which

opens at 3 a.m till evening.

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 ?? PHOTOGRAPH­S BY POCHOLO CONCEPCION FOR THE DAILY TRIBUNE ?? HOMEMADE vegetable salad with mangoes and shrimp and egg toppings.
KALE is always available at Farmer's Market.
PHOTOGRAPH­S BY POCHOLO CONCEPCION FOR THE DAILY TRIBUNE HOMEMADE vegetable salad with mangoes and shrimp and egg toppings. KALE is always available at Farmer's Market.
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