Diet? Or ‘daya’?

Do you diet? Or do you daya? I do both. With so much food to sample and write about, I sometimes find myself struggling to squeeze my thunder thighs into my jeans. When that happens, I know that it is time to exercise more and eat less. In the meantime, I dig into my closet for the dark colored, loose clothes to hide the bulges and to create the illusion that I lost weight. That’s the daya (cheating).

If there are more fat people in the world today, blame it on Western-style convenience foods and a less active, more sedentary lifestyle. The World Health Organization says "For every four adults in the world who are malnourished, there are five who are overweight, 30 percent of them clinically obese." The fat epidemic is a serious matter that has been identified as a major contributor to chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, artherosclerosis, hypertension, cerebral hemorrhage, and certain kinds of cancer.

Undoubtedly, a well-balanced diet is essential to maintaining good health. However, this is easier said than done. With multi-tasking and increasingly busy lifestyles, it is easy to succumb to the temptation of quick and convenient meals. There are also the numerous outlets that serve the most scrumptious specialties, so that sometimes it is difficult to abstain without feeling deprived. One may taste what is available, but it is always good to keep in mind that moderation is key to staying healthy.

"The cornerstone of medical treatment is centered on a balanced diet," says endocrinologist Dr. Michael Lim Villa who, due to the nature of his specialization, has a considerable number of overweight patients.

He underscores the importance of diet and physical activity. "Type 2 diabetes is more common nowadays among obese or overweight children," he says.

While in the past, type 2 diabetes affected only adults who were often advanced in age, the disease has become more common among overweight children. Furthermore, studies undertaken by the American College of Cardiology have shown that high waist circumference or abdominal obesity is associated with a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD.)

Can liposuction to eliminate abdominal fat remove the risk associated with abdominal obesity?

"Liposuction does not change the metabolic parameters," avers Dr. Villa. Without lifestyle changes, the procedure is temporary. One may consider it a form of cheating or daya. The best way to lose the fat is still through exercise and maintaining a healthy diet.

What is a healthy diet?

It is one that’s rich in fibrous vegetables, fruits, legumes, brown rice, and brown bread. More people nowadays are aware of the perils of trans fats, cholesterol, and low-density lipoproteins and they avoid these. It is no longer just a matter of appearances — of looking svelte in well-fitting clothes. People embark on exercise regimens and eat healthier food to stay fit and to live longer lives. Necessarily, healthy food is food that is free of contaminants that can cause disease.

Realizing that clean, uncontaminated water is essential in preparing healthy food, personal chef and professional catering service owner Jill-Ignacio Busuego has partnered with QualiBet Testing Services Corporation to ensure that the all the water used in her kitchen is guaranteed clean.

Furthermore, as a certified chef who caters to that growing sector of health-conscious people who are particular about their food intake, Jill Busuego has gone one step further to ensure that the food she prepares contains the correct caloric content.

"It is my responsibility as a chef to give the best food at the most reasonable costs. I want to be able to help instill a healthy lifestyle so we can live better lives," says chef Jill who ensures that only the best ingredients go into her food. For both the weight-conscious South Beach Diet devotee and the food enthusiast who is unwilling to sacrifice flavor for low fat, her delicious meals are a happy compromise.

Recipes are followed to the letter and everything is calibrated and weighed. And to eliminate guesswork, QualiBet not only guarantees that the food is hygienic and free from unhealthy contaminants. It also tests the nutritional content, fat, and other components of prepared food. This helps ensure that a serving portion really has the number of calories it is supposed to contain. For nitpicking calorie counters like myself, this is the best part.

Recently, I was delighted to discover that chef Jill’s caviar pie and salmon cheese were both wonderfully flavorful, but with the added bonus of having a low-fat content. Delicioso is the name of her catering service, and I thought it apt as I savored the delicately flavored cheese on Melba toast. Yummy! For people like me, eating Delicioso food with the QualiBet assurance that it is really low-fat, makes calorie-cutting a piece of cake.

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For orders and inquiries, call Delicioso catering service at 687-3697, or e-mail delicioso_inc@yahoo.com.

Manned by licensed and highly qualified chemists and microbiologists, QualiBet Testing Services Corporation has a laboratory equipped with the latest equipment. It tests water, cosmetics, food, agricultural products and medicines. "QualiBet is short for Quality Better," says chemist and company president Pinky Pe-Tobiano, who shares that a portion of the income of the corporation will be donated to the INA Foundation headed by Gina de Venecia. For inquiries, call 374-8003 or 372-7993, or e-mail www.qualibetlab.com or qualibettesting@yahoo.com.