Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - Molecular biologist Custer Deocaris intends to convince young Filipinos to eat more vegetables, fruits and grains to reduce the incidence of obesity and eventually raise students' brain power.
How will he do it? By explaining his dishes' ingredients, and making a nation so used to fast food aware of healthier, and possibly life-saving, alternatives.
Toward dawn last Friday at the just concluded Banchetto night bazaar in Ortigas Center, Deocaris found the time to explain the properties of his main ingredients more thoroughly.
His fat-burner meatless burger is made from yakon, mushroom and soybean and served on a country-style malunggay coco-flour bun.
Yakon is a low-calorie root crop known for its copious amounts of oligofructans that regulates fat metabolism via the L-carnitine pathway.
Mushrooms are excellent sources of protein, dietary fiber, potassium and vitamins B2 (riboflavin) and B3 (niacin). Shiitake mushrooms contain lentinan, a chemical that boosts the immune system and protects against various types of cancers.
Soybeans are rich in protein, dietary fiber, calcium and magnesium. "According to the American Heart Association, just 25 grams of soybeans per day is sufficient to significantly lower the risk for heart disease," he said.
Deocaris described his lugaw made with Gaba brown rice as the first "functional" porridge in the country.
"It reduces the risk of heart disease and lowers blood pressure by inhibiting a protein called Angiotensin H. The pregermination of the brown rice increases the levels of Gaba and steryl glucosides that help prevent diabetes, enhance fat metabolism and even improve brain function," he said.
For his desserts, Deocaris uses coco sap sugar.
He described it thus: "It's healthy sugar from coconut inflorescence (flower cluster). It helps improve glycemic and weight control. It is also rich in amino acids, dietary fiber and minerals."
