RETHINKING THE FILIPINO PLATE

How to eat for your metabolism without giving up the food you love

By the H&L Editorial Team

The Filipino plate has a familiar shape: a mound of white rice in the middle, a generous serving of ulam beside it, maybe a little vegetable on the side, and — too often — a soft drink.

It’s comforting. It’s delicious. And for many of us, it’s quietly feeding metabolic syndrome.

The answer is not to abandon Filipino food. It’s to rebalance the plate.

Pinggang Pinoy: the plate, reimagined

The Food and Nutrition Research Institute’s Pinggang Pinoy is a simple visual guide for adults:

• Half the plate: vegetables and fruit, with vegetables taking the larger share.

• A quarter: rice, root crops, bread or noodles — the “go” foods.

• A quarter: fish, lean meat, poultry, eggs, tokwa or legumes — the “grow” foods.

• Plus water instead of sugary drinks.

Compare that to the usual plate, where rice may take up half or more, and vegetables a small corner.

The rice question

Rice isn’t the enemy. But portions have grown, unlimited rice promos are everywhere, and white rice raises blood sugar quickly.

• Measure your rice. One cup of cooked rice per meal is a reasonable amount for many adults; less if you’re trying to lose weight or have diabetes.

• Try alternatives. Brown rice, red rice, adlai, corn grits, kamote, saba, gabi or ube in place of some of the rice.

• Let cooked rice cool. Rice that’s been cooked and refrigerated forms more resistant starch, which raises blood sugar a little less. Day-old rice for sinangag (with little oil) counts.

Filipino dishes that fit the plate

• Sinigang — loaded with kangkong, sitaw, labanos and gabi.

• Tinola — chicken, sayote or papaya, and malunggay.

• Pinakbet — a vegetable feast; go easy on the bagoong and pork.

• Ginataang gulay — squash and sitaw in coconut milk; use light coconut milk.

• Inihaw na isda — grilled fish with ensaladang talong or kamatis.

• Monggo — with malunggay or ampalaya leaves; skip the chicharon topping.

• Pesang isda — fish simmered with ginger and vegetables.

Watch the hidden extras

• Sauces and dips: banana ketchup, sweet chili sauce and some barbecue marinades are surprisingly sugary.

• Sweet breakfast staples: pandesal with condensed milk, sweetened cereals, sugary spreads.

• Merienda traps: kakanin, turon, banana cue and sweet bread. Enjoy occasionally, not daily.

• Fried everything: frying adds calories quickly. Steaming, grilling, boiling and air-frying are better everyday choices.

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A day on the rebalanced plate: Breakfast — oatmeal with banana and a boiled egg. Lunch — half a plate of pinakbet, a quarter of grilled fish, a quarter of brown rice. Merienda — a small saba or a handful of peanuts. Dinner — tinola with plenty of malunggay and sayote, and a cup of rice. Water all day.

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