Back to basics with Dok Susan at the Women's Market

You are what you eat. The saying was never as clear as it was on Friday at the Women's Market at the Quezon City Hall, where health advocate Dr. Susan Balingit gave her lecture "Food as Medicine." "Bakit kaya pinapainom sa mga baby ang gatas ng mga baka? 'Di kaya may mali doon? (Why do we feed babies with cow’s milk? Isn’t there something wrong in that?)" asked Balingit, chair of the Center for Complementary and Integrative Medicine of the De La Salle Health Sciences Institute Dasmariñas. Dok Susan, as she is fondly called, proceeded to enlighten the all-female audience on the importance of eating well, and popular misconceptions about food. "Okay lang na maliit tayo (It’s all right that we’re small)," said Dok Susan, as she explained that cow's milk is not good for babies, as it contains growth enhancers that make babies unnaturally big.

"Hindi na natin kilala ang sarili nating mga pagkain (We no longer know our own foods)," said Dok Susan, noting that we learn about vegetables like carrots, cauliflower and lettuce – but not those that grow in our own backyards like malunggay (horseradish) and kamote (sweet potato). She says that the poor are indeed blessed, as they cannot afford to buy milk and other processed food that make people ill instead of healthy. "Hindi nakakainom ng softdrinks, hindi nakakakain ng mga junk food. Pero mas malakas sila. Ang daming sakit na pang-mayaman lang (They don’t have the means to drink softdrinks, and to eat junk foods. But they remain strong. There are so many ailments that are prevalent only among the rich)," said Dok Susan, who discovered the benefits of a traditional diet as she observed that those in the urban areas are more vulnerable to sickness than those in rural villages. In 2002, together with other health workers, Dok Susan put up the Sandiwaan Center for Responsible Health Care Inc., a non-government organization (NGO) focused on rediscovering health traditions. Dok Susan recommends a diet composed mostly of vegetables, root crops and whole grains like boiled corn. From this experience, Balingit's group organized the Sandiwaan to promote traditional health practices and diet through small discussion groups and lectures that they hoped would lead to the rediscovery of Filipino health and health-related traditions. "Ang mga meron tayo, hindi na natin kakilala. Pag wala tayong pambili wala tayong kakainin, kasi yung mga yaman na meron tayo hindi natin alam gamitin," said Dok Susan, recommending kamote, gabi (taro) and other local vegetables. Vegetables should be in the spotlight, not just on the side or as toppings, Dok Susan emphasized, as she disapproved of the malunggay cupcakes that were served as snacks, courtesy of PATAMABA, one of the participating groups in the market along with Oxfam Philippines, Pambansang Koalisyon ng mga Kababaihan sa Kanayunan (PKKK), WISEACT, Saliraya, with the cooperation of the Quezon City government. "Balikan natin, kilalanin natin at ipakilala natin sa mga anak natin ang pagunawa sa kung anong ginagawa ng mga gulay (Let’s recall, recognize, and reintroduce to our children the knowledge of the importance of vegetables)," said Dok Susan. Apart from PATAMABA, booths were set up by PKKK, Sarilaya, WiseAct and Oxfam, who offered products like veggie bread, free-range chicken eggs, organic rice and vegetables, boneless bangus, fruit jams, organic soap, handcrafted items and even plants. The two-day Women's Market featured products by women of rural poor sectors, to help them earn income to feed their children and send them to school. Among the many available products were banana chips from Batangas (20 pesos), children's dresses (300 pesos), pearl bracelets (400 pesos) and homemade peanut butter (50 pesos). Also available were bags of takakura organic compost fertilizer for 20 pesos, which could be made at home. The takakura method of organic composting was named after Dr. Koji Takakura of the Wakamatsu Environment Research Institute, who discovered the process. How to make your own takakura

1. Fill a laundry basket or kaing (woven bamboo carrier) with yogurt, tuba (coconut wine), yeast, mushrooms and other ingredients with live microorganisms.
2. Feed the mixture daily with kitchen waste, 1/2 kilo for every 1 kilo of compost.
3. Cover with paper or leaves to absorb the excess moisture.
4. Air for three days.
5. Strain the mixture.

While shoppers went from table to table, forums were held on Women's Role in Food Production and the State of Rural Women in the Philippines and Food as Medicine. Practical demonstrations were also held, like cooking demos of guilt-free peanut butter and budbud kabud (bread mix). The Women's Market was held in celebration of Women's Month.—JV, GMA News