Healthy eating in the Philippines

Rethius

My work is sending me to the Philippines for six weeks in the coming months. Specifically, I will be living in Manila. I've got a couple questions about this, but my main concern is with eating healthy.

Recently I discovered the fitness thread here and decided to change to a healthier lifestyle. I've been trying to eat within my allotted calories every day, and I've been working out six days a week for the last month - I'm already feeling better. As far as working out goes, my hotel has a gym so I'm not too worried about that. I'm kinda concerned that when I go out of the country I'll be sort of pressed into eating fast food though. I've been told that in order to avoid some ugly bacterial diseases I need to make sure that I eat hot food, only drink stuff I have seen being opened, etc.

I'm being given a per diem of $50.00/day to cover food and such. Anyone have any advice on where I can go to avoid fast food? I'll be staying in a pretty nice hotel, but I doubt I'll have access to a kitchen or anything. I'm sort of at a loss for what to do.

Also, if anybody knows anything awesome to do around Manila, I would love some sightseeing recommendations.

Thanks for your advice.

Xano

Check out the "Mall Of Asia" I hear it's supposed to be one of the biggest areas for shopping there. The last time i was in the Philippines was '06 for family. I hear hitting up Karaoke bars is really fun, since a lot of Filipinos are into drinking/singing - might be a good way to meet some people? Also, I'm assuming you are white, so be prepared for a lot of stares and gawking, especially if you are really tall. A lot of the people will assume you're some tourist, so be on guard - they think you have a lot of cash to throw around!

as for healthy cooking, maybe you could get yourself a rice cooker? It's pretty simple to set up, and you can just eat some rice with some vegetables you buy.

Also, there will be A TON of street vendors, be careful if you're buying food/drink from them.

fuelish

Xano wrote: »

Also, there will be A TON of street vendors, be careful if you're buying food/drink from them.

My Dad lived in the Phillipines(Phillipino wife) for several years and found the street food to be the safest.
The only time he got sick was a four star restaurant. And he lived in a hotel, with one floor burned out and fighting cocks raised in the back yard.

Dropping Loads

I stayed in the Philippines for 3 weeks two years ago for a friend's wedding. We stayed with their family the whole time, a little in Manila but mostly in the southern islands. If you're in the city, you'll basically have your choice of fast food/mall food court kind of stuff, but I never ran into anything I would call healthy. That's especially the case if you spend any time with the locals. It's a great experience and everyone is extremely nice, but for healthy food you're probably best off fixing your own stuff from the grocery store. However, because it's so hot, it takes a lot of energy just to get around. As long as you're being reasonable you won't end up gaining weight.
$50.00 US a day is a LOT of money, if you're buying things made in the Philippines. Anything imported can get expensive quick. Bottled water is everywhere, just make sure it's in the original bottle (and not like a coke bottle full of water.)

aerolbj

50 dollars is a lot. Current exchange rate is around 44 pesos. So, you've got 2,200 pesos to spend for healthy eating. I live in the Philippines and to eat healthy I go to the grocery and buy a thousand pesos worth of healthy food stuff _once a month_. Trust me, 50 dollars a day is overkill in a country where you can have a decent healthy meal for half a dollar: delicious veggies, rice and water. Heck, there are quite a few healthy restaurants that are really cheap. stuff only gets expensive when you go the fancy route: room service and the restaurants where you pay more for the ambiance. Just go to the grocery at any mall - there's also usually a foodcourt near them so you can scope out the cheap stuff. Street vendors are nice for the exotic stuff - but they're really not healthy in fitness terms; most of them are fried and chockfull of sugars and starch. I think I gained a few pounds back in college when they were a staple part of my diet.

squirly

Crazy, I'm going over there for 2 years soon, like 3 weeks actually. Well, I'll be in glorious America first for ~ 2 months.

I really like my 'Western' food too and am not a fan of rice and the like. I'm going to have such a shock when I go over there, hah.

langfor6

DEAR GOD MAN STICK TO THAT ADVICE ABOUT LIQUIDS!

When I went to the Philippines a few years ago I did something very, very stupid. My wife (fiancee at the time) and I were staying in a very nice resort in Cebu. I spent about three weeks in the country, and up to that point had been very careful about what I ate and drank.

One morning at breakfast I drank some of the resort's water from the pitcher. This was not the bottled water that I had been purchasing and consuming my entire trip.

I got the worst diarrhea of my life on that trip. I couldn't stop shitting until I was able to see and American doctor. They prescribed some medication and took a stool sample, and a week later informed me that I had been infected with the shigella bacteria. Awful experience.

R3drang3r

I am originally from the USA and live in the Philippines. In America I was a full fledged Vegan (stricter than a vegetarian). Unfortunately the Filipines has one of the worst diets on this planet. Health food for the most part doesn't exist here. I have searched high and low and see the same foods sold in the Super Markets here. They are anything but Healthy. They don't offer Margarine or any butter substitute. They have Butter that advertises low Fat, but read the label. Apparently they do not enforce any type of advertisement. TV commercials are hilarious with outlandish claims. The Cereal Isle is full of Choco Puffs, the breakfast of champions. Oatmeal is the only real choice. Pasta is all made from Durham Wheat (Flour). Flour is converted to sugar in your stomach. The only healthy Pasta is made from 100% Grain. Of course you won't find any Pasta made from Grain here. Pasta sauce is rarely seen in a Jar. I have spotted Paul Newman's Sauce in one store, in one City.
Someone mentioned white rice. Pure starch, and no real nutritional value. Brown rice is the only healthy choice.
If your going to eat healthy, you had better study hard and become very creative.