top of page
Writer's pictureJax Cooper

My Cebu fit-food plan

Updated: Aug 12, 2023

Being a Westerner I must respectfully admit that I am not fond of much of the traditional Philippine food. Pork Lechon is loaded with saturated fats. Sure it's delicious. Just not all the saturated fats. Some of the common fish that is sold is loaded with mercury. I love Blue-Marlin but stopped eating it and mackerel due to high mercury levels. The fish with the highest levels of Mercury are longer-lived fish which include: Swordfish, Tuna, Marlin and Mackerel. A smarter fish to eat are sardines which I learned to love. Especially when seasoned.


Also, white rice is served with just about every meal but I choose and prepare carn rice instead. Corn rice is sold in many Cebu stores. Brown and corn rice is much healthier than white rice and corn rice is cheaper. White rice is a Filipino cultural choice but not mine. Many Filipino's believe they would die without eating white rice. You really can't change their mind.


The locals love their food but I have decided to eat better to try and live longer, keep up my long-term stamina, focus on keeping my libido strong and keeping my belly-weight off. My girlfriend in the Philippines is younger and of course I want to stay in shape for her and myself.


I swim, gym, scuba-dive, fly huge12 square- meter kites, hike, skateboard, bicycle and of course walk a lot. I moved to Cebu to remain fit and in shape. It has some beautiful beaches so adventure is everywhere. It's not easy to adjust your diet when you transition to the Philippines. I figured it out tho. There are a few great places to eat but they are not that common and expensive since they are restaurants. I eat a lot of chicken and veggies when I'm there. Asian foods are big on MSG and I'm not a fan since I tend to pass out after eating MSG foods. Food taste enhancers and Maltodextrin are bad and should be avoided.


So my lifestyle has a decent size refrigerator. I freeze food I bring from the states and buy locally. Walnuts, Chia seeds, Brazil nuts, Pinto and black beans and Quinoa. These are all fiber rich and mineral strong for your diet and often neglected. I bring these items from the United States. I try to keep my daily fiber amount up and nuts/beans are a great addition. The prices on nuts are expensive in the Philippines since they are from the United States and many nuts and beans cannot be found in the Philippines.


So there's my example of how I have changed my diet to keep me happy and healthy while I live in the Philippines.


10 views1 comment

1 Comment

Rated 0 out of 5 stars.
No ratings yet

Add a rating
Jax Cooper
Jax Cooper
Jul 06, 2023
Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

.

Like
bottom of page