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Juana Manahan Yupangco, one of Maxicare’s wellness partners, recently bagged a prestigious award at the 29th Gourmand Awards. Her latest book, Juana’s Table, was awarded Best in the World in the Health & Nutrition category at the Awards recently held during the Saudi Feast Food Festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last November 28, 2023.
This is the second time this Global Food Security and Nutrition leader has won a Gourmand Award, but this win is more poignant for the author.
“My first book, Mesa ni Misis, also won this,” she said when asked how she felt about winning the award. “But this time [it is] even more special, as it was recognized in the Health & Nutrition category–and that’s really what I wanted to specialize in.”
And it shows in her enthusiasm for advocating for a shift toward plant-forward diets in the Philippines. Her first book creatively used the vegetables found in the traditional song Bahay Kubo. But rather than cooking traditional dishes, Juana came up with unusual dishes such as the Sitaw Seed Curry, which elevated the humble sitaw seed to new gastronomic heights, or the saluyot and cilantro-based Mouloukhieh, a Lebanse-inspired soup using one of the more radical veggies readily available locally.
Therein lies the core of her belief–that the Philippines is primed to take a plant-forward approach towards nutrition. “The enemy of the Filipino diet is processed food, not meat. The Philippines has many nutrient-dense vegetables,” says Juana. “All that’s left is to learn how to consume them. They are cheap and easily accessible.”
She takes this further with Juana’s Table, a book that dishes up more than just novel recipes. In this publication, Juana’s background as a Master of Global Food Security and Nutrition takes center stage. From page one, she starts dropping knowledge bombs that touch upon many topics, such as the history of vegetables in the country–did you know that what we consider native vegetables today weren’t actually historically native crops?
Perhaps the most important part of Juana’s Table is her breakdown of the different edible parts of vegetables and their nutritional content. “From root to shoot,” her book proudly states in the first section (which covers chilis, sweet potatoes, and squash), and she does not disappoint.
Maxicare is proud to have been part of Juana’s culinary journey towards plant-forward nutrition, and the feeling is mutual. “Maxicare was the first big company to support me in this advocacy. Through them, I have reached so many people I could not have otherwise reached,” she said when asked about her partnership with the HMO.
“Maxicare is ahead of its time in advocating a plant-forward diet to people,” she added. “I met Maxicare in 2018, even before “plant-based” became a buzzword [and] I feel we have made an impact in this area and continue to do so as the thought leaders in plant-based nutrition and planetary health.”
Congratulations again to Juana! Your Maxicare family is mighty proud of you!
The Gourmand Awards is a yearly event held by Gourmand International that has been recognizing the best of the world’s cookbooks and wine books for 29 years. You may find out more about the awards and its parent company here.
Want to learn more about food nutrition and how you can become healthier? Click here to find out how you can live your best life.
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