Stepping Up My Food Trip with Listerine

So many good food yet so little time! My recent trips to Kapitolyo, Maginhawa, and even down south at Paranaque made me realize that there are a lot of new restaurants right now with interesting dishes and creative concepts, that I’m no longer sure where to start. I’ve been resto-hopping the past days and by the looks of my bulging tummy, it would seem I would need to catch up with working-out! Either that or I start eating healthier really soon.

I used to have a dilemma with wanting to eat healthy food and giving in to my sudden cravings (especially with sugar). I’m not a very huge fan of veggies, and c’mon how would you say no to a huge slab of juicy steak, right?  Good thing that there are now a lot of food establishments offering healthy but tasty specialty dishes to help yuppies like me keep both their waistlines and taste buds happy. If you like good food, why not #StepItUp and make it healthy as well?

#StepUpYourFoodTrip

My recent food trips have been more about indulging and binge-eating on great grub offered by restaurants in popular foodie havens in the Metro. However, a few weeks ago I went on a food crawl that’s not like the others I’ve done before – all the specialties we’re gonna have a bite on that day will be healthy food! 

The food trip that I went to was an effort of Listerine to demonstrate how a simple twist in your diet or way of cooking can actually transform what’s already tasty into something that’s both delicious and healthy! Let us go through what we had that day, shall we?

Vegan Cheese Sticks by V Kitchen

Now this is something my strict vegan friends will enjoy. Their offerings contain no meat at all or even any animal by-product like dairy, cheese, eggs, and honey. It’s amazing how cheese sticks can taste good without having actual cheese (or coming in the shape of sticks for that matter).

Now why would I miss the immunity-boosting, body-cleansing, and deliciously refreshing offers of Jamba Juice?

Wrap Battle

I enjoyed this one not just because of their witty title, but also because of their chicken pesto wrap! I would have loved to put on more sauce on it, but that wouldn’t be too healthy anymore would it?

Fitness Gourmet PH

Sushi and Salad in one? Why not? And oh I also gobbled up a couple of those Chicken Panizza rolls.

Dr. Tams

Their name may look like they’re gonna offer you tablets for tummy ache, but what they have is actually better – siopao! From the outside it may look like the usual siopao we know, but you’ll be in for a veggie surprise with your first bite.

There were a lot of other healthy offerings that day but I got lost in grabbing every sample that I could get my hands on that I wasn’t able to track all of them. What’s good about Listerine’s food trip though is that I not only got to know the healthy meals that I can buy – I also learned a few tricks from Chef Carlo Miguel on how to re-imagine and step-up the dishes we prepare at home to make them not only tastier, but healthier too! 

Check out the dishes he prepared for us that day:

Fish and Chips

This wasn’t how I imagined fish and chips to look like but I’m not complaining because it’s one of the best I’ve tried! The fish fillet sitting on top of the potatoes were flavored with pesto (if I’m not mistaken), and the “chips” were actually wedges of sweet potato. 

Salad

The salad was a colorful mix of veggies, spices, and chicken, tickling your taste buds with hints spicy and zesty. I enjoyed munching even the onions…and I didn’t have to worry about the smell because I know I’ve got Listerine handy on the venue.

I also brought home a bottle of Listerine with me because it would seem that I may be using it more often! I recently learned that although I have a good habit of cleaning my teeth, #BrushingIsNotEnough to clean 100% of your mouth. Dirt may be dislodged by brushing and flossing, but what’s left is the #biofilm - a sticky layer of bacteria that clings to the teeth and causes plaque, gum problems and yes, bad breath. It is also the slimy layer that you can feel when you roll your tongue over your teeth (bet you just did that..lol). One of the most effective removers of biofilm is Listerine’s unique formula – letting you virtually clean 100% of your mouth. 

I say 100%  because mouthwash is not just for fresh breath. The Total Care variant of Listerine is a sure fire way to step up your overall oral hygiene by having the following benefits:

1.Reduces plaque

2. Protects healthy gums

3. Strengthens teeth against cavities

4. Prevent tartar to keep teeth naturally white

5. Kills germs, and; 

6. Provides up to 24 hours fresh breath

With all these benefits I can let go in gobbling up all the food that I want! Oh, and more on the healthy ones, of course. I have come to realize that eating great-tasing food is okay, but stepping it up a little bit and eating more of the healthy grub is even better.  Or if I really can’t help it and I end up giving in to the calls of that oh so crispy bacon (you can’t blame me, right?) at least I should give my 100% in working out. Just like how Listerine steps up your oral habits and cleans 100% of your mouth.

To more food and a healthier mouth!