For Pacman,
malunggay loads him with the needed vitamins and minerals and
amino acids needed for his bouts. According to Dr. Lydia M. Marero of
the Food and Nutrition Research Institute, malunggay is rich in
vitamins A and B, and minerals such as calcium and iron. It is
likewise an excellent source of protein but contains very low fat and
carbohydrates ideal for those who want to have a slimmer figure. The
leaves are a good source of the sulfur-containing amino acids
methionine and cystine, often the natural minerals we humans lack.
Often regarded as a
miracle veggie, one hundred grams or 1 cup of cooked malunggay
leaves contain 3.1 g. protein, 0.6 g. fiber, 96 mg calcium, 29 mg
phosphorus, 1.7 mg iron, 2,820 mg ß-carotene, 0.07 mg thiamin, 0.14 mg
riboflavin, 1.1 mg niacin, and 53 mg ascorbic acid or vitamin C. The
antioxidant activity of malunggay is about 71%, with µ-tocopherol
(vitamin E) equivalent of 45.
While most companies
claim that tuna, oatmeal or even coffee contain high antioxidants
great to make those pesky wrinkles off your face to make you look
younger than your age, somebody has yet to popularize research
findings that malunggay is a very potent source of
antioxidants. Due to its high content of vitamins A, C, and E, which
are very potent antioxidants, malunggay is a very good quencher
of unstable free radicals that can react with and damage molecules
that cause aging.
While the world is now
going back to the roots, so to speak, in promoting herbal medicines as
cure for most of the world’s deadliest diseases, there is still much
information campaign needed to disseminate the medicinal benefits one
can derive from malunggay.
According to Dr.
Marero, these awesome greens contain the phytochemical niaziminin,
which is found to have molecular components that can prevent the
development of cancer cells and correlated with inhibitory ability
against super-oxide generation. The first naturally-occuring
thiocarbamates, novel hypotensive agents niazinin A, niazinin B,
niazimicin and niaziminin A and B were isolated from malunggay.
They also prevent the onset of various chronic diseases like
arthritis, and heart and kidney diseases.
If you do not like the
idea of regularly eating this green leafy veggie on a daily basis, try
other alternatives. Have you heard of malunggay polvoron or
malunggay cookies? They are these delectable goodness loaded with
the abovementioned vitamins and minerals.
Here in Tacloban City
, the Order of St. Benedictine sisters, particularly those from
MAKAPAWA or Programa han Katilingban para han Maupay nga Panlawas,
produces these malunggay cookies, as well as other goodies like
squash cookies, or guava, squash and carrot polvoron.
Made from flour,
baking powder, eggs, and malunggay, these cookies are useful in
tricking especially younger children to eat their vegetables. They
could have them as baons to school as healthful substitutes to
junk foods. Even adults would love these cookies, too. They taste good
and you’ll love them even more because you know you’re taking in a lot
of goodness into your system. They are perfect partners of your
favorite drink during snack time; they are also perfect as desserts.
According to Sr. Edith
Eslopor, directress of MAKAPAWA, their cookies are seven times richer
in vitamin C than oranges, four times richer in vitamin A than
carrots, three times richer in iron than spinach, and contain nearly
as much protein as eggs. Whatever will beat that?
MAKAPAWA have been
producing these goodies for many years now. You can order them and
they’ll deliver it to you fresh from the oven. What’s even better is
that you also support other community-based health programs of the
organization with every cookie you order because the proceeds of your
purchase go to their services like trainings for community health
workers, herbal medicine processing, and under fives clinic, among
others.
So, do you want to try
a malunggay cookie? Who knows you’ll be like Pacman someday.
See also:
The lowly
Malunggay takes center stage
