Healthy Options
We rarely find anything fit for human consumption in grocery stores anymore, but it doesn't mean that we have stopped looking. We usually buy our edible anythings at our nearest local wet and dry market that offer fresh meat, poultry, seafood and produce if you're really early. Imagine Mr. D's surprise and my glee when he found Spanish Sardines in oil and not in chemically laden cans, but in jars instead! It was too good to be true! He actually found 2 brands that are both tasty but not loaded with preservatives and artificial flavors unlike most of what's available in the supermarkets today. There's Doña Elena and Young Town's Spanish Sardines, which I highly recommend that you try.
We usually cook and eat fresh Tawilis, Dulong or whatever's fresh in the market, but only on the weekends when we have time to clean, gut and cook our fishy friends. Now we can enjoy them even on the weekdays with these new discoveries. Surf and turf meals on a Wednesday is not out of reach anymore haha.
Doña Elena's Spanish Sardines in Corn Oil contains only Sardines, Corn Oil, Fresh Carrots, Cucumber Pickles, Black Pepper Corns and Iodized Salt. (Note: Would be better if they used rock/sea salt instead of iodized and vegetable oil instead of corn oil. But other than those, all is good.)
While Young Town's Spanish Style Sardines in Corn Oil (forgive the blurry photo, I was in a hurry, I heard the baby rousing from her nap) has Sardines, Corn Oil, Carrots, Iodized Salt, Pickled Cucumber, Hot Pepper, Peppercorn and Chili for ingredients. Now compare that to the ingredients in canned goods and other bottled food like products, it might just surprise you. A very important health tip that we advocate time and time again is to read labels, in this case the food labels. Check the ingredients and know what you're eating. Don't just count the calories, count the chemicals (which are linked to diseases) too. It'll bring you closer to a healthier you. Remember, prevention is better than cure. By the way, both bottled sardines are cleaned properly from what we've seen and consumed so far, no heads attached, delicious and are so soft that you can eat them whole. As Miss Artsy said the other day "It's so soft Mommy, parang walang tinik." hehe.
Thanks to a friend who's been curious about our healthy food choices for a long time who suggested that I should make a list of food items and ingredients in the grocery (although limited) that we go for, use and our reason behind. So I took her sound advice and a healthy grocery pick article posted on the blog from time to time for individual food products like this one is what I came up with. Stay tuned for more of our healthy picks!
