LOOK: Ajinomoto’s latest web series “Cooked with Love” brings viewers on a food nostalgia

Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation (APC)’s latest web series entitled “Cooked with Love,” reveals a heartwarming take on cooking as a shared love language among Filipino families.

Cooked with Love features interwoven stories of three generations of women who show their love for each other through sharing recipes and dining together.  Showcasing heart-warming stories of relationships and how cooking with love was made more memorable with AJI-NO-MOTO® Umami Seasoning. The series feature Tessie, the grandmother; Jenny, the mother; and Therese, the daughter. Viewers can watch the first episode, “Slurp,” and the second episode, “Squeeze,” on Ajinomoto’s Cookmunity®' Facebook page and Youtube channel. Meanwhile, the last episode, “Sniff,” will premiere this Saturday, July 10.

“Cooking food and sharing mealtimes are powerful in shaping wonderful memories with our loved ones. With Ajinomoto being a part of the Filipino cooking and dining experiences for more than six decades now, we want to help them relive and celebrate those feel-good moments through Cooked With Love,” says Roann Co, APC General Manager of Marketing and Public Relations.

Passing it on

“Slurp” tells the story of Mommy Jenny who shares their Nilagang Baka family recipe with her teenage daughter, Therese. The parallel scenes of two mother-daughter generations making the family recipe tie the episode together well. The cute and kilig first installment captures how love can be passed down from one generation to the next.

Paying it forward

“Squeeze” features the relationship between Therese and her grandmother Tessie. Viewers will see how cooking Arroz Caldo becomes Lola Tessie’s way of saying “I love you, apo.” It shows that cooking traditions persist because of people who care for and love their families.

Putting the pieces together

The concluding episode “Sniff” showcases food as a source of comfort in tough times and more importantly, in dealing with the constant changes life has to bring. It recalls how Tessie comforts her daughter Jenny since she was a child until now that she's a mother who is about to face a life-changing situation. Through it all, the women share their love while cooking and eating their classic Adobo recipe.

With community quarantine protocols urging Filipinos to remain at home, stories of familial love are sure to encourage Filipinos to express their feelings through food.  Cooked With Love lives up to APC’s Eat Well, Live Well promise in its pursuit to provide good food, better health, and wonderful dining memories to Filipino families with the help of umami, a nature-based ingredient that brings out the meaty, savory deliciousness, and deepens the flavor of food. For more information, visit www.ajinomoto.com.ph.

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The Ajinomoto Group is a global company with specialties in the business of food and amino acids, guided by our leading-edge bioscience and fine chemical technologies.

Based on the corporate message “Eat Well, Live Well.”, we have been scientifically pursuing the possibilities of amino acids in supporting the healthy lives of people all around the world. We aim for future growth and continuous contribution to greater wellness by creating value through sustainable and innovative solutions for communities and society.

The Ajinomoto Group has offices in 35 countries and regions and sells products in more than 130 countries and regions. In fiscal 2018, sales were 1.1274 trillion yen (10.1 billion U.S. dollars). To learn more, visit www.ajinomoto.com.

Stevia, a natural alternative for the rising number of diabetics in PH

 

Diabetes is noted as the 4th leading cause of death in the Philippines, with an annual increase of 7.8% among Filipinos based on the 2020 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority. 

If recent trends on diabetes continue, more and more Filipinos will be afflicted with Diabetes in the coming years. With a significant number of consumers now shifting to healthier alternatives to cut on sugar, sweeteners from the Stevia plant are becoming a popular sugar substitute in the market today.

Stevia has been touted as a safe and healthy natural alternative sweetener with proven health benefits including diabetes prevention, decreased calorie intake, lower blood sugar levels, among others. Stevia is a natural alternative that can significantly cut the sugar in one’s diet.

While it has zero calories, stevia is 200 times sweeter than refined sugar and does not affect blood sugar. It is a popular option for people looking to lose weight and who want to reduce their sugar intake. Stevia can be used as food enhancers to sweeten beverages, for baking, and cooking.

 

Stevia is an herb that has been grown in tropical climates for centuries. It is a natural sweetener taken from the leaves of a bushy shrub. Currently, it is produced by lots of countries, with China as the number one exporter. Today, stevia is grown and used as a food ingredient in many countries around the world. The Philippines is also catching up on the use of this natural sweetener in various food preparations.

In the Philippines, Sweet and Fit Stevia is the first stevia herbal dietary supplement produced in the country that was registered by the Food and Drug Administration.  Produced by Glorious Industrial and Development Corporation (GIDC), Sweet and Fit Stevia has no cholesterol, no calories, no carbohydrates, and zero glycemic indexes. Sweet and Fit Stevia is grown and harvested locally in the Philippines.

Stevia was originally utilized for its medicinal purposes such as a treatment for burns and stomach pains, among others. The stevia leaves were also chewed on as a sweet treat.

One of the most important characteristics of stevia is that it is not readily destroyed or deactivated by heat. This makes it suitable for cooking and a viable alternative to sugar in many applications. Stevia is the best organic-based, all-natural sweetener with properties that could be used to substitute sugar.

Sugar is used frequently in many of the foods we eat, but it has gotten a bad reputation because of its association with causing diseases such as obesity and diabetes. That is why sugar alternatives, both organic and artificial, have gained popularity with the public’s growing interest in health and fitness.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is recommended that sugar added to food and beverages should be limited to no more than 10% of the total calories. For the average adult, this is equivalent to around 200 calories or 12 teaspoons of table sugar.

However, the average daily consumption is around 42 teaspoons. For context, regular soft drinks contain approximately 6 to 8 teaspoons of sugar per glass. Once you get a refill, you are close to already consuming the recommended daily amount. Sweet and Fit Stevia has zero calories which means that it helps prevent weight gain.

For fitness buffs, Stevia has been used as a sugar substitute in workout drinks. In one of the many versatile applications of stevia, workout drinks help provide a boost of energy to increase athletic performance. Workout drinks also help increase endurance, letting your workout for longer. A healthy lifestyle consists of not just a balanced diet, but also regular exercise. Using stevia in workout drinks helps promote both.

What’s even better is that you can add Stevia to make healthy desserts that are diabetic and keto-friendly. This is great for people who have a sweet tooth but can’t indulge because of health restrictions.

For more information on Sweet and Fit Stevia and its health benefits visit, www.sweetandfitstevia.com.