Johnny Manahan's daughter Juana advocates healthy eating in new cook book

MANILA, Philippines — Mesa Ni Misis non-government organization founder Juana Manahan Yupangco, daughter of director and former Star Magic head Johnny "Mr. M" Manahan, continues to promote the health benefits of locally produced vegetables in ABS-CBN Books’ latest offering “Mesa Ni Misis: A Guide to Cooking and Enjoying Native Filipino Vegetables.”

“This cookbook is the next step, as a tool to reach even more people and as a way to keep the recipes handy,” said Juana who disclosed her creative vegetable dishes in the project to get more Filipinos excited about local produce.  

The author started becoming fascinated with the benefits of local vegetables a decade ago when she became a parent. She said, “Nothing motivates a mother more than making healthy choices, especially putting her family’s health first.”

This fascination led her to experiment and discover cooking techniques while finding healthful substitutes for meats.

“I wanted to use local vegetables to create international dishes; this way, eating vegetables could still be exciting. Filipino food is not big on vegetables, and when we do have it, it’s topped with pork,” she explained.  

Now, Juana is finally able to share her discoveries in “Mesa Ni Misis” cookbook, which contains 40 recipes for making soups and appetizers, entrees, rice, noodles, and even desserts and drinks.

“In my recipes, I try to make cooking as easy and convenient and affordable as possible, so that eating healthy does not have to be hard. Most of the recipes are hearty meals meant to feed up to four people, with lots to go around,” she said.

Juana’s organization, Mesa Ni Misis, partners with various schools and institutions to spread the word that eating healthy is affordable, nutritious, and delicious, and the newly published cookbook complements this mission.

“My hope is that by eating more vegetables, we will be able to help our local vegetable farmers, and in the long run, enjoy better health for ourselves and our families,” she added.

Prepare more healthy meals for the family with the help of “Mesa Ni Misis: A Guide to Cooking and Enjoying Native Filipino Vegetables,” available now on ABS-CBN Books’ Lazada and Shopee stores and in leading bookstores nationwide for only P250.