I live in what is known as the Sugar Bowl of the Philippines – the province of Negros Occidental. I grew up in such a way that the sugar mill was my playground. I breathed the whiff of caramelized sugar during milling season. I was attuned to the noise the heavy types of machinery make. The long sticks that produce sweet nectar and the heavy trucks and iron trains carrying them were all too familiar sights to me. So whenever I touch down at the Bacolod-Silay airport and find myself trailing behind a slow-moving truck loaded with sugarcane chunking its way to a sugar factory, I know I’m home.
My parents worked in sugar milling companies and my father taught me how to extract sugarcane juice manually. We have lived in the housing facilities inside the sugar mill compound that were provided by those companies. Sugar is very much part of my life and when I thought I’ve known it better than many of my counterparts who grew up in the capital, something new and incredible was revealed to me.
There I was gorging the delectable food offerings of Delicioso as I was enjoying a sumptuous lunch together with other bloggers and the team from Forever Nutriliving Corporation (FNC). As I was finishing the last of my food, their consultant, Mr Teddie Rivera, started sharing with us about FNC and its breakthrough product, Meganox.
Though I was already full, what I was hearing was pleasing to my ears and my mind was just as willing to digest the information given to us. Through an extraction process that has been patented by Dr Chou Technologies, Inc. of New York, USA (eSugarTech), it has been found that sugarcane extract has superior antioxidant properties.
Meganox is extracted and produced from fresh, all-natural sugarcane plants that are grown in sun-drenched plantations in Negros Island, Philippines. The extraction is done at a multi-million processing plant, the first and the only one in the world, at Sagay Sugar Central, Inc.
Laboratory tests have supported a breakthrough discovery that sugarcane extract yielded the highest ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) level compared to other popular food supplements such as acai berry, moringa (malunggay), and mangosteen. The benefit of this product is that it counters damaging effects of free radicals, improves digestion and prevents constipation, lowers bad cholesterol and prevents cardiovascular diseases, promotes resistance against infections, and improves skin and slows down aging.
Mr Rivera went on and on citing the good qualities of Meganox and sugarcane extracts, which you can also access at www.meganoxantioxidant.com. He also showed us photos of the patented manufacturing process in Sagay. I would very much like to visit the plant although outsiders are quite prohibited in the facilities nowadays. Funny thing was that when I shared all these information to my mother, the Resident Manager of the Sagay Central, Inc., Mr Primitivo “Tibong” Rivera, Jr. turned out to be her college classmate. I half expected she would know the person since she came from the sugar milling industry, but never have I thought that they are good friends.
Now, apart from Meganox, FNC and Sagay Central, Inc. have also started producing healthy sugars, such as the Low Glycemic Index Sugar – sugar for diabetics, which is not aspartame or other sweetener, but from sugarcane itself. It is the first ever locally manufactured sugar with a naturally low glycemic index. This all natural and naturally vegan Nutri Brown Sugar prevents the steep rise or spiking in blood sugar levels which is helpful for diabetics. They also have premium natural muscovado sugar, which is coarse grained sugar with high molasses content that made the product darker, healthier, strongly flavored and aromatic.
So, let me back track a bit. Sugarcane, which is known to produce that sweet ingredient that almost everyone is trying to avoid, actually produces antioxidants and healthy products. Now, the notion that many people from Negros are diabetic, although it may come as a joke, can be eliminated. With Meganox, along with the local government’s determination to make Negros Occidental a wellness and organic province, one can imagine that people from my island live healthily.
As I drive past sugarcane plantations on my way home, I can look at the scenery in a different way. I smile as I ponder on the paradox of the sugarcane.
Ooh, so this is where our sugar actually originates from. Haven’t been to Negros Occidental but I hope to visit the place someday. I heard you have amazing beaches ^^
The beaches are beautiful down south. You should visit our provinces. 🙂
We’ve sworn off refined white sugar for almost a decade now, only Muscovado for my family. Will look into Meganox more. Thanks for the heads up!
Many have shifted to Muscovado. It’s better than refined white sugar. I was surprised that there’s a low GI brown sugar as well.
Sugarcane is good, but not processed sugar cane sugar… It’s the processing that made the food unhealthy… I often thought about such stuff too so it’s pretty common!
Yes, the processing, wherein other chemicals are incorporated to the raw product, is what makes sugarcane unhealthy in the end.
I haven’t been to Negros yet but I’ve heard a lot of really nice stories about this place. I will sure be here someday and maybe try these food stuffs from sugarcane.
Let me know when you’re in town! You can definitely enjoy a food trip here, as well as heritage tours. 🙂
I have not tried any sugarcane product, but this sounds promising. What makes me interested in it is that it’s a local product. It comes as great news to me whenever I learn of these kinds of innovations being done here in our country.
I was also happy hearing the news that the product is developed here in our province. 🙂
Muscovado sugar is not just healthy, it’s really good to use for cooking and baking. We’ve been using it for years now.
Yes!!! I love having muscovado sugar in some of my food.
didn’t know they made a dietary supplment out of sugarcane! havent seen that in my country thought. and i love freshly squeezed sugarcane juice!
The supplement is very new and is developed here in our province. The technology though has been in use internationally.
I will definitely have to look a little closer at Meganox. Sounds like it will be a good option for my family.
I am also trying the product to see its positive effects on my health. 🙂
Interesting article about sugar cane and sugar industry and products. I miss gnawing on sugar cane when I was young. The sugar cane juice in the malls are too sweet for me already.
I remember my childhood wherein we gnaw on those sticks! It was fun and enjoyable.
id been in this part of Negros and I was devastated to see that the forested mountainous part was no longer there and were all converted to sugarcane plantation. sad. I just hope that the plantation was kept in balance now compromising the beauty of the place. As for the type of sugar, i always go for the muscovados.. i don’t like the refined one.
The sugarcane plantations should have been left in the plains and the forest should have been preserved. In my previous article, I wrote about our tree planting activity. Sadly, most of the mountainous areas have been devastated due to illegal logging, kaingin, and the sprouting of commercial establishments.
I love sugarcane. I would love to visit this place. This isn’t my first time hearing about it. My father has been there when he was traveling because of the military.
That sounds interesting about your father having a connection to our place. 🙂
wow low gi brown sugar! I have cut down sugar use at home drastically but still, we love our desserts. What exactly is the benefit of meganox?
According to their consultant, Meganox improves digestion, lowers bad cholesterol in the body, prevents cardiovascular diseases, counters the bad effects of free radicals, promotes resistance against infections, improves skin, and slows down aging.
Muscovado sugar is a lot healthier. This is safer sweet for your system.
Your post reminded me of sugarcane juice that I used to drink in my childhood. It is very famous here in Pakistan, especially in the summer season.
muscovado sugar, can you recommend it to diabetic people like me?
The low GI sugar (Nutri brown sugar) would be better than muscovado although muscovado is a better alternative than refined white sugar.
I did not know that sugarcane produces antioxidants and healthy products because I try to avoid them till now I know its goodness.
wow what a wonderful place, there is so much of the world I don’t even know about.
And about the sugars, it is great that they can offer options that our better for us. This is a brand I haven’t heard of hear in the UK>
So interesting! It’s been a long time since I had sugarcane.