Changing lifestyles

By ROWENA BAUTISTA-ALCARAZ

Sheila Valderrama-Martinez (Photo by NOEL PABALATE)

MANILA, Philippines -- When you’re an 11-year-old and you’re told by your parents not to eat meat after your grandfather died of a heart attack at a young age, it’s understandable.  Being the responsible parents that they are, they’re just looking out for you and your health.  It’s a good start as well; a habit you’ll carry for the rest of your life.  Now, imagine what would happen if all of a sudden you attempt to “stray away” from it and start eating that  which is “forbidden”.

“I got really dizzy after tasting my  first steak,” recalls theater actress Sheila Valderrama-Martinez who is currently playing the role of Nickie in the ongoing musicale “Sweet Charity”.  She was already in college when it happened.

“For nine years I was used to eating only fish and vegetables.  Of course, in high school I would eat at home so it’s controlled.  But when I went to college syempre they can’t control na what we’re eating.  And when I started eating steak, I got dizzy right away kasi nga my body wasn’t used to it.”

Sheila immediately learned her lesson after that incident and now looks for other options, preferably fish, when going to a steak house.  She can eat meat; in fact, she reveals that she loves sinigang and would cook it herself from time to time but she uses the rib part and not the fatty one.

Even when Sheila started working abroad, she would look for healthier alternatives.  Only this time was different because she was surrounded by colleagues who are also into the same thing she is - organic food, that is.

Healthy change

“Everyone in our circle is a major health buff, even my husband was into it.  It became more of like a change of lifestyle,” says Sheila who lived in Hong Kong for over three years while working in Disney.  On her fourth year, she was on tour for “Cinderella” which starred none other than Lea Salonga.  She is married to Lorenz Martinez who is also the assistant director of her current show.  They have a one-year-old daughter named Simone.

“While in Hong Kong I was surrounded by a lot of performers who were health conscious and health buffs. We have so many Tarzans with six packs and everything.  Talagang that’s what they do, they work out.  And everyone else is eating healthily.  Ako naman, I got used to eating cereals, whole wheat; it became a habit.”

However, when her family decided to move back to the Philippines, the lifestyle became a bit difficult to maintain.  “When we shifted to organic stuff, and low fat, and non-fructose, it was a lot easier when we lived in Hong Kong.  It’s readily available and it tasted good. But here, it’s actually hard; everything is expensive and the selections aren’t that much,” she tells.

Despite the difficulty, Sheila, along with her husband who is the “official cook” of the family, continued with the lifestyle by scouting places for healthier finds.  “I started eating brown rice when were in Hong Kong and then when we went to the States we discovered Quinoa.  It’s a rice substitute.  It’s also a grain but it’s more of protein than carb.  We have it here.  It’s more expensive but that’s our rice.  We don’t eat anything white.  Everything brown.  We also shifted from dairy to fresh milk then to low fat then to soy milk,” she relates.

It helped that Sheila didn’t go strictly organic.  “But if we can find items that are organic we’ll get it.  Like sa mga supermarkets, they have organic ketchup.  I also found organic chocolates here.  This one is not organic but in the market, there are eggs that are selenium-enhanced or omega 3-enhanced.  May mga substitutes din like turkey bacon instead of the real bacon fat.  I’m glad that we can find that here.”

As a mother, Sheila is also slowly introducing to her daughter their healthy choice lifestyle.  “But we don’t want to introduce her to eating meat until she’s about three.  Not red meat, chicken pwede.”

Staying fit

Complementing Sheila’s healthy stance at life, she goes to the gym regularly, a habit she picked up while she was out of the country initially to while her time away.  “Kasi nga there was nothing else to do in between shows.  But it was only really after I gave birth that I was more into it.  I got really regular and everything because I need it.”

Back in high school, Sheila was never into sports.  She was a cheerleader though, since fifth grade all the way to college.  “I was active that way.  Which actually now I think  they consider that as a sport.  But back then it wasn’t really a sport, it was a dance.  My only sport then was target shooting which I did for nine years.”

Sheila’s father used to be a manufacturer of air guns, apart from owning a bread business that carries the “Marby” brand.  “I remember nakapatong pa yung rifle sa lamesa kasi mabigat di pa namin kaya buhatin.  We had a target range in our house and it became a mandatory thing as in every after school we would have an hour of target shooting class all for self defense daw.”

Sticking with what she loves

These days, Sheila’s life, apart from staying healthy and fit, is all about theater and singing.  She is soon to launch her first mainstream album with details yet to be revealed.  “I’ve always loved to sing.  It’s what I’ve always dreamed of.  It’s very fulfilling for me.  I guess if you’re passionate about something and you get to do it, it’s very very fulfilling.  I just love it so much.  It’s my life, the air I breathe.  I’m just lucky that I get to do what I love to do and make it my work.” she ends
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