Cebu City – To the rest of the world it’s called Philippine lime, to the entire Philippines it’s simply called kalamansi, but to us Cebuanos we call it “lemonsito”. Nevertheless, no matter how we call it, we cannot deny it’s popularity among Filipinos of its use, and the underappreciation of the health benefits it brings.

Kalamansi has a unique taste, has high levels of citric acid, and rich in Vitamin C. And what I would like to highlight with this very common ingredient is its role in boosting immunity. Kalamansi is very rich in Vitamin C, and we all know that it helps with enhancing our immunity, aiding the production of white blood cells, and eliminating the negative effects of free radicals. The versatility of this fruit is that it can be added or even be complimented with almost all flavors especially with umami, and that is already an opportunity itself to add more vitamins and minerals to meals. Any opportunity we can get to add more nutrients will always be a win for our health.

The beauty of this versatile ingredient is that it can be sourced from your own backyard or be sourced locally and cheaply, so availability is never a problem. From what’s happening nowadays, several people have been experiencing flu-like symptoms, and what better way to boost our immunity through this ingredient. Literally a cheap alternative to what medication can’t do, through helping our own body’s defense system naturally.

The common way to utilize “lemonsito” is by making a drink. I had the opportunity & experience of making this recently with a recipe that I came up with my own and provided it to my own family members who were experiencing flu-like symptoms, it wasn’t an instant cure, but I was confident it helped enough to make them feel better now. Natural fresh ingredients full of nutrients are all around us, kalamansi is just one of them. Who should stop you from taking advantage of them? // NO I Gab Flores, RND