Todoloja researches the topics of health and longevity in this part of the world (Loja Ecuador).
Good health starts with good nutrition.
SWEET POTATOES – DID YOU KNOW?
Sweet potatoes are native to Central and South America and are one of the oldest vegetables known to man. They have been consumed since prehistoric times as evidenced by sweet potato relics dating back 10,000 years that have been discovered in Peruvian caves.
Camote – sweet potato
Sweet potatoes belong to an entirely different food family than either yams or the common potato that is (unfortunately) such a large part of the common diet.
One difficulty in describing the health benefits of sweet potatoes is knowing where to begin. There are a surprising number of nutrient categories responsible for the health benefits of this underappreciated tuber. Among these categories are antioxidants, anti-inflammatory nutrients, and blood sugar-regulating nutrients. Each category brings with it valuable health benefits.
Here in Vilcabamba they grow like weed. On our land, we don’t pay too much attention to them and let them go wild and out of control most of the time but we should give them more care. They deserve it. Despite of that, today we extracted this monster from our ground in Sacapo, San Pedro de Vilcabamba.
I want to add that there is nothing healthier and more fun apparently for a young child than spending time outside in the “huerto”. This is one of the things that people living in cities have lost. The children are weaker and get sick more often.
One of the factors of longevity is certainly :
More time outside and better food.
Sweet Potato – Living Healthy in Vilcabamba and Loja
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With our sympathy and our love to our neighbor, Balbina Camacho, who died the 18th of July 2016.
“You are not wealthy until you have something that money can’t buy” .
Garth Brooks
If there is something that I have learned living in Vilcabamba since 2008 it is that health is not something that money usually buys.
This statement requires a little bit of clarification.
What is the secret of health?
Sure money can buy better medical care. With money, one can go to a private clinic like San Agustin in Loja instead of relying on the free public system (and get his prostate taken out to treat kidney stones as happened to an Ecuadorian friend of mine).
Money can also buy expensive supplements available from the Juice Factory in Vilcabamba or on line or get a full set of essential oils. Money can buy everything organic, usually at double or triple the price of the non organic equivalent.
But does health really depend on good private healthcare and on supplements ?
I live in a small village a few kilometers from the “buzzing metropolis of Vilcabamba” (:-)) and there one can still witness some people, not so many unfortunately, living the old way, wandering around on their donkeys, eating their traditional diet which they do not call “organic”, and certainly not “raw”, they don’t even know the word “organic” and have never heard of “raw diets”.
Living healthy in Vilcabamba and Loja Ecuador
These people look very healthy, they are skinny, they are fitter and stronger than 30 year younger typical westerners. Most are not rich and some are really poor.
These people represent what to me is the real “secret of longevity” that nobody will find in the Vilcabamba water or in the air or in the Iniger lab.
Old man in Vilcabamba – Every single day he goes really slow but still does his own shopping – Must be well over 90
The secret of longevity
The secret is a complex. multi-dimensional combination of factors involving lifestyle, diet, exercise, water, air, emotional state, stress, possibly genes and certainly others that I forget to mention or am unaware of.
What is certain is that money is not one of them.
Balbina harvesting yuca in Sacapo – San Pedro de VilcabambaChristmas Present
Balbina is well known in Sacapo. I never remember her age although I have asked her several times. Is it 95? or is it more? It does not really matter in the end. She is skinny, too skinny now because she is getting old and won’t probably last many more years. She was a midwife and a reputable one.
Balbina Camacho y Pierre VolterLily, Balbina Camacho y Martha Jaramillo
We asked her to be our midwife for our now 3 year old daughter but she declined saying that she could no longer handle it and no longer had the strength.
But ten years ago when she was “only 85”, she was very active, always out, walking along the river, always doing some physical work. She still managed to help my wife a lot during pregnancy, alleviating the back pain for example and putting the baby back in a good position with gentle movements and massages. She obviously knew what she was doing. She was very sweet and I will never forget her.
The point I am making is that her health, she does not owe it to money but rather to her lifestyle.
Balbina harvesting yuca
When foreigners come to settle here, my very first piece of advice is for them to keep a low profile, watch and learn and not come here to teach the people of Ecuador about their own beliefs. Everything is relative. I am sure that there is value in raw food diets and in gluten free diets and in vegetarian or vegan diets. However let’s not forget that we are here in the “Valley of Longevity” and that our hosts were here well before we had even heard about the place.
“We are blessed by the food gods … The whole world is waking up to the infinite possibilities that are inhered in the cuisine of Mexico” Greg.
Mexican food touches all your senses and it certainly touched all of mine when I was given the opportunity to sample a selection of some of AgaveBlu best dishes. The presentation was impeccable, it was as much something that I wanted to look at as something that I wanted to taste and eat.
We set the table for 3 and I sat there alone for a short while, a bit overwhelmed I must admit looking at all that colorful food in front of me while waiting for Isamar and Greg, the AgaveBlu owners to join me.
I noticed that it took them virtually no time to prepare the meals. This is great. Less time waiting is more time enjoying the food.
An efficient well run kitchen is part of what makes a good restaurant. Margarita is the person in charge, she is fast, loves what she does and does it with a smile.
Margarita preparing the chicken
Mexican cuisine goes way beyond nachos, tortillas, tacos and burritos. Actually there is no such thing really as “Mexican food” explained Isamar Velez, the Mexican owner who has lived in Vilcabamba for 8 years. Mexico is a big place and each region has its own traditions and uses different ingredients.
“Mole” for example (pronounce “moley”) is the Mexican curry, a paste made out of as many as 10 different varieties of chiles (chili peppers). There is green mole, yellow mole, red mole and depending on what grows in a particular region, the mole will be different. AgaveBlu serves the “dark mole” also called “chocolate mole” because it also contains a small quantity of dark chocolate.
A passion for food
Isamar Velez Garcia is passionate for food, loves cooking and has brought to our small Ecuadorian village the knowledge that she inherited from her parents and grand parents in Mexico city where she used to live. I listen to her with pleasure and attention…
Isamar Velez – Agaveblu Vilcabamba
“We are all foodies in the family. I started cooking when I was 6 years old. I was in the kitchen with my mum, I was in the kitchen with my grandmother. On Sundays we had a day with just one meal that started in the morning and lasted the whole day. I do recall the smell of olive oil and garlic that brings me back to my grandmother all the time“.
“We take the quality of our ingredients most seriously. We have clients who are allergic to certain things. We use olive oil and real farm butter to cook. I also prepare raw food for people who are raw foodists but only on order because it takes more time to prepare and just the Mexican cooking fills my day”.
Many ingredients she explained cannot be found here in Ecuador. Most of the chiles are sourced in their dry form from Mexico (chile ancho, chile guajillo…). Some she grows in her own veggie garden in Vilcabamba (chile serrano, chile jalapeño).
And that brings us to an essential aspect of the AgaveBlu cuisine: it is almost all organic and almost exclusively locally grown, much of it by the owners themselves.
Agaveblu – From the garden to your plateAgaveBlu – Locally grown and organic
It does not get fresher than that. I asked to take a look at the garden and we went for a 5 minute drive in a taxi up the hills to Mollepamba.
The garden
Despite being so close to the center of the village, it feels like being miles away. This is still largely undeveloped rural land and that is where AgaveBlu grows its vegetables. They started the garden 8 years ago, it has been a lot of work, Isamar says, and has required a lot of compost. The compost is partly made from what is recycled from the restaurant. We recycle everything.
I noticed a lot of this hardy cabbage variety called “Kale”, a miraculous green that has so many health benefits, still poorly known in this part of the world.
Kale – Col rizada
Isamar showed me the 3 varieties of chiles that she grows there, then the parsley and cilantro which are important ingredients of Mexican cuisine, then the herb garden with oregano, rosemary and others, and much much more. Her garden is well developed.
One species that she brought from Mexico and has successfully adapted here is the green tomatillo which is used to make green sauce (salsa verde) that is served with enchiladas and eggs.
“Tart and very savory, but you have to try it for yourself…”
Here they are, Isamar and Greg, with Jorge, their friendly Ecuadorian gardener, showing me what a tomatillo looks like.
Jorge told me that he likes his job very much there and has become a big fan of organic gardening.
If you like fish, you won’t be disappointed either.
All seafood is wild caught and comes from a fisherman in Puerto Bolivar (port of Machala). They strive to offer a variety of fresh fish depending on the season.
Meet and chicken are also organic.
AgaveBlu Tilapia/Trucha al Mojo
“Apart from the hot peppers and some items that can only be sourced from Mexico, all our ingredients are sourced locally from Vilcabamba or Loja or grown by ourselves.”
“Full belly, happy heart“
“Pansa llena, corazón contento“
The menu
AgaveBlu has an extensive “a la carte” menu with everything one expects from a Mexican restaurants and more. For example they have a large selection of Italian style crispy thin based pizzas.
The 4 dishes that we tried were among the most popular ones:
Nachos (usually served as entree)
Medallon de pollo con mole – chicken medallions in mole sauce – that is the sauce with 10 chiles and chocolate
Tacos de cochinita – a specialty of the house – tortillas filled with pork – served with guacamole
Pizza Sambuca
Pizza SambucaTacos de CochinitaEnjoying the tacos de conchinita
I really enjoyed everything but I must say that the tacos were my favorites as well as the chicken with the mole sauce.
Drinks
In addition to the usual Ecuadorian brands, AgaveBlu serves the Zarza craft beer from Loja which they have on tap.
They have a good selection of juices, tropical and green. Their coffee is grown and toasted by a local Vilcabamba family. They serve filter coffee, espressos and cappuccinos.
The deserts
After all this savory bonanza, nothing better than a perfect desert. Many restaurants let you down in the desert department. Not so at AgaveBlu. In no less than a few minutes the table was full again, this time with an assortment of 3 different deserts, cappuccinos and a black espresso for me.
While enjoying the deserts which were all three absolutely delicious, we conversed a little more about life in Mexico, life in general and what it meant to them to run this restaurant.
I wish to leave the last word to Greg who summed it all this way:
“We have been blessed by the food gods and we are very proud to be able to bring Mexican food, the patrimony of Mexico, to this part of the world. Because the food is delicious, and it’s fresh, and it’s healthy, and it’s colorful and tasty. The whole world is waking up to the infinite possibilities that are inhered in the cuisine of Mexico. I am just really fortunate to be part of this presentation.”
Customer Feedback
Alan Kales has been in Vilcabamba for nine months. He is an AgaveBlu regular.
“The food here is always superb. I have never had a bad meal.”
Alan Kales “The food is always superb”
Another one of their regulars, Joseph Connelly, aka “Joe”, from New Zealand and long time resident of Vilcabamba, walks by. He says to me that he comes at least 3 times a week to the restaurant, not necessarily to eat but sometimes just to have a drink, chat with people, watch life goes by. I ask him his opinion about the place.
“The food is supremely excellent… It has taste, texture and flavor and the service is excellent”.
Joe – the food is supremely excellent
A special thanks for Greg’s wonderful sense of humor who we see on the photo above handing a $5 dollar note to Joe for his good comments.
“This will cost you much more than that !” says Joe.
That’s the spirit 🙂
Conclusion
If you like tasty, healthy, organic food, if you like it a little spicy, if you like Mexican food, if you like pizzas or if you want to just spend some time watching life goes by while sipping a good espresso coffee, a good craft beer, this place maybe exactly what you have been looking for.
I wish to thank Isamar and Greg for the wonderful time that we spent together. Not only was the food excellent but their personalities, their charisma and passion for what they do, made me and no doubt makes their customers feel great.
AGAVEBLU – Exquisite Organic Mexican Food in Vilcabamba
¿Ustedes están buscando un almuerzo sano delicioso y barato en Loja? Algo con ensaladas de variados colores, quizá algo de estilo buffet, una alimentación, con gran variedad de carnes y pescado, todo casero delicioso y fresco, en un lindo ambiente, a un precio súper accesible, en el centro de la ciudad de Loja?? ¿Suena imposible verdad?
En realidad encontramos este lugar totalmente por casualidad. Y ahora es posible que a ustedes también les parezca fantástica la idea de un almuerzo buffet. En la avenida principal (avenida Universitaria, junto al río), Hotel Saraguros, entre José Antonio Eguiguren y 10 de Agosto.
No se ustedes pero a mí al medio día me da mucha hambre y deseo un almuerzo que contenga las tres “b” bueno, bonito y barato. Un plato a la carta seria $8 dólares por persona. Me canse de del “cuarto de pollo a la brasa “incluso para un cuarto de pollo terminas gastando $4 o 5$ por persona por algo mucho menos saludable (papas fritas, coca cola, muy poca ensalada y quien sabe cómo fue criado el pollo) y no hay postre ni café.
Bien, ahora me siento muy afortunada de conocer este hermoso lugar recientemente decorado por los nuevos dueños del Hotel Saraguro’s, a pocos pasos de los Bomberos para que se ubiquen mejor.
El buffet es súper variado, además de todo les brindan un servicio de calidad con calidez (generalmente yo pido de todo un poco porque soy una golosa).
Es todo fresco. Hay una variedad de ensaladas para todos los gustos. No es un restaurante vegetariano pero sin embargo es conveniente para los vegetarianos o veganos ya que pueden dejar la carne y servirse lo demás.
En bebidas también pueden encontrar agua, jugos y por supuesto la tradicional horchata. Un postre y no podía faltar un rico café (“café americano”). Todo esto por tan solo $2,99.
El ambiente es agradable y relajado. Las personas son amables. La cafetería está limpia, existe un amplio espacio. Me gusta.
POR FAVOR TOME EN CUENTA QUE:
Esta publicación es sin fin de lucro. Así que estoy simplemente haciéndoles un favor a ellos porque se lo merecen. Por favor visítenlos y por todo medio, publiquen un Comentario en la sección de comentarios al final de este artículo luego de haberlos visitado para dar sus opiniones Sería muy apreciado. De esta manera puedo mostrarles que mi “promoción” de trabajo es eficaz, me motivará a seguir buscando los tesoros escondidos que tiene Loja.
Una pequeña recomendación:
Si van, por favor pregunten por Miguel o Teresa, son dos hermanos los propietarios. Diga que los ha enviado Pierre (el hombre extranjero de Bélgica) que los ha recomendó el lugar. Estoy segura que les darán especial atención y un servicio aún mejor.
Looking for a cheap yummy healthy lunch in Loja ? Something with lots of vegetables, buffet style if possible, nourishing, with a variety of meat and fish, everything homemade tasty and fresh, in a quite clean setting, at an affordable price, right in the center of Loja city?? Sounds impossible right?
Well, we finally found this place, totally by accident. On the main avenue (avenida Universitaria, by the river), Hotel Saraguro’s, entre Eguiguren y 10 de Agosto, now offers this type of buffet lunch.
I don’t know about you but at midday, I do get hungry and I want a decent lunch and I don’t have the money to go and spend $8 or more a head for a decent “a la carte”. I get tired of the “cuarto pollo a la brasa”and even then for a quarter chicken you end up paying $4 or $5 a head for something a lot less healthy (french fries, coca cola, very little salad and who knows what’s in the chicken?) and there is no desert nor coffee.
On the other hand, the $2 to $3 worth typical Ecuadorian “almuerzos”are usually disappointing in my view, I mean biiiig serve of white rice to fill you up, a microscopic slice of meat, and let’s not even mention the greens.
Well, our lives changed the other day when for the first time we step foot in the newly redecorated cafeteria run by the new owners of the Saraguro’s hotel, meters away from the centro comercial.
The buffet is beautiful, they give you a good serve with anything you want (I usually ask for everything because I am a good eater).
It is all fresh. There is plenty of greens you can help yourself of. It is not a vegetarian restaurant but it is nevertheless suitable for vegetarians or vegans because they can just leave the meat out and serve themselves more veggies.
Juices and horchata. Desert and filter coffee (“cafe americano”). All this for $2,99.
The atmosphere is nice and relaxed. People are friendly. The cafeteria is clean while at the same time not chemically loaded with disinfectants. I don’t feel claustrophobic as there is ample room. I like it.
AND YOU WON’T BELIEVE THIS …. THERE IS NO TV !
Which makes this place quite unique indeed. Unfortunately, this might change anytime, as Miguel the owner told me that he was thinking of putting one because people want it. Luckily, the place is huge and one can always escape the TV with his plate to some remote corner.
PLEASE TAKE NOTE:
They did not pay me to write this. So I am just doing them a favor because they deserve it. Please do give them a try and by all mean, do post a comment in the comment section below this article once you’ve done so. That would be greatly appreciated. This way I can show them that my “marketing campaigns” work, it motivates me, and I can look out for more such gems around Loja.
O yes, I was about to forget, if you go, please ask for Miguel or Teresa, his siter, the owners, tell him or her that you are sent by Pierre (el hombre extranjero de Belgica) who recommended the place. I am sure they will give you special attention and an even better serve.
English version
