“Genes load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger,” was what I remember most from a November 2007 interview with a naturopathic doctor. It wasn’t the first time I heard of this, but hearing it from someone who has been studying centenarians in one of the world’s “Blue Zones” really validated the line. This doctor from …

An open letter to those who believe their health destinies have been genetically set Read More »

(Editor’s Note: This updates the article “A Worse Form Of Poverty Is About To Beset The Philippines, And Here’s Why We Have To Stop This Now” that first appeared here on May 2, 2018) From the start of our existence online, we at TessDrive have always advocated for compassion and sustainability in our lifestyles. This …

The pandemic has worsened an already dire nutritional crisis in the Philippines; The solution lies on your plate Read More »

Reed-thin Allan “Shishir” Inocalla gently laid his two arnis sticks down on the ground, stood upright, closed his eyes, and then backflipped. Then he flipped his wallet out of his back pocket, and showed me his senior citizen card. Allan, or “Shishir” (he prefers to be called the latter), is all of 60 summers. But he could still pass for a 40-year-old, both …

My vegetarian arnis teacher was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle from Hollywood Read More »

(Editor’s note: The article, which first appeared in the November 2016 issue of Carmudi Magazine, has been updated as of October 15, 2021) Jonathan Mantle’s book “Car Wars: Fifty Years of Greed, Treachery, & Skullduggery in the Global Market Place” states, “A hundred years ago, there were six highly experimental cars. Today, there are close …

Nowhere to go but the Earth Read More »

Many vegetarians I know avoid all forms of meat—poultry, pork, beef, eggs, water-borne animals—but do consume another form of it: Dairy. There’s a reason why plant-based nutritionists call dairy its less-appealing moniker “liquid meat”. I’ll get to that later. First, let me tell you why I shunned taking all forms of dairy products (milk, cheese, …

Milk is murder. I ain’t got milk, and I’m alive because of it Read More »

So, you’ve been given a very unwanted Holiday gift of a diagnosis by your very concerned family doctor. He or she says your cholesterol is too high, and so is your blood sugar. You’re on the shortlist of those most likely to kick the bucket with a heart attack or a stroke anytime within this …

What to do when your doctor tells you to go easy on the meat, but you don’t intend to Read More »