Cinty Yñiguez: A Different Type of Plantita

With the new year comes renewed hope and firmer decisions to live a better life. Likely, a shortlist of related resolutions is inside a note in your phone or perhaps even carved in your mind. We live in currently delicate times when one’s safety and health must be secured. It will be no surprise that overall well-being takes primary consideration as we embark on 2021.

While exercise may immediately come top-of-mind in resolving to be healthier, one’s diet should also be considered and complement one’s overall lifestyle. A person who has discovered this balanced combination is Cinty Yñiguez – hotelier, yogi, certified nutritionist, and entrepreneur.

Living hectic schedules in Singapore and Hong Kong for 17 years as a top executive in leading hotel chains, Cinty took charge of her well-being to sustain herself in all her activities, including regular business travel globally. She discovered her passion for yoga and healthy eating. Driven to share the benefits of her practice and nutritional choices, she took up studies in Clinical Nutrition at Hong Kong University and also earned yoga teaching certifications.

Returning to Manila in 2015, Cinty continues to work in the hotel industry. She also teaches yoga and has founded Naked Foods, a line of plant-based food offerings that are handcrafted and preservative-free. Her vision is to help make it easier for people to nourish themselves and eat healthier with favorite local and international staples. Naked Foods started in 2017 and now has a growing base of customers who have chosen to inject nutritious and versatile plant-based alternatives to their diets.

The product line includes savories, sweets, and condiments. Among the favorites are plant-based Bacon (fondly called Facon), which has that distinct umami taste; protein-packed, nutrient-dense Filipino and Italian Sausages filled with flavors from herbs; Beyond Butter with proteins from almonds, sunflower seeds, and coconuts; and Edible Cookie Dough with Belgian chocolate morsels. Naked Foods also produces Vegetable Bouillon Powder, Sweet Pork Bites, Pulled Pork, Beef Strips, and Char Siu Pork.

In recent years, there has been an increased interest in plant-forward eating. This is a style of cooking and eating emphasizing plant-based food but not strictly limited to them. Meat may be present at meals but usually not the main highlight. The Permanente Journal published on the National Center for Biotechnical Information website in the U.S. stated, “A healthy, plant-based diet aims to maximize consumption of nutrient-dense plant foods while minimizing processed foods, oils, and animal foods (including dairy products and eggs).”

Plant-based food are tasty and nutritious alternatives. Cinty and her Naked Foods company aim to get consumers to replace some of their meat-based meals with healthier options. According to heart.org, consuming less meat decreases the risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, and many cancers.

Unlike the sometimes outrageous prices of plants sold and purchased during this pandemic, plant-based food continues to be well within reach of consumers. Naked Foods’ products are competitively affordable to their food alternatives without sacrificing taste and nutritional benefits.

They are currently available in Metro Manila at Real Food branches in BGC and Alabang, at The Vegan Grocer in San Juan, as well as in Cebu at Only Vegan Food Cebu. These nutritious products are also available online through nakedfoodsbycinty on Facebook and @nakedfoodsbycinty on Instagram.