Impressca: Healthy Choices, Healthy Pleasures

Aside from supporting the fight against cancer and campaigns on environment protection, I am also a supporter of healthy lifestyle. Healthy living has been one of my advocacy since I was young. I do not drink coffee because we learned in grade school that it is not good for the nervous system. And despite the information campaign that coffee helps the fight against cancer, I still do not drink this beverage. Perhaps, it has something to do with the taste this time. I prefer to eat fish and vegetables because I believe they are healthier for both our body and the planet. I even grow a mini-herb garden in our terrace to help reduce the air pollution and create a greener environment.

Thus, when I received an invitation to attend the advocacy launch of Impressca, a restaurant located in the heart of Quezon City, I immediately confirmed my attendance without any hesitation. Impressca is an Italian word that literally means "freshly served".  

According to Miss Beth Echano-Alfane, CEO of Impressca, she first opened the restaurant in Legazpi City in 1994 when she was still a college student. However, it closed down on 2006 due to some reasons. But God is really good. He paved the way to reopen her business in 2008. And what more better way to revive the business by bringing it to the metro and educate the people living in the city with their advocacy - enjoying life's pleasure with healthy choices while taking care of our planet Earth. 

Healthy choices... yes, they offer a wide array of menu that is good for the body. What's more, diabetics, hypertensive and cancer patients love their healthy food, especially the Salad Bar and Impressca-Style Spaghetti. You can create your own salad at a very affordable price and choose from various dressings they offer. Their pasta dishes are served with French bread and non-caffeine African Roibos red tea. 

They also serve healthy beverages, such as the Moringa Citrus and Guava Guyabano juice, that helps fight hyperactivity, hyperacidity, and diabetes. Shakes, smoothies, iced teas, and hot teas are also available but I suggest that you also try their Bernadette's juice, a combination of juices of eight fruits and vegetables, namely, turnips, cucumber, carrots, tomatoes, apples, pineapple, watermelon, and mango. 

True to their advocacy, Impressca adheres to R.A. 9003. They separate biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes. They compost their biodegradable wastes and recycle and reuse the non-biodegradable ones. I observed that their decorations, tables, and chairs are all made of reclaimed woods. they also use place mats made of recycled paper. But what surprised me more, they recycle their paper place mats five times! Saves thousands of trees! Saves the forests as well! 

As part of their corporate social responsibility to be a sustainable green restaurant, Impressca serves fresh, organic and natural foods. They use local ingredients by growing their own herbs and vegetables, their way of showing support to local vegetation and environmental campaigns, such as the fight against global warming. Likewise, they encourage local farmers to preserve their communities and leverage health and ecological preservation. 

"Impressca and LAHAT (lupa, araw, hangin, ako, tubig)" is the philosophy of Impressca. This made me realize that each of us has the responsibility in preserving Mother Earth. When one element gets damaged or destroyed, everybody is affected. We get sick, or worse, we lose lives. On the other hand, if we take care of our environment, Mother Earth will take care of us too. She will give us fresh air to breath, clean water to drink, and healthy food to eat. A sustainable and healthy environment indeed! 

In observance of the 2011 International Year of the Forest, they launched their Impressca Green Card. The green card serves as a three-in-one card. For every 200-peso worth of food item you buy, you get 2% discount and donate a tree seedling for their tee-planting campaigns. The Impressca Green Card is available for free, no purchase needed to get the card. Therefore, when you avail the Impressca Green Card, there is nothing to lose but more to gain. You get one step nearer towards better health, support eco-preservation by helping create a greener environment, and save money from the discount. So, what are you waiting for? Visit their branch nearest to you now. 

Impressca currently has four branches. Their first branch is located in SM-San Lazaro, while the other three branches are located in SM-Cubao, Mother Ignacia Ave. and UP-PGH Manila. With four branches all over the metro, Impressca will soon open its next branch in SM-North Edsa The Block. Don't forget to visit them and have a taste of their salad bar, pasta and panini. I assure you, you won't regret the experience! 

Like their Facebook page at Impressca Salad2Go to get updates and latest promos and discounts.