Travel Stop: Kabacan Buffalo Milk Products Sales Outlet

This is where you can buy fresh buffalo's milk

It was a sunny Monday and my body was perspiring.  I am craving for something cold and sweet to satisfy my quench. The road towards home was long way to go and I was looking for some store who sells cold fresh milk. I thought that cold milk products can help me revitalize and bring my temperature down to its normal level. I was with my mom, aunt, brother-in-law and 3 noisy and playful kids in the car. I was enjoying the scenery of green mountains, rice fields, farm animals and the hard working carabao taking its rest at the shed of a tree as we took the road from the town of President Roxas going to Kabacan, North Cotabato. Then I remembered a small store located at the University of Southern Mindanao Agricultural Research Center (USMARC) main entrance who has been selling fresh milk and some agricultural products. I hurriedly told my brother-in-law who was driving the car to stop at that sales outlet when we reached Kabacan.  

This is the menu to choose from

When we arrived to our target stop, I was kind of excited because I know I was going to eat and drink something fresh and healthy. So, I brought the kids and the rest of the group to Kabacan Buffalo Milk Product Sales Outlet and bought buffalo fresh milk, choco milk, ice cream with buffalo's milk, peanuts, and pastries. The price was very affordable compared to what you can buy in the super market. And this sales outlet was very accessible because it was just along the National Highway and few meters away from the downtown of Kabacan.

The group was interested in buying liters of fresh buffalo milk because of the nutrients the milk can give to human body. With regular drinking of this milk and eating products out of this will surely give you the following nutrients which based on PCC Dairy Buffalo Handbook in every 100 grams:

Nutrients                                                           Buffalo Milk

·         Protein (gm)                                                        4.3

·         Fats (gm)                                                            6.5

·         Carbohydrates  (gm)                                           5.0

·         Energy (kcal)                                                      117

·         Calcium (mg)                                                      210

·         Phosphorous (mg)                                              130

·         Iron (mg)                                                             0.2

·         Thiamine (gm)                                                     0.04

·         Riboflavin (mg)                                                    0.10

·         Vitamin C (mg)                                                   1.0

·         Vitamin B12 (mg)                                               0.14

So imagine giving our kids with these products rather than allowing them to indulge on Junk Foods (as the name suggests –junk, so therefore nutrients are junk too) makes us confident that we are giving them is not actually killing them on the process. And there are some interesting facts about buffalo’s milk too, and here they are:

1. ·        One of the best and nutritious milks like mother’s milk and goat’s milk
2. ·         It has low cholesterol content (0.65mg/g) so it can not lead to heart attack & high-blood pressure
3. ·         It has high calcium content (210 mg) which helps strengthen teeth and combats tooth-disease
4. ·         Regular drinking of buffalo’s milk can protect us from developing colon cancer and diabetes
5. ·         Vitamin B2 content helps in normal development
6. ·         It has lactalbumin and lactoferrin than help to fight cancer and allergy
7. ·         Helps to remove sores in the skin, mouth and tongue as well as can stop nausea
8. ·         Helps to maintain healthy and clean colon and intestines

So, let’s travel safely and healthy. When you travel from Kabacan going elsewhere or from elsewhere going to Kabacan, I suggest going to this travel stop. I am sure you want to keep you mind and body alert and comfortable while travelling and to attain that you need to try buffalo’s dairy products and surely you are going to love them!

HOW TO CONVINCE MY NEPHEW TO DRINK HIS VITAMINS

 I serve as a good example to my toddler-nephew. Since kids love to imitate what adults do, so I drink my vitamins too in front of him and told him to drink his too so both of us will be strong and can play all afternoon.

Sometimes, verbal explanation can not be fully absorbed by toddlers because their cognitive abilities are still limited. And my nephew does not understand well the true meaning of the words “strong and healthy”. So I work on his visual-sensory skills and emotions so he can capture the things I want him to learn. If he refuses to drink his vitamins, I will hold his toys and cars and will only give them to him after taking the dose. I show pictures of his favorite Disney characters and will tell him, “drink your vitamins and be strong and playful like barney and pooh!” Sometimes, I give him a hug or a clap to make him feel appreciated. Kind words like “wow”, “good” and “thank you” are essentials to motivate him to drink his vitamins faithfully. 

To enjoy the full potentials of vitamins, I do not mix them to my nephew’s drinks or juices. I am aware that the medicine might lose its potency and might sweep off potential benefits in achieving healthy body if I do so. Therefore, I let him drink the full dosage alone or the prescribe milligrams of tablet/capsule so the medicines will truly serve their purpose to my nephew’s physiological development. Sometimes, trying out different flavors of vitamins will help to break the monotony of taste. Toddlers love different flavors so I experiment and try what is the best taste to my nephew’s discrete taste buds.

As a general rule to win my nephew’s obedience, I display an open communication to him. I make him aware and understand that taking his vitamins is not a form of punishment like holding him down and forcibly open his mouth and shove in the tablet/syrup but rather it’s a pleasant reward that he should look forward too.  Since he is playful, I bring out too the childlike attitude within me to go down to his level. Thus, drinking his vitamins is just like having fun and an enjoyable thing to do rather than an obligation he is force to perform out of fear.

Note: This is my blog entry to TROPICEE Vitamin C blog writing contest.