Did you know that Angelica Panganiban gave up eating rice at the age of 15?

Looking back, she said it was the pressure of looking good that made her abstain from the one thing she loves.

“Well, hindi naman naging secret sa lahat, ah, lahat naman ng tao, nakita talaga na ako yung… lumaki akong chubby, malaman talaga ako.

“Hindi ako katulad ng mga [kasabayan] kong katulad ni Heart [Evangelista] na slim. ‘Yan si Heart, sobrang payat.

“And then, laging nako-compare ako sa ibang artists…”

If she were an ordinary teenage girl, her weight shouldn’t have been that much of a concern.

But she was one of the fast-rising teen stars of ABS-CBN then, and was making an effort to shed off her child-star image.

The Kapamilya actress stated, “Mas gusto ng tao yung mas sexy, mas payat, mas maganda [raw] kasing tignan kapag ganun.

“Kasi nakikita ka ng mga tao, ina-admire ka nila, nilu-look up ka nila. Kung ano yung hitsura mo, gagayahin nila. And paano nila gagawin yun kung hindi nila gusto yung katawan mo?

“So nag-struggle ako… Talagang hindi ako nag-rice.

“E, ang sarap-sarap kumain. Lalo na tayong mga Pinoy, ang sarap ng ulam natin, di ba? At ang hirap kainin ang ulam kung walang rice.

“E, paano mo kakainin ang kare-kare kung hindi ka magkakanin, di ba? So pati yung mga yun, nawala. Parang nakalimutan ko na yung lasa nila."

Peer pressure also made her face the sad reality: “Hindi ako blessed sa ganung part…”

Angelica was referring to her body type.

She continued, “Nung high school ako, dun ako naging conscious talaga. Kasi yung mga friends mo, maganda yung hitsura ng katawan nila, sexy sila. Payat sila ganun…