Good Morning

(Greet important visitors)

Today, we are gather here to celebrate the 43rd Nutrition Month. Under the
Presidential decree 491 (1974) that mandates National Nutrition Council to lead
and coordinate nationwide campaign to create greater awareness on the
importance on nutrition among Filipinos.
For this year, we focus on the promotion of healthy diet with the theme Healthy
diet, gawing habit- FOR LIFE. The campaign aims to;
Increase awareness on the importance of healthy diets which protect
against both under and over nutrition and non-communicable diseases
such hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and certain types of
cancer and contribute to the reduction.
Help the public know the difference between healthy and unhealthy foods
to have a better choice.
Encourage food industries such as farmers, manufactories, distributors
and establishments to produce healthier food options
Advocate for enactment of national and local legislation/policies that will
support healthy food production.
A healthy diet is the foundation of good health that enables satisfying ones
energy and nutrient need for proper body functions, growth and development,
daily activities and maintenance of health. A healthy diet includes;
Variety of foods from different food groups
Individual calories and nutrients need
Safety
Enjoyable and culturally acceptable
Available and sufficient
A healthy diet should be based on the following principles; balance, consuming
foods from different food groups in proportion to each other, variety, eating
different kinds of food from the different food groups every day and moderation
or eating not too much not too little. for ie, eating ample amount of fiber can
benefit good digestion but too much intake will lead to constipation.

A healthy diet also provides just enough amounts of energy needed for ones
daily activities without going beyond ones caloric needs so as to maintain a
healthy body weight. Energy requirements differ from person to person and
energy provided by a healthy diet should be in balance with ones energy
expenditure
Unhealthy diet is composed of foods that are energy dense yet nutrient poor and
are high in fats, refined carbohydrates and sodium. Low intake of fruits and
vegetables is also considered unhealthy. Others are consumption of high
sodium and low potassium that can lead to hypertension and increase risk of
heart disease, and cancers in the stomach.
Excessive intake of fats can cause obesity, hypertension and diabetes.
Too much eating or drinking of high free sugar containing food is unhealthy. This
includes sweetened beverages (coke). This also leads to dental caries cause
pain, anxiety, functional limitation, including poor school attendance and
performance in children.
Why is it important have a healthy diet?
A healthy diet can result to good nutrition and healthy community
Prevent economic losses. This is effect of malnutrition that will lead
impaired productivity, cognitive function and school attainment and health
care cost
Increase agricultural production for high demands in fruits and vegetables,
fish and lean meat.
Reduced food wastage and help the environment
Gender and development
Are Filipinos eating healthy diet ?
The typical diet of most Filipinos consist mainly of carbohydrates, meats and
eggs but poor in fruits and vegetables. According to studies, 7 out of 10 Filipinos
do not meet dietary requirement. Last year, Kalamansig is one of the top 3
which have high number of malnutrition in sultan kudarat, though the number
decreased this year. Still there are malnourished children

What are recommended to have healthy diet?

Breastfeed babies and young children
Eat variety of foods especially fruits and vegetables
Eat moderate amount of fats and oils
Eat less salt and sugars
The ten messages are as follows:
1) Eat a variety of foods every day to get the nutrients needed by the body.
2) Breastfeed infants exclusively from birth up to 6 months then give
appropriate complementary foods while continuing breastfeeding for 2 years
and beyond for optimum growth and development.
3) Eat more vegetables and fruits every day to get essential vitamins,
minerals, and fiber for regulation of body processes.
4) Consume fish, lean meat, poultry, egg, dried beans or nuts daily for growth
and repair of body tissues.
5) Consume milk, milk products and other calcium-rich foods every day for
healthy bones and teeth. 6) Consume safe foods and water to prevent
diarrhea and other food- and water-borne diseases.
7) Use iodized salt to prevent iodine deficiency disorders.
8) Limit intake of salty, fried, fatty and sugar-rich foods to prevent
cardiovascular diseases.
9) Attain normal body weight through proper diet and moderate physical
activity to maintain good health and help prevent obesity.
10) Be physically active, make healthy food choices, manage stress, avoid
alcoholic beverage and do not smoke to help prevent lifestyle-related non-
communicable diseases.
Today more than 95% of all chronic disease is caused by food choice, toxic
food ingredients, nutritional deficiencies, and lack of physical exercise.
Mike Adams