Check your Eating Habits: Do you fall into #MalnutritionTraps?

Did you know that for more than 20 years, The Philippines has been facing the rise in the number of underweight and overweight among its citizens?




The  World Health Organization (WHO) described this situation as the “Double Burden of Malnutrition” or the “Prevalence of both undernutrition and overweight in the same community, Nation, or Region.”

To address this issue, The PH Government launched the Pinggang Pinoy® campaign back in 2014. Pinggang Pinoy® is an easy-to-understand food guide showing proper food group portioning on a per-meal basis. This reflects the principles of MOderation, VAriety, and BAlance (MOVABA) to promote healthier eating habits.

Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation took the initiative and collaborate with government agencies in conducting education programs to raise awareness and promote the practice of Pinggang Pinoy® in malnutrition hotspots, where incidences of Double Burden Malnutrition are high. This training was given to homemakers/mothers who have malnourished (underweight, stunting, wasting, overweight and obese) school-aged children.

The pilot run resulted in improvements to the knowledge & attitudes of households related to the practice of Pinggang Pinoy® within target areas. However, behavior changes towards healthier eating habits remain to be a challenge. The program uncovered a number #MalnutritionTraps that some Pinoy households easily fall into. 

How can one's Unhealthy Eating Habits May Lead to Double Burden of Malnutrition:

Carbo-OverLoading: OMG I'm so guilty about this!!! I am always up for Extra Rice! But with this campaign, I've learned that Over-consumption of Carbohydrates is really BAD for our health. Others have pandesal, white bread or just noodles as regular meal depriving them of other nutrients that we should all be getting from a well-balanced meal.

Fact: Over-eating of rice gives you more chances of having diabetes. 

Skipping Fruits and Vegetables: Is so common among my kids. Usually, they are ok with just rice and fish, rice and soup, or rice and just any easy to cook "processed" food even though I prepared a veggie dish, Thankfully my kids love fruits. But for the  Double Burden of Malnutrition affected families to satisfy their hunger is the main priority and having veggies and fruits is not an option. 

Fact:  Glow Foods which are made up of Fruits and Vegetables are important sources of vitamins and minerals responsible for a healthy, and well-functioning body. 

Protein x2: Typical Filipino family loves to eat... so much. Or should I say too much, most especially if the "Ulam is Masarap, Your Favorite, or Fiesta, or May Birthday or even just any day? And madalas, we ate up a double serving of proteins (example: Tapa+Itlog, Tocino+Itlog, Longanisa+Itlog, Bangus+Itlog) in SILOG's we all know and go for. Eating different kinds of protein is fine for as long as they are taken in moderation. We must also avoid protein dishes served high in fat, cholesterol, and sodium. 

Fact: Proteins are vital nutrients for the body. Proteins are responsible for our muscles and tissues and also serves the body as a fuel source.

I've watched this Video Clip titled Hapunan: Pamilya UnliRice and medyo relate much ako.



Ajinomoto’s Culinary Nutrition Team prepared Healthy & Delicious Pinggang Pinoy® Recipes, that you can download through https://bit.ly/2HIsfkj

Easy-to-do recipes that are budgeted as low as P250/day for a family of 5 is also featured at Pinggang Pinoy® recipes ideal for busy and budget-restricted homemakers out there.

My Reaction to the Hapunan: Pamilyang UnliRice video. This is a Hard Habit to Break!!! As I've said earlier, guilty kami ditoooo. But also, as our family's new year' resolution this 2019, We are all up to having a healthy eating habit and cut ting down on our rice consumptions. Kung before "unli rice" talaga, this time max na yung 2 cups. Slowly but surely we are managing to lessen our rice intake and hopefully sana soon kaya na namin ang 1 rice only as I've watched the 4 videos from Mag Pinggang Pinoy Tayo campaign, I'm sure you'll be able to relate in one or maybe all of the videos too. And like me. may this be an eye-opener to everyone and lets all shift to eating a well-balanced meal and start eating the Mag Pinggang Pinoy Tayo! meal plans so that we can all have a healthy lifestyle that of course comes with a healthy body that will surely make us more productive and mentally focused on what ever life may throw at us.


For more updates about Mag-Pinggang Pinoy® Tayo!