Next week is July, the time Nutrition Month Celebration aimed at enhancing awareness on proper nutrition (PD 491 or the Nutrition Act of the Philippines, 1974). All over the country, local government units, schools, government and private institutions are to participate in its celebration. The aim is to enhance awareness on proper nutrition. Expect to witness monthlong celebrations from barangay to municipal, provincial, city as well as regional level. May each agency or institution start or continue to celebrate, adopt policies and implement programs to contribute to reduction in undernutrition (wasting, stunting, underweight, chronic energy deficiency) and lack of vitamins and minerals, the effect of which are not obvious until severe.
This year’s celebration will focus on the theme, “Food and Nutrition Security, maging priority! Sapat na pagkain, Karapatan natin.” The fb page of the National Nutrition Council (NNC) which came up with such states – The subtheme puts a spotlight on the importance of healthy diets as a pillar of nutrition security and emphasize that access to nutritious food is a fundamental human right and should be prioritized in national and local development agendas.
Food security is a condition in which people have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food at all times to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life (FAO, 2024). Food of the right kind, variety and quantity need to be available in the locality and families should have the means to have them in legal ways, if they don’t produce food by themselves. From market to home, the food should be handled in ways that will preserve their nutrients and when eaten, the body should be able to properly utilize whatever nutrients and non-nutrients in the food that are beneficial to health.
While food and security may be recognized as human rights, the interplay of various factors such as geographic disparities and socioeconomic factors like household size, education, make many Filipinos hungry. Good that of the 17 regions in the country, the Cordillera Administrative Region has the 2nd lowest level of severe household food insecurity.
Beyond the theme is the rising epidemic of overnutrition in the country including the CAR. Latest survey shows that about 4 in every 10 Filipinos are overweight and obese. While this may somehow indicate food security, it is an evidence of improper eating thus bad nutrition. So it’s high time that LGUs and agencies seriously look into policies and programs to teach people to eat the right kind and amount of food while managing their weight. Individually, we can do ways to regulate our eating habits even when food is abundant. Start with discipline, reducing intake of high calorie foods like sugar-laden foods like sweets & sugar-laden drinks, oily/fatty foods, rice and alternatives, minimizing frying, meat especially those with visible fat, eating slowly, preferring fresh fruits and vegetables. Obesity had long been linked to many chronic diseases and premature death. A high waist hip ratio or waist circumference puts one at high risk to metabolic disorders like diabetes mellitus.
