NNC Alarms On Drop Filipinos’ Food Consumption

There has been a drop in the food consumption of Filipinos, according to the National Nutrition Council (NNC).

"Although the amount of food an individual Filipino eats a day increased from 1993 level, still on the average the Filipino is eating less," NNC executive director Maria-Bernardita T. Flores said even as she sounded alarm over such attitude since food is the main source of nutrients that the body needs.

She pointed out that even more alarming is that foods usually taken in by Filipinos now have more salt, more sugar and fat.

Taking in more food with more salt, more sugar and more fat can cause a plethora of non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, cardiovascular, diabetes, cancer and all other diseases that are diet-related, said Flores.

Meanwhile, the average chronic energy deficiency in the Philippines is at 11.6 percent and 15.4 in Western Visayas.

"Apparently Western Visayas has also the highest prevalence of adult under nutrition among the regions in the country.

For overweight people, the average in the Philippines is 21.4 and Western Visayas is 16.2," Flores added.

NNC Points W. Visayas High Undernourished Children Incidence

Western Visayas has the most number of malnourished kids in the country, data from the National Nutrition Council (NNC) stated.

NNC executive director Maria-Bernardita Flores during last Thursday’s Nutrition Month culminating activity said that Western Visayas has 31.9 percent underweight rate, far higher when compared with the national rate of only 26.2 percent for children who belong to the 3-5 years age bracket.

Flores computed that based on the percentage, some 292,950 out of the 945,000 children in the region are underweight and 13.5 percent of the number are in the pre-school.

The province of Antique has posted the top underweight children with 41.1 percent; Negros Occidental, 32.1; Iloilo, 31.4; Aklan, 29.6; Capiz, 29.3 and Guimaras has the lowest number of under-weight at 20.7 percent.

Flores stressed that the figures pose a big challenge for the stakeholders in Western Visayas as she underscored the need to have those children attain a normal weight.
Meantime, simultaneous with the culminating activity was also the launching of the "One Nutrition, One Nation Movement" aimed at encouraging "individuals and communities to join the fight against malnutrition and hunger."

The movement was first launched in Metro Manila in November last year, she explained, and they are looking forward for all regions in the country to likewise adopt the initiative.

Flores said that individual members are encouraged to have a change in their behavior, observe improved nutrition practices such as maintaining a normal weight, eating a healthy diet, having a vegetable garden at home and helping the people in the community improve their nutrition situation, among others. Thousands of barangay nutrition scholars coming from the various provinces of Western Visayas witnessed the launching. (PNA) /MP