As the holiday season arrives again, the National Nutrition Council Cordillera Administrative Region together with the Department of Health reminds everyone to be kind to their hearts at this time of the year. Aside from having stress-preventing activities and enough sleep, avoiding crowded areas, using environment-friendly Christmas decors, buying safe toys, and not using fireworks and firecrackers, DOH-NNC CAR adds more about having a healthy nutritious celebration.

NNC-CAR advises having well-balanced Noche Buena and Media Noche meals. Here are some healthy tips to remember in preparing your Noche Buena and Media Noche spread from the 10 kumainments.

• Eat fruits and vegetables- While it is very basic, this Kumainment (#3) is so easy to neglect especially during this holiday season when the preferred choice of food are meats and sweets. Sure, you can still have some of them but remember to balance them by eating a good amount of fruits and vegetables. According to the 2012 Nutritional Guidelines for Filipinos developed by the Technical Working Group headed by the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI), one should eat more vegetables and fruits. Consume two to three servings of vegetables each day, of which a serving is equivalent to ½ cup or 40 grams for non-leafy and 1 cup or 25 grams for leafy.
• Make sure that your food and drinks are clean and safe for consumption – During the holiday season, there’s just so much food being prepared. With so much, there are times when they are not prepared or stored properly. Always make it a point to make sure that the food and beverage are clean and safe before you dig in. Also, when you are the one preparing the food, make sure you observe proper handling and hygiene. For leftovers, store them properly and if possible, don’t keep them for so long that it’ll start to shelter unwelcome organisms. Remember also to check expiration date of products before buying them.
• Eat less of salty, sweet, and oily foods- While salty, sweet, and oily foods can taste really good, it is best to take them in moderation as too much of them negatively affect your body and health in both the short and long term. For people with existing co-morbidities, too much consumption of salty, sweet, and oily foods can increase risks of complications. This holiday season, you can be creative in preparing your dishes to cut down on salt. Season your foods with spices, herbs, lemon, garlic, ginger, vinegar and pepper. To satisfy your cravings for sweet foods, having a piece of fruit like bananas, apples and oranges instead.
• Be Active – Do not use the holiday season as a reason and excuse to skip on your exercise and work outs instead it is the time to have to move and workout more. Burn the excess calories and toxins you have accumulated in your body throughout the year. Turn on the music and get moving, it also helps you keep your mental state healthy and stress-free.

Also, drink plenty of water and fresh fruit juices to smoothen excretion. If possible, avoid drinking soda, other sweetened beverages, and alcohol. People can still enjoy the holiday season without risking their health.

YRGYL M. SUCDAD & VELANIE M. DAO-INES

Resources:

10 Kumainments

10 Nutritional Guidelines for Filipinos

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