Eating healthy does not have to be expensive. This was proven by the Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNSs) of Metro Manila who demonstrated how to cook their healthy ulam of the day via their video entries to the Healthy UOTD Cooking Contest of the National Nutrition Council-NCR.
During this pandemic when many households do not have enough money to buy food, cooking healthy meals for the family is really a challenge. This is the reason why during the start of the pandemic in 2020, the National Nutrition Council-NCR encouraged the Barangay Nutrition Scholars in Metro Manila to share their ‘ulam’/dish recipes that are easy to prepare, low-cost, and healthy. The BNSs shared recipes that mothers can prepare even with a limited budget – ulam na hindi lang mura pero masarap, masustansya, at madaling lutuin.
To prove that cooking healthy ulam is possible with a limited budget, the BNSs who are officers of the BNS Federation of NCR shared the recipes of their ulam that they themselves cooked for their family via their group chat in an online messaging application. This led to their project of promoting healthy meals during the COVID-19 community quarantine, dubbed “#UOTD: Ulam Of The Day”. The NNC-NCR helped promote the healthy ulam by making social media cards (SMCs) featuring the recipes with information on the nutritive value of the dish or ulam. The SMCs were then posted to the official Facebook page of the NNC-NCR and these gained positive feedback from the netizens.
This year, in line with the 47th Nutrition Month Celebration, the NNC-NCR encouraged all the BNSs in Metro Manila to share their Healthy Ulam of the Day (UOTD) recipes through a cooking contest. Since face-to-face gathering is still not encouraged, the contestants were asked to submit a video of themselves cooking the dish as well a copy of the recipe detailing the ingredients, cost, and procedures for cooking. To promote the importance of planting veggies at home as a source of additional food for the family, their dish should have ingredients that can be obtained from the vegetable garden. Their healthy ulam of the day recipe should be good for a family of five (5), costs not more than P200.00, and can be cooked using practical and acceptable cooking methods.
Twenty-four (24) BNSs joined the contest and their entries were judged on July 27, 2021 by the Board of Judges composed of Manila Tytana Colleges’ Culinary Nutrition Instructor Ms. Geraldine M. Cabello, Nutrition Foundation of the Philippines’ Board Member Mr. Rolando T. Yu and Department of Social Welfare and Development-NCR’s Nutritionist-Dietitian III Ms. Niwdelyn E. Sanvictores. The contest winners were determined using the following criteria: use of nutritious ingredients (40%), originality (15%), aesthetic appeal (15%), cost and ease of preparation (20%), and audience engagement (10%).
The NNC-NCR hopes that through these HUOTDs, the families will be encouraged to cook healthy meals that are nutritious, low-cost, and easy to prepare. Together with the BNS Federation of NCR, the NNC-NCR will continue to promote healthy eating by sharing healthy recipes and tips on how to put up kitchen gardens.
As shared by Chef Cabello, a healthy ulam should have these five qualities that start with the letter “M” – Masarap, Masustansya, Madaling lutuin, Malinis, at Mura.
Prof. Yu and Ms. Sanvictores added that the ulam can be made inexpensive and healthier by adding vegetables harvested from the vegetable garden.
The HUOTD cooking contest winners will be announced during the Online Regional Nutrition Month Awarding Ceremony on August 6, 2021.
Written by:
Nutrition Officer III Emerenciana L. Francia and
Nutrition Program Coordinator Milagros Elisa V. Federizo
