“Iodine, bakit nasa asin?”
Practically, salt is consumed daily by everyone, cheap, and is readily available as sources of iodine. It can be found at home, whether rock (coarse or “magaspang”) or fine. Iodized salt can be bought in public market, groceries, supermarkets, sari-sari stores and sold by Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNSs) and Barangay Health Workers in health centers, as income generating project.
On 30 April 2019, the NNC-Region III started the conduct of salt testing using the WYD iodine checker as a back-to-back activity of the validation visits of outstanding BNSs of the seven (7) provinces and 11 cities who were contenders of the 2019 Search for Regional Outstanding BNS. Salt testing was also conducted in the sentinel barangays of the municipalities of Casiguran, Aurora and Gerona, Tarlac during the monitoring visits of the Nutrition Early Warning System-Food Security Projects in said municipalities. The salt testing served as a take-off activity of the NNC-Region III to revive meaningful measure to monitor the implementation of the ASIN Law at the LGU level. Other salt testing activities done in LGUs during the monitoring and evaluation visits of the 2018 provincial nutrition programs were in the municipalities of Baliuag, Bulacan; Castillejos, Zambales; cities of San Jose Del Monte (Bulacan), Cities of San Fernando and Mabalacat (Pampanga), Science City of Muñoz and San Jose (Nueva Ecija) and among the members of the Provincial Nutrition Committees of the provinces of Bataan and Bulacan.
Prior to the actual testing of salt samples, the NNC-Region III staff also played audiovisual presentations of the Saktong Iodine sa Asin and animated Ningning’s flight, to address stunting among children in view of promoting the importance of the First 1000 Days of Life.
For sure, nobody wants their children to suffer the consequences of IDD such as mental retardation, low-IQ, deaf-mutism and dwarfism. As a mother, you also do not want to have goiter or the enlargement of the thyroid gland, miscarriage and give birth to abnormal babies. All these problems can happen if iodine is lacking in your daily diet.
Here are some tips to remember in using iodized salt:
- When preparing your favorite dishes, add iodized salt just before the food is cooked and served. This prevents losses of iodine when food is subjected to heat.
- Use iodized salt when preparing foods that need no further cooking such as dipping sauces, salads, among others.
- Use iodized salt in boiled corn, pickled vegetables, beef or pork tapa and deep-fried potato slices.
- As a general rule, however, consume salt and other salty products in moderation.
Ugaliing gumamit ng asin na may saktong “iodine”!
Author:
NO III Angelita M. Pasos
