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Over the years we have been told that eating foods rich in fats will add inches to our waistline, raise our cholesterol level and cause numerous health problems. But did you know that not all fats are bad? As some fats cause harm to our health, there are also existing dietary fats that help promote good health as part of our balanced diet. So, there is no need for us to eliminate all types of dietary fats from our diet. We just have to choose wisely which type of fats we need to consume that will help us achieve better nutrition.
Fats are type of macronutrient just like protein and carbohydrates. Dietary fats are essential to give our body energy and to support cell growth. They also help protect the organs and keep the body warm. Furthermore, fats help the body absorb some nutrients that it needs and produce important hormones too. Therefore, our body definitely needs dietary fats. By understanding the difference between good and bad fats, we can decide better which type of fats are healthier to be included in our diet.
“Bad” fats can cause unhealthy effects that all fats have been blamed for including weight gain, clogged arteries, increased risk of certain diseases, and many more. However, there are two main types of potential dietary fats. One is saturated fats, the type of fats that come from animal sources of food, such as red meat, poultry and full-fat dairy products. Saturated fats increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL or "good") cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad") cholesterol levels, which may increase our risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The other type of “bad” fats are the trans fats. Most of the trans fats are made from oils through a food processing method called “partial hydrogenation” to keep them solid even at room temperature. They can be found commonly at commercially-baked pastries, packaged snack foods, margarine, vegetable shortening and fried foods. Like the saturated fats, trans fats cause more harm as they increase total blood cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels, but lower HDL cholesterol which could increase your risk for heart diseases and stroke.
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Overweight and obesity are nutrition problems that have been neglected for so long. In fact, in the Philippines alone, three (3) out of ten (10) Filipinos are overweight and obese, moreover, prevalence of obesity for Filipino adults had increased from 20.2 percent in 1998 to 37.2 percent in 2018 based on the 2018 National Nutrition Survey conducted by Department of Science and Technology – Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI). This problem is something that we should put more attention to because obesity is one of the causes of many diseases such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, diabetes and many more. Hence, a lot of people are engaged on various weight loss programs to prevent them from being obese. Aside from preventing obesity, some people also wanted to stay looking great by trying to reach their body weight goals.
Whatever may be the reason for losing weight, this should be done in a proper and healthy way. However, many are trying to lose weight abruptly by trying out the many trendy fad diets in this modern time.
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The National Nutrition Council-IX supports Department of Health-IX campaign on Measles-Rubella Supplemental Immunization Activity (MR-SIA). Measles or tigdas is one of the most contagious disease globally. In the Philippines, an estimated 2.4 million children under the age of five are susceptible of measles. Since April 2018, the Department of Health (DOH) launched the measles immunization campaign called “Ligtas Tigdas” to address the rising cases of measles in the Philippines. Based on DOH’s Measles and Rubella Surveillance report and World Health Organization (WHO) Epidemiological Overview 2020, between 1 January and 31 December 2019, a total of 47,871 cases of measles, including 632 deaths, were recorded, with a case fatality rate of 2.6%. As of August 2020, there are around 3,500 reported measles cases with 36 deaths. Most of the cases are among children under five years old.
Measles is a dangerous and fatal disease. There is no specific treatment for measles and the only protection to prevent getting measles is vaccination. WHO recommends children 6 months old and older should be vaccinated. For those whose children are still less than 6 months of age, the best thing to do is to be vigilant of ongoing measles infection in the community and limiting the exposure of the child.
Read more: Tigdas at Rubella iwasan, pabakunahan ang inyong mga anak!
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Breastfeeding is one of the best practices to achieve better nutrition especially on the first 6 months of the child’s life. During this COVID-19 pandemic, some breastfeeding mothers especially those who are infected or with confirmed cases of COVID-19 are worried that the virus may hinder them from breastfeeding their children. Thus, the Department of Health (DOH), World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) appeal to the public that even during this pandemic, breastfeeding of infants should be protected, promoted and supported by all mothers. Mothers who are infected with the virus can still continue to breastfeed their child provided that they have to follow the standard health protocols such as proper wearing of face mask when breastfeeding, frequent handwashing before and after contact with the child and use of hand sanitizers.
The month of August is Breastfeeding month and celebrated in the Philippines by virtue of Republic Act No. 10028. This year’s theme “I-bida ang pagpapasuso tungo sa wais at malusog na pamayanan!” aims to strengthen the importance of breastfeeding especially in the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic that has challenged every mother to infant feeding. Along with this celebration are efforts of various organizations and the government from the national to the local level to ensure that breastfeeding continues amidst this pandemic.
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Health Education helps individuals to be empowered and communities to live healthier by improving the physical, mental, emotional and social health through increasing their knowledge and influencing their attitudes on caring for their well-being. Hence, to increase the national awareness on major public health issues and to promote a better understanding of the role of health education, yearly every third (3rd) week of October is observed as Health Education Week.
Health education is a social science that aims to promote health and prevent disease through voluntary behavioral change activities. It is a combination of biological, environmental, psychological, intellectual, physical, and medical aspects of health focused on helping individuals and communities through self-enhancing skills and activities.
Read more: Knowing the importance of Health Education in our lives
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Third week of October every year is Bone and Joint Awareness Week in the Philippines by virtue of Proclamation No. 658. This celebration promotes awareness as well as prevention and treatment of various musculoskeletal disorders and conditions including arthritis, back pain, trauma, pediatric conditions and osteoporosis.
Our bones support and allow us to move. It plays many vital roles in our body such as providing structure, protect our organs, anchor muscles and store calcium and phosphorus to keep our bones strong, releasing them into our body when we need them for other uses. Thus, it is very important to build strong and healthy bones during childhood and adolescent years to protect your bone health once you reach adulthood.
Luckily, there are lifestyle habits that we can do to help build strong bones and joints and ways to maintain them as we age. Here are easy ways to develop strong bones:
Read more: Easy, healthy and natural ways toward stronger bones
