Have you ever been so careful and reserved to protect your heart from heartbreaks? Some may approach love spontaneously, while others are being cautious not to have their heart broken. “February” gives us a ring every time we hear it, and is often associated with love since Valentine’s Day is being celebrated every 14th of February.
However, have you made an effort to keep your heart physically healthy and away from cardiovascular diseases?
February of every year is celebrated as the Philippine Heart Month. Since January 9, 1973 through the Proclamation No. 1096, we had been giving importance to its purpose through strengthening the advocacy of maintaining a healthy heart to prevent cardiac diseases and other heart diseases and promote cardiovascular health.
Along with this celebration, activities and campaigns are lined up to be conducted by various health organizations with the Department of Health and the Philippine Heart Association, in collaboration with the Heart Foundation of the Philippines as the lead agencies.
The focus of this celebration focuses mainly on the promotion of a healthy heart through the consumption of various foods with an emphasis on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meat and fish, and following a healthy lifestyle that may include regular exercises such as walking for at least thirty minutes per day, swimming and even stretching. Providing information and educating the public about cardiac diseases and how to avoid it are also included in this celebration.
The National Nutrition Council has its own 10 Kumainments, which also advocates good and proper nutrition. For a healthy heart, the following Kumainments are to be followed: Kumainment #1 talks about eating a variety of foods every day to get all nutrients needed by the body; Kumainment #3 says to eat more fruits and vegetables to get the essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber for the regulation of body processes; Kumainment #8 reminds us to limit intake of salty, fried, fatty and sugar-rich foods to prevent cardiovascular diseases; and Kumainments #9 and #10 which talk about observing healthy weight and proper lifestyle practices. This campaign contains a simplified version of the 2012 Nutritional Guidelines for Filipinos, which coincides and strengthens the advocacy of the Philippine Heart Month’s programs and activities.
Let us pull our hearts together! May this month of February be of great reminder to all of us, to guard our hearts and prevent it from being broken and damaged by eating foods that will make it healthier, and to love with all our hearts through healthy lifestyle and regular exercises!
“Mahalin ang pusong nagmamahal: maghealthy lifestyle na!”—and that is a call for a healthy nutrition mission. (cqt/rggt)
