Cebu City – Do you ever wonder and ask yourself on, “how should I start eating healthy?” Do you just happen to skim around the internet and find all these reliable sources and still left not acting about it? If there’s an easy or smart way to do other things, then eating healthy is no different. It is literally looking at a graphic drawing of a plate, and right away with its simplicity, you are guided on what to do the next time you set forth into having a nutrient-dense meal.
A lot of individuals overconsumed unhealthy food during the lockdown. Coupled with lack of physical activity because of mobility restrictions, many gained weight resulting to increasing cases of overweight/obese individuals in our communities. The 2021 Operation Timbang Plus results showed an increased prevalence (2.7% to 3.1%) of preschool children in Central Visayas are overweight and obese. One out of three or 29.4% among adults on the other hand are overweight (2015 NNS).
Despite the rising statistics and for some reason or another, the mindset is there knowing the unhealthy practices, but doing nothing about it. It’s about time to eliminate those thoughts and act now. But how do we start eating healthily? Worry no more, because there’s a simple tool using a plate model that provides the best graphic advice you can take advantage of. This is the Pinggang Pinoy.
Pinggang Pinoy, literally translated as Filipino Plate, is a visual representation of what a person should consume on a per meal basis. It is a plate-based food guide that features the right proportion of food that contains the right nutrients needed by the body of an average Filipino. This guide contains all the necessary tools for you to attain in your meal the 3 variables of healthy eating namely: Moderation which speaks about portion control; Variety which stresses out the importance of a wide array of selection of food; and Balance which talks about the right amounts needed from all the macronutrients. Healthy eating is not literally hard but it’s the commitment, discipline and responsibility for yourself that has to be developed to attain healthy you. // NO I Gab Flores, RND
