Cebu City – The Orange Plate of Pinggang Pinoy represents the recommended Filipino Food Plate for Kids. The orange color generates energy, vitality, cheer, excitement, warmth, and adventure. Orange color also stimulates appetite and is a bright color that children are drawn into.

The Pinggang Pinoy aims to help parents in choosing the right kind and amount of food for their children. Ensuring that their children consume the important food groups that are beneficial to their child’s overall nutrition. Nowadays, parents are also busy with work but do not want to compromise the health of their children. The orange plate of Pinggang Pinoy is a great help in planning meal menus easily.

Here are some tips on how to fill up your child’s plate:

• Go Foods – your child needs their energy for them to be able to go out and play with their friends, carbohydrates play a key role for them to stay alert and be active throughout the day. Be smart in choosing your carbs reduce or avoid consumption of sugary foods to prevent risk of childhood diabetes or dental caries.
• Grow Foods – protein supports the overall growth and development of a child especially in building up muscles and tissue repair. Serve your kids with eggs, fish, meat and dairy products like milk and cheese.
• Glow Foods – vegetables give your kids vitamins, minerals and fiber that can protect them from getting sick. Teach them the importance of vegetables and set a good example. Your child learns food choices from their parents.
• Water – I know, it’s out of the plate. But water is very important for your child’s hydration. When kids play and sweat, they release water from their body. Keep them away from being dehydrated.

Parents have a great role in their child’s growth and development in which nutrition has an integral part of it. Parents can serve as role models and help their children developing healthy eating habits and healthy lifestyle. With these, children can grow healthy, immune to sickness and become active in school.

The Pinggang Pinoy also have other colors: Blue for teens, Brown for adults, Red for elderly and Green for the pregnant and lactating women. See more features about them in the NNC Region 7 webpage. For more information about Pinggang Pinoy, please visit the National Nutrition Council Region VII facebook page at NNCRVII // ND II Franz Cassandra R. Ontina, RND