Region VII

Details: Category: Region 7; Published: 01 November 2022

Cebu City – Food is any substance consumed to sustain an organism's nutritional needs. Most of the food comes from plants, and animals, and contains vital nutrients like carbs, lipids, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. You can eat it cooked or raw. But what is healthier raw food or cooked food?

Foods that haven't been cooked or processed are referred to as raw foods. Advocates argue that cooking destroys some nutrients and enzymes and that raw foods are more nutrient-dense than cooked ones. Some people think that heated food is poisonous. On the other hand, cooking food can improve its taste, but it also changes its nutritional content. Interestingly, some vitamins are lost when food is cooked, while others become more available for your body to use. Some claim that eating primarily raw foods is the path to better health. However, certain cooked foods have clear nutritional benefits. It may depend on the food neither it is completely raw nor completely cooked because both raw and cooked fruits and vegetables have various health benefits, including a lower risk of chronic disease.

Here are a few examples of foods that are either healthier raw or healthier cooked:

Details: Category: Region 7; Published: 31 October 2022

Cebu City – The Presidential Sister and Senator Imee R. Marcos congratulated the 2022 Central Visayas Grand Nutrition awardees virtually. Sen. Marcos was the Guest of Honor during the back-to-back event of 17^th Regional Congress of Nutrition Action Officers and the 2022 Central Visayas Grand Nutrition Awards. Due to an emergency engagement, Sen. Marcos couldn’t physically attend the event but gives a video message to the audience. In her message, she told the participants that nutrition is close to her heart as it is one of the agendas she personally advocates.

During her father’s term (Pres. Marcos, Sr.) together with the former first lady Mrs. Imelda R. Marcos, the country embarked on a legacy project in the 1970s together with USAID to feed the severely malnourished Filipino children. Sen Marcos shared that today with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is time once again to bring about a new and enhanced and much better leveled-up nutribun with the magic nutribus for the malnourished Filipino children that aims to do a supplemental feeding in batches of 120 days in hopes to eradicate malnutrition in the country.

Details: Category: Region 7; Published: 30 October 2022

Cebu City - Assistant Secretary and NNC Executive Director Dr. Azucena M. Dayanghirang emphasized the role of Nutrition Action Officers (NAOs) in managing the nutrition program in their local governments. She shared the key functions of NAOs in her keynote address during the 17^th Regional Congress of NAOs held at the Summit Galleria Hotel on 19 September 2022. She graced the event as the Guest of Honor and keynote speaker. A/Sec ED Dayanghirang in her message also congratulated the Central Visayas Association of Nutrition Action Officers, Inc. and National Nutrition Council Region VII for successfully organizing the activity.

The Congress which carried the theme “Kalig-ong nutrisyon, tubag sa pagtukog og mas maayong bag-ong NAOrmal” called for intensified efforts to battle stunting and other forms of malnutrition thru nutrition-specific, sensitive, and enabling programs with consideration of health protocols as response to the new normal. The NNC Executive Director also stressed the crucial role of NAOs to make safety nets to abate hunger and malnutrition brought about by the threat of food security and the skyrocketing prices of basic commodities. She further urged the participants to hold on to their commitment, passion, and laboring support that nutrition must remain a top priority especially now in these most challenging times.

Details: Category: Region 7; Published: 31 October 2022

Jimalalud, Negros Oriental – The Municipality of Jimalalud spearheaded by Municipal Mayor and Municipal Nutrition Committee (MNC) Chairman Hon. Hazel C. Tuanda conducted a 3-day blended training on Nutrition Program Management and Nutrition in Emergencies. The training was held on 24-26 October 2022 at the Rural Health Unit, Jimalalud, Negros Oriental. It was an initiative by the MNC and Planning Core Group in preparation and formulation of the 3-year Local Nutrition Action Plan for 2023-2025.

Information Management Officer from the National Nutrition Council, Mrs. Lyneth Anne A. Amahit together with MHO/MNAO, Dr. Josephine Y. Fernandez, PHN/MNPC, Ms. Susie Lorgie E. Espraguera, and ND II Ms. Chutsvieka May Pacatang visited the Mayor’s Office and had a courtesy call with Municipal Mayor/MNC Chairman. IMO Amahit informed Mayor Tuanda on the rationale of the training being conducted and even encouraged the Mayor to give support to the nutrition program.

Details: Category: Region 7; Published: 30 October 2022

San Fernando, Cebu - The Municipal Nutrition Committee of San Fernando formally sent off the nineteen (19) student-interns of the Cebu Doctors’ University (CDU) Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics (BSND) for their public health nutrition exposure in the area. The activity was held last 7 October 2022.

Hon. Mytha Ann B. Canoy engaged in a short talk with the interns. The BSND interns briefly discussed their accomplishments by the group. They highlighted the importance of reactivating the BNC and furnishing a complete BNAP to sustain nutrition functionality in the barangay. The interns also individually shared their experiences during their public health exposure.

Details: Category: Region 7; Published: 31 October 2022

Carmen, Cebu - The Rise and Rebuild Foundation, a non-government agency operating in North Cebu launches its Dietary Supplementation Program (DSP) on 15 August 2022 at the Cogon West Barangay Hall, Carmen, Cebu. The Foundation’s DSP is set to benefit more than 60 children in five barangays in Carmen namely Brgy. Dawis Norte, Brgy. Poblacion, Brgy. Luyang, Brgy. Cogon East, and Brgy. Cogon West. Municipal Nutrition Committee Chair and Mayor, Hon. Carlo T. Villamor joined the launching and gleefully interacted with the children while waiting for the feeding to start.

Rise and Rebuild Foundation is one of the members of the Civil Society Alliance of Scaling Up Nutrition in Central Visayas. The Foundation is committed to aiding the need of malnourished children from birth through secondary school in the areas they are operating. They also run a garden center, drill potable water wells, and construct nutrition centers out of bricks created at its brick manufacturing facility. The garden center provides free vegetables for the nutrition centers as well as job opportunity by hiring people from the locality to help them in maintaining their gardens. They started operations in Cebu following the devastation caused by Typhoon Yolanda in November 2013 with the construction of communal bathrooms as their pilot program.