Color-coded foods into a colorful and healthier world
Red, yellow, and green ̶̶ ̶ ̶ these may not the primary colors but they are the ones that will primarily prioritize your life into more nutritious and healthier way.
The Department of Education (DepEd) has given a department order and guidelines that will strengthen their campaign toward more nutritious food and beverage choices in all public schools both elementary and high school as well as DepEd offices nationwide.
The strategies and guidelines signed last March 14 by Education Secretary Leonor Briones will "promote healthy diets, positive eating behaviors and provide healthy eating environment".
In order the guidelines to be more effective, according to Manila Bulletin, people who are managing school canteens were reminded by the Department of Health (DOH) to make sure that they are selling the right ācolorā of food, based on the guideline released by the DepEd.
Based on the latest 8th National Nutrition Survey which showed that for children 5-10 years old, 29.1% were underweight, 29.9% were stunted, 8.6% were wasted, and 9.1% were overweight.
Healthy diet, as defined in the order, refers to a balance in food intake which achieves energy balance and a healthy weight, limits energy intake from total fats and shifts fat consumption away from saturated fats to unsaturated fats and toward the elimination of trans-fatty acids, increases consumption of fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and nuts, limits the intake of free sugars, limits salt (sodium) consumption from all sources.
In addition, based on the news released by Rappler, the order classified canteen-cooked food, common Filipino snacks, and those without Nutrition Facts into 3 categories:
GREEN ā Food and drinks that should always be available in the canteen. The DepEd described the following examples as "the best choices for a healthy school canteen" such as oatmeal, cassava (kamoteng kahoy), and Boiled saging na saba.
YELLOW ā Food and drinks that should be served carefully. The DepEd said these examples may be served once or twice a week only (Tuesdays and Thursdays), in small servings, and should be less prominent in the canteen menu, because they may contribute to excess calories if eaten in large amounts. Example of these are banana cue, camote cue, turon, and maruya.
RED ā Food and drinks not recommended in the canteen menu, since they contain high amounts of saturated fat or sugar or salt like soft drinks, sweetened waters, powdered juice drinks and any processed fruit/vegetable juice with added sugar of more than 20 grams or 4 teaspoons per serving.
It is so good that DepEd released these kind of guidelines that will really help not only underweights and malnourished but also the overweight and obese ones.
However, in our university which there are senior high school students like me, I really cannot feel the guidelines ordered maybe because there are college students in there and also because we are almost considered as ācollege studentsā that has can distinguish what are the doās and donāts especially in eating different foods and beverages.
I hope these would be strengthen more and it can be implemented not only in school but in nationwide to promote overall healthiness and a good lifestyle for a good life.
http://news.mb.com.ph/2017/06/08/doh-to-school-canteens-take-note-of-the-green-yellow-red-food/
https://www.rappler.com/nation/164940-deped-healthier-food-drinks-schools
http://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-powerhouse-vegetables
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