Last May 17, 2022 The Metro Manila Health Research and Development Council (MMHRDC), in collaboration with the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) and the Industrial Technology Development Institute (DOST-ITDI), held a virtual forum via Zoom Platform and Facebook with the theme, "Pagkain, Nutrisyon, Kalusugan at Kaligtasan: Pagharap sa Hamon ng Makabagong Panahon."
The forum was organized to highlight the importance of taking care of our health in the new normal. The invited speakers were experts in various topic in health & nutrition, food safety and food processing.
Other efforts during the COVID-19 that Virgin Coconut Oil is now being pushed as an adjunctive therapy for COVID-19 patients. It is an affordable alternative way to help us in combating Coronavirus disease.
The major issues during lockdowns are:
Food insecurity due to physical and economic inaccessibility of food;
Limited access to health and nutrition programs for children including pregnant women
Physical inactivity and unhealthy diet
If these major issues left unsolved we will have increased percentage in nutrient deficiency, undernutrition and overnutrition.
DOST-FNRI have come up with nutritional recommendations during COVID-19 pandemic in different levels such as individual, community, national and global.
INDIVIDUAL LEVEL
Eat well-balanced meals, avoid irregular snacking
Maintain a healthy lifestyle of exercise (home-exercises, regular sleep, and meditation
Choose foods rich in vitamins A, C, E, B6 and B12, zinc, and iron rich such as citrus fruits, dark green leafy vegetables, nuts, and dairy products.
Avoid smoking, alcohol, and drugs
Refrain from spreading misinformation related to nutrition and dietary intake and the COVID-19.
COMMUNITY LEVEL
Identify and support population at risk of malnutrition within the community, especially elderly and patients with chronic diseases.
Create a structured and reliable support system to ensure availability, access, and affordability of essential food commodities to all members of the community.
NATIONAL LEVEL
Promote the local use of agricultural products, minimizes reliance on food imports.
Support agricultural and food production industries.
Closely monitor and inspect food prices and markets.
Build networks with the private sector, the international agencies, and local communities.
What is Food Safety?
Food safety refers to the assurance that food will not cause harm to the consumer when it is prepared or eaten according to its intended use (RA 10611 or the Food Safety Act of 2013
Basic Steps for Food Safety:
1. Clean
buy from a reliable source
clean lids of can goods
wash fruits and vegetables
proper hand washing
wash cooking utensils and food contact surfaces
keep kitchen clean
2. Separate
do not cross contaminate
use separate chopping boards for different raw materials
observe proper storage order
3. Cook
cook for 15seconds to safe (internal) temperature
4. Chill
newly cooked meals can only stay in room temp for 2 hours so consume your food immediately.
COVID-19 has faced extreme pressure on health care system and has created numerous challenges on patients and health care providers. The direct stresses such as the shortage of medicines, prolonged isolation, delays in cancer diagnosis and treatment of chronic illnesses. And indirect factors such as alcohol and drug use, reduced physical activity, and dietary shift to unhealthy food choices. That is why the consumption of various nutraceutical or functional foods is now needed more than ever.
Nutraceuticals is a term from amalgamation of nutrients and pharmaceuticals. “Nutraceuticals are food, or parts of a food, that provide health benefits, including the prevention and treatment of disease” (by Stephen L. DeFelice, M.D. is the founder and chairman of FIM, the Foundation for Innovation in Medicine).
Functional Foods
Functional foods is whole foods along with fortified, enriched or enhanced foods with potential beneficial effect on health when eaten as part of a varied diet on a regular basis at effective levels based on significant standards of evidence (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics).
DOST-ITDI Chemicals and Energy Division working hand in hand to produce and develop technologies that can improve our daily lives. They showcase there finished and ongoing projects with standardized processing.
DOST ITDI Packaging Technology Division conducts research on packaging safety.
One of the ultimate goals of the packaging safety is to be able provide one regulatory body scientific data in setting up national limits and to allow our lawmakers and injecting policies in food contact materials.
For updates of our next webinar follow us on our Facebook Pages https://www.facebook.com/ITDIDOSTUpdates and https://www.facebook.com/mmhrdc2019
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