MANILA, (PNA) — About 500 daycare workers from all over Metro Manila were convened Friday to promote the Nutritional Guidelines for Filipinos (NGF) with Daycare Workers in the National Capital Region (NCR).
They were convened by the National Nutrition Council-NCR and its regional media group, NCR Nutrition Communication Resource Group (NCR2), in cooperation with the Dept. of Social Welfare and Development-NCR at Century Park Hotel in Malate, Manila.
Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator Milagros Elisa Federizo described the guidelines as “primary recommendations to promote good health through proper nutrition”.
“They are simple statements that give advice on eating right and living healthy,” Federizo said.
“The promotion of these guidelines is an important strategy to improve the dietary and related health practices of Filipinos”, she added.
Federizo noted the need for spreading the NGF in Metro Manila as the region is facing a double burden of malnutrition where there are both cases of undernourished and overweight and/or obese children.
She explained that this situation is attributed to inadequate food intake, poor food choices and unhealthy lifestyle.
“This only shows that good eating habits, nutrition practices and healthy lifestyle should be instilled among children while they are young,” Federizo said.
“Our daycare workers can help a lot in reaching out to the children and their parents to teach them correct nutrition practices by promoting the NGF,” she added.
Present during the event was beauty queen, TV personality and Municipal Councilor of Pateros, Daisy Reyes, who has been chosen by the NNC-NCR to be its Ambassadress of Good Nutrition in Metro Manila.
Reyes said that daycare workers as teachers of pre-school children play a great role in shaping the minds and behaviour of children.
“They can also influence the children’s parents to practice and teach good nutrition at home,” she added.