Alarm raised on drop in food consumption
There has been a drop in the food consumption of Filipinos, according to the National Nutrition Council (NNC).
“Although the amount of food an individual Filipino eats a day increased from 1993 level, still on the average the Filipino is eating less,” NNC executive director Maria-Bernardita Flores said even as she sounded alarm over such attitude since food is the main source of nutrients that the body needs.
She pointed out that even more alarming is that foods usually taken in by Filipinos now have more salt, more sugar and fat.
Taking in more food with more salt, more sugar and more fat can cause a plethora of non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, cardiovascular, diabetes, cancer and all other diseases that are diet-related, said Flores.
Meanwhile, the average chronic energy deficiency in the Philippines is at 11.6 percent and 15.4 in Western Visayas.
“Apparently Western Visayas has also the highest prevalence of adult under nutrition among the regions in the country.
For overweight people, the average in the Philippines is 21.4 and Western Visayas is 16.2,” Flores added.*PNA
