DOH urges parents to pay attention to their kids' diet

What kids get on their plate have economic impacts to the country in the big picture, experts say as the UNICEF launched its flagship report "The State of the World’s Children" which zoomed in this year on young people's food and nutrition.

The Department of Health (DOH) reminded the Filipino parents to pay attention to their children's meals as one in every three kids under five years old in the country were found to be stunted or too short for their age.

According to Dr. Anthony Calibo, chief of the DOH's Disease Prevention and Control Bureau, it all starts with breastfeeding.

"'Yan palang hitik na 'yan sa sustansya, energy, protina at 'yung tamang sangkap ng asukal na laman po ng breastmilk, dapat assured na 'yung nutrisyon ng bata sa unang anim na buwan," Calibo said.

"Pagdating ng anim na buwan, dito tayo nagkakaroon ng problema. Ang complementary feeding kasi kailangan tinitingnan mo 'yung pinapakain mo sa bata," he added.

He explained that complementary feeding commences when a child starts to eat solid food, usually at around six months after birth.

Calibo underscored that often times, the children's nutritional needs are compromised because of the family's lifestyle and budget.

He, however, said that preparing healthy meals for kids should not be too complicated and costly.

"Minsan iniisip nila ano 'yung pinakamabilis iluto o ihanda. Ang complimentary feeding kasi kailangan tinitingnan mo 'yung ipapakain mo sa bata [mula sa] kung ano rin 'yung ipinamalengke mo sa pamilya," he said.

"Hindi na masyadong rocket science. Halimbawa kung ang isang pamilya ay magluluto ng tinolang manok, 'yung green papaya na pinakuluan niyo doon, pwede ninyo i-mash at ibigay sa bata. 'Yung protina na matatagpuan sa manok, pwedeng himay-himayin. Wala pong karagdagang gastos," he added.

Calibo encouraged parents with hectic schedules to prepare a healthy meal plan for their children and avoid resorting to canned and instant food.

"Refrain from giving a child food with artificial coloring, artificial flavors, food that also have high salt content, trans-fat, or high in sugar," he said, noting that this increases their risk of getting cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, among others.

"If you think that this harms you as an adult, more likely it also harms your kid."

Calibo likewise advised parents to monitor their children's growth chart whenever they visit the doctor because it can serve as an indicator of what's lacking or what's in excess in their diet.

Moreover, he pointed out that "children need more than just food." They need a holistic environment where they can also develop their physical and cognitive skills.

‘Scaling up the Filipinos' nutrition’

According to UNICEF, 149 million children aged five and below across the globe are stunted.

In the Philippines, a third of the children population below five years old do not meet the adequate height for their age.

"Stunting is not just physical stunting but stunted brain development and in the long term, stunted economic development," National Nutrition Council executive director Dr. Azucena Dayanghirang said during her presentation.

She pointed out that focusing on the first 1000 days of a child, a step which includes ensuring the dietary supplementation of pregnant women, would be a good economic investment because nutrition is an important component of human capital development.

Last year, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 11148 or the Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act which aims to provide government support to children in their first 1,000 days.

The government should also strengthen regulatory policies that would prevent "harmful marketing" of breast milk substitutes and unhealthy food products, according to Calibo.

Aside from stunted growth, the prevalence of hidden hunger or micronutrient deficiency and being overweight are also public health challenges globally. —LDF, GMA News