Pangasinan high school marks Nutrition Month

• Source: http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/pangasinan-high-school-marks-nutrition-month/
• Sunday, July 23, 2017

By Cyril John Barlongo

The Rosales National HighSchool in Rosales, Pangasinan, held the annual celebration of Nutrition Month by the National Nutrition Council (NNC) with the focal theme, “Healthy Diet Growing Habit for Life”.

Several students participated in the event. Among the activities on the first day, July 20, were Malunggay Tree Planting, Cook Fest, Nutri-Quiz, Nutri-Essay and Poster-Making and Tarpaulin-Making contests. On the second day, July 21, activities, such as Zumba Fitness, Nutri-Jingle and Seminar on Healthy Diet, were attended by at least 4,000 students and more than 100 teachers in junior and senior high school.

As one of the city’s popular products, tinapa, or smoked fish, was used by the students as the main ingredient in the Cook Fest. Tinapa is a popular delicacy in the Philippines cooked through smoking. Several ways of cooking tinapa were presented during the program.

Meanwhile, Nutri-Essay was also participated in by the school’s future writers who wrote essays with 300 to 500 words in accordance with this year’s theme. Entries were judged based on relevance, structure, creativity and originality. As young writers, the students played an active role in promoting healthy diet in their institution or community.

Teachers also participated in the Malunggay Tree Planting within the school. Usually found in backyards, the malunggay tree provides nutritious leaves in meals.

Conrado Areola, the subject group head in Technical-Vocational Livelihood said, “If we plant malunggay in our backyards, why not plant it in our school, as well? We can plant malunggay everywhere and it is easy to propagate. Besides, Ilocanos love pinakbet or dinengdeng with malunggay. It is popular for its high nutritional value as well as its use as an herbal medicine.”

Teachers also joined the Zumba Fitness conducted by the school. All students were encouraged to join the Zumba to complement their heathy diet with an exercise to contribute to the reduction of overweight, obesity and noncommunicable diseases.

Nutrition Month is an annual celebration initiated by the NNC and is based on Presidential Decree 491, the Nutrition Act of the Philippines, signed on June 25, 1974.