Taguig educates mothers on proper food preparation

Fighting malnutrition

As the saying goes, good nutrition starts at home.

Making sure that this is practiced at home, the Taguig local government has started conducting information and education campaign on healthy food production and preparation, targeting almost a thousand household.

This forms part of the city’s Lingap at Aruga, sa Nutrisyon Isagawa (LANI) Supplementary Feeding Program conducted by the City Nutrition Office as a result of the Operation Timbang it held previously. The Operation Timbang revealed that over 1000 children below five years old in Taguig were identified as either underweight or severely underweight.

Mayor Lani Cayetano said malnutrition is a problem that must not be taken lightly. She vowed to make sure that malnutrition problem especially among children is addressed, and a thorough education about healthy food is an important part of it.

“The education that we impart on parents is to ensure that those benefiting from our feeding program will continue to receive the proper nourishment starting at home,” Mayor Lani added.

Under the program, at least 996 parents will be taught how to prepare locally available and inexpensive food. They will also undergo livelihood and skills training in coordination with the city manpower, City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) and Public Employment Services Office (PESO).

“Good nutrition is a building block for proper development and strengthens a person’s immune system. Preparation of healthy food need not be expensive, and at the end of the program we hope that the children will gain the ideal normal weight,” the local chief executive said.

De-worming, vitamins for children

Moreover, the LANI supplementary feeding program includes de-worming for  children, and the distribution of micronutrient supplements such as vitamin A and Iron syrup.

Last year, the City Nutrition Office was recognized for its best implementation of the Pabasa sa Nutrisyon Program.

The Pabasa sa Nutrisyon program is an information-sharing type of activity that targets breastfeeding mothers, pregnant women and mothers of malnourished children to teach them the proper selection and preparation of food served to families which is both affordable and nutritious to control and lessen the cases of malnutrition. ###