During the recent Nutrition Month launch in La Carlota City, Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator Nona Tad-y called on local residents, along with schools, to plant more fruits and vegetables in an effort to promote healthier lives and combat malnutrition.

“Start food garden in your homes,” she said. “When we have enough food, we don’t go hungry, we live longer, save the environment, and we live a satisfied and happy life.”

Tad-y noted, the city is currently running into problems associated with low fruit and vegetable consumption, which leads to insufficient micronutrient intake. Micronutrients are said to help in growth and development, along with maintaining overall health.

She also called on policy makers to invest more in food gardening, trainings, and seminars.

“We need to promote vegetable planting,” Tad-y urged.

In observance of Nutrition Month, the World Health Organization in the Philippines encouraged a healthy diet comprised of fruits and vegetables, legumes and whole grains, and unsaturated fats.

They also discouraged the excessive consumption of salt and sugar./WDJ