The Road to Better Health

by: Dr. Cynthia Dela Cruz

Healthy and Unhealthy Foods for School Children

Recommendations for providing healthy food to our children in school.

Role of the Government

1. The Department of Education should strengthen the implementation and monitoring of DECS Memorandum No. 372, s. 1995 (Revitalizing Supplementary Feeding as Primary Intervention to Undernutrition among School Children) and DECS Memorandum No. 373, s. 1996 (Encouraging the Sale and Consumption of healthy and Nutritious Foods in the Schools.)

2. The Health and Nutrition Center should strengthen the implementation of the existing health and nutrition programs such as the School Milk Project, Breakfast Feeding Program, Applied Nutrition Program, and Alay Tanim at Pangkabuhayan.

3. The implementation of the TCP Approach to health and nutrition should be enforced in asll schools both public and private.
4. The Department of Education, in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture, should aim to subsidize nutritious and healthy foods (milk, fruits, vegetables, root crops) thereby making them more available and affordable to school children.

5. The Department of Education should strengthen the integration of nutrition education at all levels both elementary and high school.

6. The Food and Nutrition Research Institute should make the Nutritional Guidelines for Filipinos, Recommended Energy and Nutrient Intakes, and different brochures available to the general public by providing copies to schools and local health centers.

7. The Food and Nutrition Research Institute should make use of media in promoting health and nutrition messages to the general public.

8. The National Nutrition Council should coordinate the implementation of various government programs and policies that will safeguard the nutrition of children at home and in schools.

Role of School Administrators and teachers

1. School administrators should collaborate with parents and community members to organize a school nutrition council/committee aimed at promoting healthy and nutritious diet at home and in school.

2. School administrator should develop and create an integrated, comprehensive school based nutrition policy which includes guidelines for food and beverages sold in vending machines and a la carte items in canteens, foods sold at fundraising events, classroom food rewards by teachers, in-school advertising of food and beverage, and product give aways.

3. School canteens should only offer foods that are nutritious and affordable.

4. School administrators should take the initiative in prohibiting the sale of unhealthy foods in their canteen and around school premises.

5. School administrators should seek guidelines from nutritionist and physicians regarding healthy food that maybe made available to students.

6. Teachers should strengthen nutrition education of the student by emphasizing the importance of eating healthy foods and avoiding unhealthy foods.(more on nextweek)/TE