As they say, “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.” We may have heard this once or a million times already but eating a healthy breakfast is really important. Not only does this provide the energy that we need throughout the whole day, but it also gives us the health benefits that we will need in the long run.
Eating a balanced breakfast serves as a fuel for the mind and body. Usually, men require more energy than women. On average, an adult female requires approximately 2,000 kilocalories, while an adult male needs around 2,500 kilocalories a day.
Aside from providing the energy that we need, eating breakfast can help in reducing health risk factors. According to a study done by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, women who eat breakfast every single day are less likely to develop type 2 diabetes rather than those who eat breakfast zero to six times in a week. A Harvard study also shows that those people who don’t consume breakfast are 27 percent more likely to suffer from heart diseases or a heart attack.
A proper mealtime in the morning can improve the cognitive function associated to a better memory. This gives us the concentration that we need in school and at work. Breakfast can also be associated with weight loss. Contrary to popular belief, skipping a meal, and most especially skipping breakfast, cannot really help if you are trying to lose weight. This is because if you skip breakfast, you are likely at risk of eating a lot more in your next meal and consume more fatty and high-sugar food.
My Wellness Plate
But eating breakfast is not just consuming anything in the morning. A single doughnut or a greasy hash brown paired with coffee is not enough. It needs to have a balanced diet. This is what the Nestle Philippines is promoting, the focus on eating a healthy breakfast.
“Nestlé’s ‘My Wellness Plate’ teaches that half your plate should be ‘glow’ foods [fruits and vegetables] and the other half should be a combination of ‘go’ foods [carbohydrates] and ‘grow’ foods [proteins], accompanied by a healthy beverage. We recommend that the principle of ‘My Wellness Plate’ be followed in every meal, starting with breakfast, for one to be able to meet his or her nutritional needs,” SVP and Director of Communication and Marketing Services Paolo Mercado said.
The “go” foods provide the energy that we need all throughout the day. The consumption of whole grains is much healthier for it contains nutrients that may be already gone in the refined grains. Fish is a great example of “grow” food for tuna, salmon, and other fatty fishes also have omega-3 that is good for the heart. Grow food is the source of protein for the building of cells and muscles. “glow” foods are the source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. The more colorful a vegetable or fruit is, the higher the amount of antioxidant it contains.
21 Mornings Program
From February to March this year, Nestlé deployed over 600 nutritionists to provide personalized nutrition counseling to more than 950,000 consumers in supermarkets and groceries nationwide. In the counseling sessions, these nutritionists explained to consumers the importance of a Wellness breakfast habit, built around the ‘My Wellness Plate’, a practical guide on how to eat right based on the ‘Pinggang Pinoy’ of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology.
This is the beginning of the launch of the 21 Mornings Program, a 21-day meal plan designed by Nestlé Philippines together with a panel of chefs and nutritionists to help you get started on a wellness breakfast habit. Whether you prefer easy 15-min preparation, food on-the-go, or a fully prepared breakfast that is not only good for the heart but also for the soul, the program will provide a breakfast plan for 21 days together with wellness tips, grocery checklist and nutrient count.
Some of the sneak peek recipes featured on its web site www.choosewellness.com.ph is the beef tapa, garlic rice, tomato & onion & cilantro salsa, and mango, served with iced tea and the chicken tosilog, mango salsa, sinangag, watermelon, and iced tea.
Nutritional guidance advocacy
In a third world country like the Philippines where malnutrition caused by poverty is still evident, Nestlé’s advocacy of incorporating nutrition health and wellness in the daily lives of people is very much helpful to address this problem. Mr. Suresh Narayanan, Chairman and CEO of Nestle Philippines, Inc. stated that the programs that Nestle has launched in the past years have aimed to educate, enlighten, and inspire a lot of people.
“In the engagement on the Choose Wellness advocacy, again, every year we are getting closer to 20, 25000 people to come in and engage with us. All of these efforts towards having a society that becomes more aware and more conscious of better nutrition for better living.” Narayanan said. The understanding of what kind of nutrition is being consumed and is really needed by an individual is the key to addressing the problem of malnutrition. But at the end of the day, eating a balanced diet is all we need in order to stay healthy. A better nutrition, toward a better lifestyle.
Hazel Sartorio