PILAR, Abra -- The National Nutrition Council (NNC) advocates and some media partners spent the weekend in Barangay Bolbolo to impart to parents of malnourished kids the importance of good nutrition.

As part of the Nutri-Pasada activities for Nutritionally Depressed Barangays in the Cordillera, officials of the Cordillera office of the National Nutrition Council (NNC-CAR) led by Rose Lulu Pagaduan went to Barangay Bolbolo as its first stop. The said baragay posted the highest rate of underweight children in Pilar town.

Around 79 parents and children were given lectures on proper nutrition, nutrition guidelines for Filipinos and organic farming.

Candiz Willy, the municipal nutritionist and dietician, said the causes of malnutrition include Poor infant practices such as exclusive breastfeeding and proper complementary feeding-poor attendance to married classes; Poor child care; Limited knowledge and skills on child rearing; Limited takers of family planning method; Large family size; Unemployment; Limited trained nutrition staff; Individual problems laziness; Ease of access of children to junk foods; Teenage pregnancy; Inactive BNC and Unsupported Nutrition Programs.

Dr. Leona Beronia, provincial nutrition action officer, who also lectured the participants on nutrition guidelines, told parents not to allow their children to eat junk foods, instead cook nutritious foods that could be taken from their backyards.

The children were treated to parlor games with emphasis on the eating of nutritious foods while parents joined the vegetable cooking contest which was anchored on the criteria: nutritious, delicious, palatable and made up of indigenous vegetables.

Charilyn Barcena and her daughter Dennilyn Fae Barcena bested 10 other pairs in the vegetable cooking contest as she cooked ginisang patani mixed with tomatoes and squash.

Barcena said the program serves as an empowerment for them to try to make changes in the food that they are serving their children since there are numerous vegetables that are available to be used as sources of vitamins and nutrients for them and their children.

Corazon Barber, municipal social welfare assistant, said the parents and children were able to learn a lot from the Nutri-Pasada activities, thus, she hopes that they have internalized the lessons and put them to practice to help in reducing malnutrition incidents in the barangay in the future.

Published in the Sun.Star Baguio newspaper on January 24, 2013.

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Nutrition Council brings advocacy to Abra