Lacson: Nutrition Month focuses on ways to combat stunting

NOT only are boys aged 8 and 9 quite a handful to handle sometimes but they are also very picky eaters. When it comes to making them eat nutritious food (although they would always eat what's on the table after some whining and complaining), it sometimes becomes a challenge to moms like me.

My two boys each have their preferences when it comes to food. My son Marco loves eating processed foods like hotdogs, spam, chicken nuggets, and the like. Lance, on the other hand, loves eating soup dishes and leafy vegetables (so he's not so much of my problem). While it is a joy to see your kids enjoy eating the food they prefer, it is a must to ensure that what they consume is good and advantageous for their health.

This is why, when we compare their weight and body structure, Lance is even heavier than his Kuya! Marco is thinner and easily gets sick most of the time. Looking at him with his former classmates, Marco is smaller in terms of both height and weight. It can be assumed (although we really have to see his pediatrician) that Marco may be suffering from stunting.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "[s]tunting is the impaired growth and development that children experience from poor nutrition, repeated infection, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation. Children are defined as stunted if their height-for-age is more than two standard deviations below the WHO Child Growth Standards median."

July of every year marks the celebration of the National Nutrition Month. This 2020 is the 46th year of the National Nutrition Month and the theme is "Batang Pinoy, SANA TALL . . . Iwas Stunting, SAMA ALL! Iwas ALL din sa Covid-19. This expresses the aspiration of every Filipino family to have children who can achieve their fullest potential and this can be achieved when we all work together.

In the same manner, as the whole world grapples with Covid-19, the sub-theme "Iwas ALL din sa Covid-19" is added, considering the pandemic and the community quarantine still in effect. It emphasizes more the importance of ensuring nutrition among Filipinos to improve resilience against disease and minimize the long-term effects of malnutrition.

As part of the Region 3 Central Luzon Advocates and Regional Nutrition Information Network or CLARINET, I would like to highlight this campaign. This year's celebration of the Nutrition Month specifically aims to catalyze actions to raise awareness on the impact of stunting and evidence-based solutions among families and communities leading to change in behaviors to prevent stunting; stimulate national and local (including communities) discourse on stunting to understand its causes and the multi-sectoral solutions for increased investments in interventions; and generate concrete commitment among various stakeholders to scale-up nutrition actions.

For ordinary moms like me, we can do out little part in making sure that our kids eat the right food for them to fully develop physically and mentally. With the proper diet plus exercise which can be a fun activity for the whole family, we can save our children from malnutrition and possible illnesses.

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