Some may think that eating low-calorie or low-cholesterol food, and refraining from eating meat would automatically make them fit and healthy. But, what they don’t know is that doing so will keep them from getting enough nutrients into their body.
‘‘If you want to think of health as low- fat, or low salt, it is not all that. Wellness is about MoVaBa or moderation, variety and balance. That means you can enjoy food within the context of moderation, variety and balance. This is all part of a balanced diet,” says Aleli Elizabeth Magtibay, corporate nutritionist of Nestlé during the recent Nestlé “I Choose Wellness” expo.
Eating whatever you want can make you healthy. Sounds a little off yet true, but then the inevitable question really is how? Aleli elaborates.
“I can eat sisig, kaldereta, crispy pata, but it is how much I should eat. That’s moderation, meaning portion control. Variety, on the hand, means there’s no one food that can give you everything that you need. Different sorts of food has to be enjoyed everyday. There has to be fruits, vegetable and meat. It is not just I’m going to eat guyabano, there is no wonder food. We don’t single out that you should eat this and only this for the rest of the day. Meanwhile balance, take for example the amount of rice does not necessarily equate the amount of chocolate that you should eat. In the food pyramid, or even in our plates, half of it should go to fruits and vegetables or to rice. It is not all about eating equal shares”
Moderation, variety and balance are the keys to wellness, she says. Aleli also stresses that, “you have to put color on your plate, and it should represent everything. Your plate should have carbo-rich food, protein-rich food, regulating rich food, which are the fruits and vegetables, and you ought to have milk.”
Supermodel Tweetie de Leon-Gonzales could attest to this as she maintains her svelte figure by eating a variety of food at the same time doing a series of workouts. “I don’t stay away from anything at all, not even sweets. But, I have to remember my limits. If I want a cookie, I’ll have a cookie, if I want a cupcake, I’ll have a cupcake. If I want steak, I’ll eat my steak, but only a portion that would commensurate to how much activity I do,” she shares. “I really try my best to lead a balanced lifestyle. I make time for exercise. I have this need to be active. I try my best to eat well, there are times that I indulge in food, but that’s okay, for as long as I know my limits.”
To keep up with the MoVaBa diet, Nestlé makes sure that they have a variety of products, but these are also furnish with the right nutrients . “We want to make sure that our consumers meet what we described as a nutritional foundation. We are introducing micronutrients into our products to make sure that we are delivering the nutrients to address the relevant deficiencies that people have. For example, there’s a deficiency in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, or Zinc, so in different brands we incorporate different benefits that can meet the needs of the dietary Filipino consumer,” says John Miller chairman and chief executive officer of Nestlé Philippines.
“Different consumers have different needs,” John explains further on Nestlé’s stand on nutritional foundation. Apparently, it hopes to address the malnutrition here in the country. “For example, we are very keen to make our sugar level low as we know that diabetes is on the increase. Our products are reducing people’s sugar intake. Take for example Bear Brand, the incidence of underheight and underweight of Filipino consumers is on the rise; therefore we enrich Bear Brand with Zinc, to help children grow to their full potential. “
Nestlé products are enjoyed although out the day—Nescafé, Milo, Nestea, Nido. With what Nestle has presented, we can enjoy all cups of coffee in the idea of moderation, variety and balance, at the same time, be ensured that we get the nutrients we need.
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