Health | Combat Stunted Growth and Malnutrition with Nutrition Education

Pinggang Pinoy in Hand

Have you encountered the phrase, “you are what you eat”? As an allied health professional, this is among the phrases that help us be molded as health advocates. However, this isn’t always true for some, like, “if I eat pork, am I a pork?” or “if I eat chicken, am I a chicken?” Well, those are just for some who try to make fun of this phrase. Yet, in essence, this phrase wants to say that the food you have eaten provide the body nourishment, and whatever you have taken more than adequate will result some body nutritional abnormality. In simple words, the nutrients of the food you eat will result on your own body.

L-R: Ms. Gonzales and me

Ms. Josefina Gonzales, a science research specialist from the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), an arm of the Department of Science and Technology, shared some information of the Nutrition State of the Philippines. A round table discussion for this is brought by Alaska Milk Corporation as part of their information dissemination regarding nutrition education wherein part of the discussion is a glass of milk every day.

The National Nutrition Survey is conducted every 5 years. The results show that in the Philippines, there are 1 out of 3 school children is underweight while Davao Region shows 3 out of 10 school children are underweight. There is not much of a difference and there has to be done. Underweight children is a result of undernourishment that can contribute to stunted growth, which is irreversible! Stunted growth is the condition wherein growth potential isn’t achieved.

The round table discussion has emphasized the need for nutrition education. In a way, the nutrition education will serve as a guide for parents and school children to help them understand better the needs of the body. It doesn’t always mean that a child with heavy weight is healthy.

The FNRI has developed a graphical illustration of a healthy meal, it is called Pinggang Pinoy. The plate is divided into portions of Go foods, Grow foods and Glow foods. It isn’t a replacement of any nutrition guide like the food pyramid. It is just a simple illustration of an adequate meal. There may be an argument that what is adequate is subjective, but the Pinggang Pinoy will show what an adequate plate should be. The National Nutrition Survey also showed that school children commonly consume the following: 1) rice, 2) cooking oil, 3) bread, 4) egg, 5) chicken, 6) sugar, 7) crackers, 8) cookies, 9) noodles, 10) hotdogs and sausages. The list didn’t show much appreciation of consuming milk and vegetables - which the nutrition education wanted to address also. There may also be a concern of being lactose intolerant for Calcium needs, but there are alternative sources of Calcium like the green leafy vegetables.

Nutrition Education can also be attained during Feeding Program. Yes, there are a lot of feeding program happening but nutrition education is lacking. The feeding program should be an avenue for information drive on how to prepare a healthy meal using indigenous ingredients or those readily available in the community. The feeding program should not be a single vehicle of meal consumption but it should gear towards application of knowledge for parents and children in attaining healthy meal everyday.

There has to be collaborative efforts always to combat stunted growth and malnutrition. We should also learn from our neighboring countries of how they give nutrition education like in Japan. It is part of a Japanese school children’s learning on how to prepare healthy food which also include table manners. Also, nutritionists and dietitians play a very important part in their community to give adequate nutritional facts and monitoring. If these are being emulated, the Philippines will perhaps decrease the numbers of stunted growth and malnutrition.

Event | TechUp Pilipinas, Union Bank Harnessing Technology for Agri

LR: Ms. Park, Ms. Cuisia, Mr. Duarte, Dir. Hassan, Ms.Rubio, Mr. Aguda and Ms. Maclang.

photo credit: Geiser Maclang

The Philippines is among the agricultural countries in the world that shows a big gap of demand versus supply or production. Hence, it is evident of much importation instead of exportation that is pretty ironic for an agricultural nation. The country lacks with farmers who will sustain the production for the demand. The youth, especially, are among those not interested to farming even their families come from the industry. Here comes a collaboration of the private and public sector to increase awareness of agricultural needs with the use of technology, let's take a moment to TECH UP AGRI!

Many young people of this new generation are more focused of technological advancement like doing some software or applications useful for everyday life. The world even adopts more digital transaction from inventory to payment and even prediction of things in the future. There is what we call the artificial intelligence, block chain and others. These are also the things that TechUp Pilipinas and Union Bank see as an opportunity to have the youth take a look of the agricultural industry and allow them to assess and find a digital solution or system to help the agricultural sector.

There are a number of young groups who convene for a 2-day hackathon. It is the 10th in the series but first in Mindanao. Davao City at Enderun Tent, Azuela Cove, is the host of the event wherein featured technology experts and thought leaders, including Mon Duarte, Senior Vice President of Union Bank; Clint Hassan, Director of Information and Communications Technology at the Department of Agriculture; Ann Cuisia, the Founder and CEO of TraXion; Nico Gonzales, the Director of Marketing and Sales of Xlog; Mario Salazar, Founder and Chief Technical and Product Officer of Acudeen Technologies; and Jayjay Viray, Founder of Agrigrocer. Not only that, tech advocate and co-convenor of TechUp Pilipinas, Amor Maclang is there.

Mr. Duarte has shared the bank’s vision of reaching out to the agri sector for financing. Director Hassan has shared the potential of technology in helping farmers be identified properly with their crops and support that can be given to them. Ms. Cuisia has shared their experience using blockchain in Cagayan de Oro and Leyte. Mr. Gonzales has shared roles of logistics in the industry. Mr. Salazar has shared about choosing agribusinesses as an option of business. Ms. Viray has shared about farm to table mode through technology.

The agriculture industry is close to my heart as this is also the industry where some of my family members are in. Yes, we are a family of farmers. It was rice fields then but now with banana plantation. There are really struggles being a farmer especially with undetermined rainfall then sudden flooding or no rain at all and drought. Then where to bring the crops, but with good network and connections, it will help a lot. However, not all have the network and connections; hopefully, the technology that will be developed will give that network and connection.

Also, I hope that this hackathon will not just end there. The products of such event should be scaled up after the development. It has been observed also that the Philippines is among the slowest in terms of individuals doing a scale up of products. The hackathon event is a trigger but hopefully there will be a sustenance of these projects. It may be a very good chance for the government to step up and make these projects be scaled however because of many processes to undergo, it discourages many to have a partnership. But it shouldn’t always be the case, there has to be continuous development and making these projects live like another technology worthy to be in somebody’s smartphone.

That being said, technology can really help in many ways but not really the immediate solution. It can be part of the process. Technology can provide a massive data that can be used for decision making by local government units and even by the Department of Agriculture. Also, a concern on land conversion must be brought up and these converted lands should still include agriculture section or farming area that will serve as a reminder of even in land conversion there has to be some continuous food production. Yes, I agree, there has to be a step to TECH UP AGRI!

Thank you for visiting my avenue, www.ten7avenue.com and thank you Geiser Maclang for the invitation and opportunity for this learning.

Lifestyle | Globe #makeITsafePH : How Do You Use Your Mobile Data?

The Philippines is among the world’s widest user of the world wide web. Yes, approximately 67 million internet users doing a surf in this vast world. Given this kind of statistics and lifestyle, have you ever asked yourself how you act in the internet? Who are you in the world wide web? Or how do you use your mobile data? Perhaps, let’s do this often and Globe #makeITsafePH campaign be one of your advocacies.

At the start of the 21^st century, using the computer and internet had been part of the curriculum. Students were taught of basic computer applications and how to use the internet; during those times, we used dial-up connection.

Well, in this digital age, there’s a rapid change of connectivity. We observe it from a dial-up to wifi connection and even using mobile data anytime, anywhere. May I borrow some words from a familiar action movie, Spiderman: “with great power comes great responsibility.” It is true even to this very day and even in the future. Getting inspiration from these words, #makeITsafePH urges us to be responsible netizens.

But how do you use your mobile data? Many usually use their mobile data for entertainment of all kinds and social media accounts - it can be all day and all night. That has always been the case but should not always be the case. It can be seen that many are using social media accounts for communicating with friends, officemates and even dating. Aside from social media accounts, many play some online games connecting with the world.

However, there's so much that can be done with your mobile data. You can do research, blogging, influence people with factual information, do online transactions to pay bills and others, thus, making your mobile data usage PRODUCTIVE!

Using the mobile data is empowering people to share any information. Yes, any information that needs to be factual. Aside from being factual, it should be responsibly disseminated. Thus, we need to #makeITsafePH.

More over, we really need to cleanse a bit of some habits of sharing unverified things. There has to be a mindful culture of things done online. It can affect you, your family and even a community. To have a safer community, reality and virtually, make a healthier online habit always. Cheers!

Thank you for visiting my avenue, www.ten7avenue.com.

Don't hesitate to share your insights and comment.

Food | Asian Progressive Cuisine at Asian Cow by Chef Patrick Co

Chef Patrick Co and the Asian Cow staff ready to cook

Asia has a lot of tasteful flavors. These flavors are brought in one setting at Asian Cow by Chef Patrick Co! Yes, Asian Cow has an Asian Progressive Cuisine that will be enjoyed by many Asian food lovers. Check them out at Mabini St. corner Quirino Avenue, Davao City on June 8, 2018 at 6 PM as they start to serve their very tasty dishes. I am pretty sure you’ll gonna love it!

They have a lot in menu. Almost all they serve are good for sharing among 3 to 4 individuals. Their rice is always jasmine rice. That’s a good way to taste many of the dishes at Asian Cow. Every now and then, they’ll be adding something new in their menu. Isn’t that exciting? Of course! I’ll be sharing my top 5 favorites!

Since I love many salads, here are among the two of my favorites.

The THAI BEEF SALAD and SPICY TUNA AND KANI SALAD.

Thai beef salad

Spicy tuna and kani salad

There are spices in this salad which really play in my mouth, though my spice tolerance is not that high yet I really enjoyed it. I really enjoy every flavor of the Thai beef and spicy tuna with all the garnishing. The salads are balanced and very healthy. Very good as part of the appetizers!

The SZECHUAN GLAZED SQUID.

Szechuan glazed squid

Many are familiar with calamares. Yes, the cut of the squid is somewhat similar but this one has so much flavorful spices and sauce! It plays well in your mouth. I really am loving this one plus the squid is cooked enough and not rubbery. Approved!

The SALAD EGG BATTER FRIED SALMON WITH GARLIC AIOLI.

Salad egg batter fried salmon with garlic aioli

I really love salmon. With this creative dish with lots of flavor, I am like in heaven! The salmon is cooked to perfection, soft and tasty! More rice please!

The CHICKEN SATAY WITH PICKLES, SPICED COCONUT CREAM.

Chicken satay with pickles, spiced coconut cream

This grilled chicken dish is close to my heart. I love these with much Asian spices. Really perfect for a meal!

Some drinks and dishes

The drinks! Especially the fresh lime iced tea with muscovado is a surprise! Why? It is because there are spices that my tongue is receiving from the dishes but after drinking the tea, my tongue is washed generously. I mean, my palate is again ready to munch any food served in the table. That’s pretty cool! I also love their Asian Cow Iced Coffee. If you wish to add sweetness on your drinks, pour some sugar syrup. :-)

However, don’t get me wrong, those are my favorites. My taste is different from yours. However, the dishes at the Asian Cow are really tasty and not commercialized! It is like eating straight from home. Other dishes they have are as follows:

Main course

Grilled half chicken sambal

Mussels and shrimp in coconut ginger broth

"Asian Cow" friend chicken

US Angus grain fed beef cheek curry

Rice/noodles

Steamed jasmine rice

Stir fried rice noodles in tamarind glaze

Appertizers

Angus beef and basil spring rolls

As the Asian Cow by Chef Patrick Co will fully open to the public this June 8, 2018, visit them to taste what you’ve seen from this blog and taste what I have tasted together with some media friends and influencers. Aside from the food, you can also enjoy the artistic touches inside the restaurant - very instagrammable!

Congratulations, Asian Cow by Chef Patrick Co!

Thank you for dropping by my avenue, www.ten7avenue.com!

Food | All Day Breakfast at Karlo’s Gourmet and Coffee

Good morning anytime of the day! Yes, Karlo’s Gourmet and Coffee serves all day breakfast menu from 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM.

Never miss out your breakfast. That is one thing that any individual should be accustomed of. Why? It is because your breakfast will give you much of the energy you’ll need for the day. Also, your breakfast may not be very heavy but as long as it is healthy and balanced with enough carbohydrates, proteins and fats that’s good enough. What if you’re really into “brunch”? That’s not a problem! It is your preference but do not compromise meal and putting yourself hungry. What if it’s anytime of the day? That’s gonna be great!

At Karlo’s Gourment and Coffee, Chef Karlo is the master of these all day breakfast menu. Yes, he has made it to perfection. A menu that you would want to taste from each dish. But, I will give you a hint of my TOP 5 favorites!

First, the PANCAKES!

Pancakes topped with butter and maple syrup

I really love these pancakes. Why? It is because of the fluffy and smooth texture that when you eat it, it melts in your mouth! How’s that? It doesn’t feel heavy and any guilt at all. Topped with maple syrup and butter made it with much perfection! Thanks, chef!

Second, the SMOKED SALMON BAGEL SANDWICH!

Smoked salmon bagel sandwich

The smoked salmon is really perfect with the bagel sandwich. The sandwich also has creamcheese, tomatoes and green salad dressed with tasty balsamic vinaigrette. Crispy potatoes on the side are completing the carbohydrate need. Yum!

Third, the TROPICAL OVERNIGHT OATS!

Tropical overnight oats

I am among those oat and fruit lovers there that will surely love this one! I really love this! The oats soaked in milk topped with very fresh fruits like sliced apples, mangoes, bananas and oranges made me very happy. This is perfect anytime of the day and served cold. Yum!

Fourth, the CHICKEN AND WAFFLES!

Chicken and waffles

Do you know the feeling of smelling butter all around the corners when the dish is served? I am jumping in joy! The chicken has perfect crisp and the waffles with butter are soft too! This is a complete meal for me. I love it!

Fifth, the BREAKFAST BRUSCHETTA!

Breakfast Bruschetta

All the components of this dish compliment. The star of this dish are the poached eggs that drip on the toasted bread rubbed with cream cheese. It is flavorful plus it is drizzled with pesto sauce and crispy potatoes on the side. Upon eating, all flavors play well in my mouth and my mood is pretty happy. That will make your all day breakfast experience alight!

If you happen to notice, I am extremely happy having breakfast without rice. Well, I am used to eating breakfast without it. Breads, oats or fruits are good for me.

On the other hand, there are more with the all day breakfast menu of Karlo’s Gourmet and Coffee.

The Karlo’s Full Breakfast.

Karlo's full breakfast

There’s the bacon strips with egg (many loves it!), hash brown, sauteed shetaki mushroom, tomatoes, Italian sausage, and French toast bread. At the side are butter and strawberry jam which are perfect combination for the bread. It is also a complete, heavy meal. Burp! Excuse me.

The French Toast with Bananas.

French toast with bananas

I also love these. The french toast with bananas is a light meal but very tasty! The bread is soft and milky. Pour in the maple syrup or spread the butter, in any way, it is perfect! Plus munching in the sliced bananas makes me happy.

The Chorizo Skillet.

Chorizo skillet

It is a surprise for me. I love it, too! This traditional pork sausage (chorizo) is simmered with tomato sauce then topped with fresh eggs, roasted pimiento and mozarella cheese in a hot skillet. It smells and tastes very good.

The Morning Croissant.

Morning croissant

The crusty croissant is filled with ham, tomatoes, runny egg and special sauce. That’s gonna be a great morning dish! Then, there are crispy potatoes and green salad on the side. It’s a complete meal!

The Daing na Bangus!

Daing na bangus

A very traditional Filipino breakfast, daing na bangus. This one has rice topped with egg! The milkfish or bangus is perfectly fried with garlic bits on top plus very healthy with a tomato and cucumber salad. You gonna love this for a fantastic morning breakfast!

There are more surprises in the cafe. They have variety of exotic drinks such as the Mangosteen Kapeccino. Then, for those sweet tooth out there, this month of June, they will serve a very rich Triple Chocolate Mousse - I am drooling much with the cake - chocolate is life!

Mangosteen kapeccino

Triple chocolate mousse

Isn’t that complete?!! Yes! Why? It is because you are just reading this blog post and haven’t visited and tasted Karlo’s Gourment and Coffee All Day Breakfast Menu at Jack’s Ridge, Shrine Hills, Matina, Davao City. I hope to hear from you guys! Enjoy! :-p

Thank you Chef Karlo for that awesome experience at Karlo's Gourmet and Coffee with an awesome overlooking view of Davao City. Thank you also guys for visiting my avenue, www.ten7avenue.com.

Event | Indonesia at a Glance with the ConGen at the Indonesian Consulate

It is a pleasant day in Davao City. The Consul General of the Indonesian Consulate, ConGen Berlian Napitupulu, has invited friends from the local media and social media to taste some food, witness and hear great things about Indonesia. The event, for me, is a realization and an envy.

ConGen Napitupulu with Ian Garcia at the Media Briefing

Indonesia and the Philippines are both members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Other countries included in the ASEAN are Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Timor Leste is also part of the Southeast Asia region but not yet part of the ASEAN, hopefully very soon. Aside from this group, which has celebrated a golden year last year, Indonesia and the Philippines are part of an economic cooperation known as Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-the Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area or BIMP-EAGA. Basically, the nearest ASEAN neighbors the Philippines has are from the BIMP. To exchange trades with them is really a very good way of getting along with our neighbors, especially with Indonesia, which is the largest economy in the region and among the top ten (10) largest economies in the world.

Bottom to Top: 

First things first, the invitation is at lunch time, and the best way to experience Indonesian hospitality is served with some Indonesian dishes. They have served the 1) padang sauce shrimp, 2) famous beef rendang, 3) tumis mix vegetables, 4) chicken satai, 5) shrimp chips and 6) fruits. It is indeed a very wonderful start. It has some similarities with Filipino food and all yet delicious!

Aside from the lunch being served, there are some tasty, great and exotic snack items served to taste. Yes, there are variety of snack items like the pang-pang, ping-ping, teng-teng, ting-ting, tong-tong, salak, durian pancake, my fave teh tarik drink and passion fruit juice! It isn’t hard to memorize the names at all! :-p

Variety of snack items

Salak and other snack items (sorry, I forgot the names)

Teh Tarik

Actually, I am marveled with the industries present in Indonesia. There’s a lot! Yes, a lot! There are many products from Indonesia that is in the Philippines right now that ranges from wellness and grooming products, food and beverage items, automobile, construction materials and many more. They have a number of industries that make their economy afloat and really one of the largest in the world. That’s one of the things I envy about Indonesia, I wish we have much industries like theirs. It is also a very inspiring thing that Indonesia is reaching out to neighboring countries like ours wherein they are pretty willing to impart their culture and expand their presence to connect more people from the Philippines to Indonesia and vice versa. ConGen Napitupulu has been proactive in doing so and with that, the Indonesian Consulate will be conducting a Food and Beverage Expo this coming June 2018 here in the city at a mall. Aside from that, their Trade Expo Indonesia on October 2018 invites business people to invest in Indonesia.

There’s more of Indonesia! Like the Philippines, Indonesia is an archipelago but they are the world’s largest group of islands. They have rich natural beauty and culture that is preserved and ready to face the world - like Medan! This is again a thing to emulate - preservation of rich culture to attract visitors.

Garuda at the Indonesian Consulate

Indonesia may not be a huge English-speaking country, but they have managed their huge industries to be around the region and the globe. They may not be among the countries with top numbers of business process outsourcing companies, but they are among the top economies in the world. Yes, that’s Indonesia! We can learn from them and learn from each other. :-)

Thank you for visiting my avenue, www.ten7avenue.com.

Lifestyle | CrossFit: Another Fitness Routine to Enjoy and Endure

Do you know Crossfit? How about Battle of the Strongest? Or are we on the same page - clueless on what really it is? And, it is a No - No - Yes answer…

Stationary Bicycle and Kettle Weights for CrossFit

At first, hearing and reading about Battle of the Strongest, I have thought of muscled people to fight inside a ring like wrestling, in another form - judo, and many other sport. Aside from that, I have thought that athletes will be wearing tight fit sport wear and pushing another athlete to win as the strongest. That’s how I perceived it, but thank you for the Visit Davao Summer Festival, I have learned about this fitness program and sport!

Tempra Battle of the Strongest Presscon with Mr. Gotohio (Manager), Mr. Go (CEO) and Mr. Co (Trainer)

Yes, CrossFit may be very new to the ears and eyes to many here in Davao City. It is actually a fitness program wherein there are variety of movements involved. It has aspects of gymnastics, weight-lifting, running, rowing and others. It can be done by all genders! In Davao City, CrossFit Madayaw is a CrossFit, Inc. affiliate gym operating since 2016 and they have two (2) branches in the city, 1) in Matina (known as CrossFit Madayaw) and 2) in Lanang (known as Madayaw North).

Ring Bars

The Battle of the Strongest CrossFit Competition 2018, as organized by CrossFit Madayaw and Visit Davao Summer Festival and sponsored by Department of Tourism, is going to happen on May 26, 2018 at Matina Town Square, Davao City. This is another event of the Visit Davao Summer Festival to promote Davao City as a sport capital during the summer season and this is on its 2^nd year and the biggest CrossFit Competition in Mindanao.

How does it work? The competition is composed of mixture of gymnastics, weight-lifting, running, rowing and more. The athletes will have to get the best time, carry the heaviest weight and get the best score throughout the four (4) given workout to be declared as winner in the corresponding divisions. The ranks will then be tallied accordingly, per routine, and ranks of the athletes per workout will be computed for average to get the final rank.

Perkin (the Manager) using the kettle weights

Perkin at the bars

Actually, CrossFit is really interesting, especially among those who are really eager of making themselves fit and healthy. The gym has complete amenities for the workout and they have eight (8) 1-hour classes everyday except Sundays; there’s also a schedule for open gym wherein you can do exercises with supervision of the coaches., usually at 10:00 AM until 4:30 PM. There will be a ONE FREE trial session for the first time members! Try it out!!! Who knows, we will be among the CrossFit athletes in Davao City and joining the Battle of the Strongest in the future!

PS: Rates start as low as P1,800 for 10 session cards and drop in rate of P400.

Thank you for visiting my avenue, www.ten7avenue.com.

Don’t hesitate to like and share this to your friends! :-)


BLOG GIVEAWAY!
Guys, this is a chance to try CrossFit at CrossFit Madayaw (Matina) or Madayaw North (Lanang) gym. This is a simple giveaway. Share us your FITSPIRATION. ONE will get a chance to WIN a 10-session card for Bootcamp good for 2 months and CrossFit Madayaw shirt!

How to join:
1. Like the Ten7avenue Facebook Page.
2. Like the CrossFit Madayaw and Battle of The Strongest Facebook Page.
3. Share us your story of FITSPIRATION (getting fit inspiration) and tag 3 of your friends who are into fitness on your social media post.
4. Post the link of your social media post in this thread.
5. Be sure to make your profile public.
6. Use the hashtags: #CrossFitMadayaw #ten7avenue #SportDavao #VisitDavaoSummerFestival
7. Deadline of entry will be on May 25, 2018.
8. Announcement of WINNER will be on May 26, 2018.

Thank you, CrossFit Madayaw!