As part of the annual national Nutrition Month campaign held every July, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) led by its Dietary Department, joined the National Nutrition Council in its celebration of the 49th Nutrition Month with the theme “Healthy diet gawing affordable for all!”.
RITM employees with the Banana Heart Patty Burger and recipe brochure prepared by the Dietary Department.
Spearheaded by RITM Nutrition Month 2023 Coordinator Ms. Noemi Fernandez, the Dietary Department prepared three (3) major activities for the whole month of July, that promoted nutritious and affordable diet and lifestyle among RITM employees. These include cooking demonstrations of healthy dishes, distribution of free plants for employees, and a series of wellness activities.
Five (5) recipes were prepared by the cooks of the Dietary Department. To wit, the following dishes were distributed among select employees:
- Crispy Malunggay Chips
- Banana Heart Burger
- Malunggay Spring Roll Wrapper
- Malunggay Juice
- Banana Heart Spring Roll
All recipes were packaged in a brochure that was also distributed to employees during the banana heart spring roll cooking demonstrations. Aside from the step-by-step cooking procedures for the dishes, the estimated preparation time, cooking time, serving size, costings, ingredients, and nutritional benefits of both malunggay and banana heart (puso ng saging) were included in the brochure.
Nutrition Month 2023 Coordinator Noemi Fernandez (center) distributing malunggay and banana heart recipe brochures to employees who attended the banana heart spring roll cooking demonstration of Chef Marlon Abad and Chef Ceferina Oghayon.
The cooking demonstrations were also recorded and published as recipe videos in the official RITM Facebook page and were also presented as digital signages within the Institute.
The second activity was the distribution of free plants for employees held last July 14, 2023, in which the Dietary Department distributed free vegetable seeds and seedlings to the first 200 employees. Employees were allowed to choose between pack of seeds (Ampalaya, Okra, Kangkong, Eggplant, and Pechay) or seedlings (Cacao, Camias, Guyabano, Jackfruit, Sampaloc, etc.)
Dietary Department employees distributing free vegetable seeds and seedlings to RITM employees last July 14, 2023.
Culminating the month-long celebration, the Dietary Department conducted wellness activities for employees at the RITM Central Lobby last July 28, 2023 which engaged employees in free diet counseling, body fat analysis, grip testing, random blood sugar testing, and talas challenge game. The Dietary Department recorded a total of 159 participants for the culminating activities.
RITM employees conducting free body fat analysis, random blood testing, and food counseling during the culminating activity of Nutrition Month.
RITM employees during the grip testing and talas challenge game.
by Yvette Kirsten P. Gimena and Anel Azel F. Dimaano, Communication and Engagement Office