The Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST) recommends using iodized salt in processed foods like ham, tocino, tapa, hotdog, sausage, langgonisa and the like.

These are all-time favorites of the young and grown-ups alike for meals and snacks.

Using iodized salt in processing meat products may increase the iodine available in the diet of consumers patronizing processed food items.

Availability of iodine in the diet may help maintain optimum nutrition, as this micronutrient helps prevent goiter, impaired mental function, retarded physical development, and congenital anomalies among children.

Food fortification is one of the strategies in preventing micronutrient deficiency in the population.

The FNRI believes that universal salt iodization (USI) is the recommended strategy to eliminate iodine deficiency disorder (IDD) in the population by using salt to carry iodine in the diet.

Related to this, the FNRI-DOST conducted a study on the quality of salt in the Philippines, led by the group of Ms. Marcela C. Saises, Senior Science Research Specialist of the Food Research and Development Group.

The study found that salt produced in Pangasinan and Occidental Mindoro are safe for human consumption.

“Kumain ng itlog, pagkaing pampalusog,” parents and teachers would often say to encourage children to eat eggs.

Indeed, eggs, specifically chicken eggs, are on the list of the most commonly-consumed foods.

Eggs top the most consumed protein-rich foods in the Philippines, based on the food consumption survey conducted in 2008 conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST).

Chicken eggs ranked eighth among the most commonly-consumed foods, next to rice, sugar, coconut oil, salt, instant coffee, garlic, and bombay onion.

Among the protein-rich food sources, egg is followed by powdered choco milk drink, powdered filled milk, canned fish sardines and galunggong.

According to American scientists, coffee probably contributes more healthy antioxidants to your diet than fruit and vegetables.

Scientists measured the antioxidant content of more than 100 different foods including vegetables, fruits, nuts, spices, oils and beverages. Based on the findings and from the data of the US Department of Agriculture, coffee was the biggest source of antioxidants per serving and level of consumption. It was followed by black tea, banana, dry beans and corn. According to Professor Joe Vinson, head researcher from Scranton University in Pennsylvania, Americans get more of their antioxidants from coffee than any other dietary source. Both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee appeared to provide similar antioxidant levels.

Antioxidants help rid the body of harmful free radicals, destructive molecules that damage cells and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). They are linked to a number of health benefits, including protection against heart diseases and cancer. Studies have associated coffee drinking with a reduced risk of liver and colon cancer, type 2 diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.

Recent studies on large numbers of people with diabetes show that those who keep their blood sugar under tight control best avoid the complications of diabetes like heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower extremity amputations. Experts agree that what works best for people with diabetes – and everyone for that matter – is regular exercise, little saturated and trans fatty acids, and a high–fiber diet. Carbohydrates break quickly during digestion and can raise the blood sugar to dangerous levels.

Glycemic index (GI) ranks foods on how they affect our blood sugar levels. This index measures how much our blood sugar increases after we eat. When diabetic patients make use of the glycemic index to prepare healthy meals, it keeps their blood sugar levels and weight under control. Many carbohydrate-rich foods have high glycemic indexes, and they certainly are not good in any substantial quantity for people with diabetes. Other carbohydrates like complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber break down more slowly, releasing glucose gradually into our blood streams and are said to have lower glycemic indexes which are good for diabetic patients.

Studies on glycemic indexes by experts showed that many of the starchy foods we eat a lot produce the highest glycemic response. These are white bread, some breakfast cereals, e.g. cornflakes, rice and baked potatoes but complex carbohydrates present in potatoes are digestible. Low glycemic foods include beans, barley, pasta, oats, apples, oranges, peaches, peanuts, strawberries, sweet corn and carrots. Likewise, vinegar, and lemon juice help reduce glycemic load, the amount of carbohydrate in a serving of a particular food.