16/02/2026
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Good nutrition is essential for a healthy and productive life. Yet many Filipinos remain at risk of nutrition- and lifestyle-related diseasesโnot only due to unhealthy habits, but also because healthy food choices are often ๐๐ป๐ฎ๐ณ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ.
๐๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐โฆ
โฆthat based on the 2023 National Nutrition Survey (NNS) of the DOST-FNRI,
๐ energy and nutrient intakes across all population groups fall below the recommended levels?
Further:
๐ฅฉ 1 in 10 adults has high cholesterol, while 2 in 10 adults have high triglycerides;
๐ 3 out of 4 adolescents and almost half of adults are physically inactive;
๐ฅ 6 out of 10 adults engage in binge drinking; and
๐ฌ 2 out of 10 adults smoke.
These figures highlight persistent nutrition, lifestyle, and food system challenges that affect health and well-being across the life course.
๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ด๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ
Food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) help shape nutrition, health, and agriculture policies and guide education efforts toward healthier diets and lifestyles.
In the Philippines, the ๐ก๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ผ๐ (๐ก๐๐) developed by ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ง-๐๐ก๐ฅ๐ serves as the countryโs official FBDGs. The NGF provides simple, science-based recommendations tailored to Filipino diets and lifestyles to help prevent non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
The NGF encourages Filipinos to:
โข eat a variety of foods in the right amounts;
โข stay physically active; and
โข limit salt, sugar, alcohol, and avoid smoking.
The National Nutrition Council (DOH-NNC) translated these in Filipino as the ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ to make the messages more relatable.
๐๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ
Dietary guidelines work best when people can realistically follow them. Recognizing this, ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ง-๐๐ก๐ฅ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ก๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐ฎ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ and is promoting practical, food-based recommendations using commonly eaten Filipino foods, appropriate portions, and dietary patterns adaptable across income levels.
The NGF can help Filipinos make healthier choices by aligning nutrition guidance with real-life food environments while guiding policies and partnerships toward food systems that make healthy diets ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ, ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ.
Learn more about NGF 2012: fnri.dost.gov.ph/images/images/standardtools/NGF-2012.pdf
