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Published: 20 May 2014

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It's hard to believe but school opening is fast approaching. The department stores that were once filledwith bathing suits, goggles, and beach balls are being replaced with school bags, notebooks, pencils, crayons, etc. Two weeks from now, your little ones will be taking those first steps away from home, and moms may feel harried in providing healthy packed lunches.

As school starts, FNRI-DOST offers some ideas to avoid the "back to school blues" especially in preparing packed lunch or baon for your kids. The key is to make sure your child is getting wholesome and nutritious foods outside your home.

- Think about your childrens baon ahead. Healthy school lunches can be easy when you plan ahead. Plan your kids baon a week in advance and give them lots of healthy selections to choose from. This will teach them to develop the habit of making choices for themselves.

- Packed lunches should have three to four food groups represented to fuel them through all of the school days activities e.g. rice + fried chicken + buttered or boiled vegetables + fruits in season.

- Prepare easy-to-pack and carry dishes like fried fish, chicken or pork, or pork adobo, beef tapa, fish/meat omelette, etc. Include vegetable or fruit as side dish.

- Use a different sandwich filling each day (tuna, cheese, egg, or chicken). Preferably use whole grain breads and low fat mayonnaise or dressing. Add cut up vegetables like lettuce, tomatoes, pipino for added fiber. Prepare sandwich fillings the day or night before to save time in the busy mornings.

- Include milk and fruit juices for beverage. This will help assure your children of a nutritious drink and also save you needless expenses on carbonated beverages. If you include tetra pack fruit juice, keep it in the freezer then put directly in the lunch box it will have thawed by lunchtime and will keep the rest of the food cool.

- Make sure your child is drinking safe, clean and enough water.

- Be concerned with food safety when packing lunches. Use thermal/insulated lunch box to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. With a good thermal/insulated lunch box, there is no limit to the delicious, nutritious and safe packed lunches for your kids.

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Published: 20 May 2014

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As new parents, you want to give the best to your baby. The best start is through good nutrition. Good nutrition from the start or on the baby's first year is very important because it is a time of rapid growth and development. Providing babies with the right foods will promote good health and develop good eating habits.

It is a fact that mother's milk is the ideal nourishment for the first six months of life. Generally, at six months of age, the baby is ready for solids or complementary foods but if you are not sure, test the baby's readiness to accept new foods by placing a teaspoon between the lips. If the lips tend to close or the teaspoon is pushed away continuously, then your baby is not yet ready. Don't force your baby to eat. The following indicates readiness to accept solids:

 - when he accepts food from a spoon without the tongue pushing the food out of his mouth,
 - when he is interested in foods when others eat,
 - when he is able to swallow,
 - when your baby has doubled his birth weight, and
 - when he can sit on his own.

Here are some important points to keep in mind when introducing solids to your baby's diet:

One at a time - Introduce one new food at a time. Never start two new foods at the same time. Let your baby get used to a new food for about three days before trying out a new one. This will give you time to see if there is any allergic reaction to your baby. It is also advisable to introduce new food to your baby during breakfast or lunch to reduce the risk of allergic symptoms developing during the night. Be sure to only give foods that are appropriate to your baby's age.

Take it in Steps - Start with a small amount of any food - a teaspoonful or less then gradually increase the amount - a tablespoonful or more. Use thin liquid purees when starting solid foods then gradually shift to more solid and chunkier meals. Make sure that your baby is able to cope comfortably with the new texture.

Keep it Wholesome - Offer bland foods to your baby. Salt should not be added to your baby's food until the age of one as the baby's kidneys cannot cope with salt. Even after the age of one, only a little amount of salt should be added to the food. Add little or no sugar to your baby's food. Too much sugar and sweets lead to tooth decay and encourage the child to have a sweet tooth. Don't force your baby to eat - Don't over-react if your baby doesn't want to eat. Maybe he/she doesn't feel hungry. Don't worry, he/she will make up for it next time.

Don't Forget the Basics - Always test the temperature of the food before you give it to your baby. Be sure to pay attention to good personal hygiene practices when preparing baby's food. Wash your hands with soap and clean water before handling baby's food. Sterilize bowls and spoons used for feeding. Avoid giving left-over foods to your baby, give only freshly cooked and freshly peeled fruits.

Remember with proper feeding, your baby will grow healthy and strong, be a source of pride and happiness to your family

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Published: 16 May 2014

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1. Breastmilk - is the natural and perfect first food for your baby. It has the correct proportions and amounts of calories, protein, vitamins, and minerals to meet the baby needs for the first six months of life.

2. Cereals- lugaw is the first semi-solid food given to the baby. After 8 months, move to thicker lugaw to soft cooked rice. By ten months, your baby may share the family rice. Make lugaw a delicious food for your baby by adding breastmilk or formula. Eggyolk and dilis powder may be also added to lugaw.

3. Rootcrops like kamote and potato - serve this energy and fiber rich foods to your baby. Mash it and enrich with milk.

4. Fruits like mango, papaya, banana (especially ripe latundan at first) provide a variety of nutrients for good health. Mango and papaya are good sources of vitamin C which your baby needs to keep gums healthy, prevent easy bruising, and help the body fight infection.

5. Yellow vegetables like carrots and squash - are rich sources of beta-carotene for your baby's clear eyesight, smooth and healthy skin, glossy hair, good growth, and resistance to infections. Green leafy vegetables like kamote tops, kangkong, petsay, and malunggay are common sources of b-carotene. These foods also contain minerals like iron for healthy blood and calcium for strong bone and teeth, and fiber.

6. Egg - is packed with protein, which builds and repairs muscles, and vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium. One-half cooked eggyolk is usually given when your baby is seven months old. Because of allergy-producing qualities of eggwhite you should wait to give it to your baby when he/she is 11 months old.

7. Legumes/beans - are relatively cheap sources of protein and are good sources of B-complex vitamins and iron. Prepare mashed beans for your 10-11 month-old baby e.g. when you are serving munggo gisado to your family. Set aside a small amount of unseasoned munggo, mash it and enrich it with milk.

8. Meat/Fish/Poultry - an excellent source of protein for growth and repair of body tissues, highly absorbable iron for healthy blood, as well as vitamins and other minerals, such as zinc for immunity. At six months, introduce foods with a "chewier" texture like minced or finely chopped meat, fish, and poultry.

9. Other Foods like custards, simple puddings, plain gulaman or jello for extra fiber. Biskotso, biscuits or any crisp toast is also good when your baby starts teething.

10. Water and beverages - Your baby can begin learning to drink from a cup around six to seven months, water and juice are acceptable choices. Put an ounce of water or 3-4 ounces of natural or fortified juice in the cup. Feeding juice in bottles or putting your baby to bed with bottles can contribute to early childhood tooth decay. Fruit juice should be served as part of a meal or snack, not "sipped" throughout the day. Your baby does not digest juice well and may have diarrhea from drinking too much of it.

Fats and oils may be incorporated to the prepared diet by adding them to the rice gruel or mashed vegetables or serve in either sautéed or fried dishes for your baby after six months of age. By 12 months, your child can already eat the family diet. Soft foods and processed foods fortified with vitamins and minerals are appropriate.

For more information on food and nutrition, you may write or call: The Director, Food and Nutrition Research Institute, Department of Science and Technology, Gen. Santos Avenue, Bicutan, Tagig, Metro Manila, Tel./Fax: 8372934, 8373164; E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ; FNRI-DOST website: http// This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.