Nutritional Gap Keeps You from Being at Your Best Every Day

Diabetes, hypertension, obesity – more and more people are getting afflicted with these so-called “lifestyle diseases”. [W71] As a result, their performance at work or at play is impaired. What is causing the increasing number of cases of lifestyle diseases? According to the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), an unhealthy diet is a key factor in the prevalence of these conditions.

Vitamins and minerals are necessary for proper food metabolism. When we do not get the right amount of vitamins and minerals into our body, we are unable to efficiently turn the proteins and carbohydrates that we eat into energy. This is why even though we eat so much, we still feel weak and get tired quickly.

Vitamins and minerals are also needed to strengthen our immune system. When we have a shortage of important vitamins and minerals in our body, our immune system is less than optimal and we become vulnerable to illness.

This unhealthy diet creates a vicious cycle: when we feel sick or weak or tired, we lose our drive to engage in healthy physical activities such as sports or exercise. Even simple things such as walking or climbing stairs become tiresome. This leads to a sedentary lifestyle, where we feel that changing our diet and physical routine is too great an effort; so it’s not surprising that our health and our quality of life suffer.

Lack of nutrients

Based on the 2008 FNRI National Nutrition Survey, more than 70 percent of Filipinos across populations groups lack Vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium, and iron in their daily diet. [W72] 

For example, the FNRI’s Recommended Nutrient Intake (RENI ) on a daily basis for Vitamin A is 550 micrograms for male adults (ages 19 years to 65 years and above) while 500 micrograms are recommended for female adults (ages 19 years to 65 years and above).  However, the 2008 survey shows that actual average Vitamin A intake among Filipino adults is just 499.6 micrograms, while the elderly only take in 379.9 micrograms daily.

In the case of Vitamin C, the RENI for male adults (19 years to 65+ years old) is 75 milligrams while the RENI for female adults (19 years to 65+ years old) is 70 milligrams. The 2008 survey however shows that on the average, Filipino adults only consume 44.7 milligrams of Vitamin C daily, while the elderly consume 44.5 milligrams daily.

As for calcium, the RENI for  male adults are 750 milligrams for those aged 19 to 64 years old and 800 milligrams for those aged 65 years old and above. The RENI for female adults are 750 grams for those aged 19 years to 49 years old and 800 grams for those aged 50 years old and above.

According to the 2008 FNRI survey, the actual average daily calcium consumption among adults is only 370 milligrams, while the elderly only consume 330 milligrams of calcium every day.

Iron consumption among Filipino adults is also below the RENI. The RENI for iron among  male adults aged 19 years to 65 years old and above is 12 milligrams. The RENI for iron among non-pregnant female adults for those aged 19 years to 64 years old is 27 milligrams, while the RENI for those aged 65 years and above is 10 milligrams of iron.

Actual average iron consumption among Filipino adults however, was found to be only at 9.4 milligrams daily, while the average consumption among the elderly was even lower at 7.5 milligrams a day.

The 2008 FNRI survey also found that 65 percent of Filipinos across population groups are not taking enough calories to meet their daily energy requirement. 

The RENI pegs the energy requirements for Filipino male adults as follows: 19 to 29 years old, 2490 kilocalories (kcal); 30 to 49 years old, 2420 kcal; 50 to 64 years old, 2170 kcal; and 65 years old and above at 1890 kcal.

For female adults the energy requirements are: 19 to 29 years old, 1860 kcal; 30 to 49 years old, 1810 kcal; 50 to 64 years old, 1820 kcal; and 65 years old and above at 1410 kcal.

On the average however, Filipino adults only consume 1915 kcal daily while the elderly consume even less, with only 1436 kcal daily.  According to FNRI’s computation, these figures mean that 65 percent of Filipinos are not getting enough energy for their everyday activities.

Supplement for peak performance

So how do we change to a healthy lifestyle and be at our best? Obviously, we need to commit ourselves first to a healthy diet. The FNRI website (www.fnri.dost.gov.ph)  provides an illustrated, dietary guide called the Filipino Food Pyramid to help us make the right food choices for optimum health and nutrition.

Besides switching to a healthy diet, Filipinos also need to take health supplements to fill in the nutrition gaps on days when, for one reason or another, one’s food choices are less than ideal.

There are encouraging signs that more and more Filipinos are becoming educated about the value of nutritional supplements and they are taking more of these. FNRI surveys show in 2003, only 22.9% of Filipinos said they took health supplements.  In 2008, that figure had risen to 46.8%[BOA3] . [o4] 

The top two reasons these people gave for taking supplements were (1) health and (2) extra energy[BOA5] [o6] . Other reasons were “doctor-recommended,” “perform better in school/work,” and “not getting enough vitamins from the diet.”

To get the maximum benefits from a vitamins and minerals supplement, make sure to choose one that has complete nutritional content.  Centrum is complete and specially balanced with 30 vitamins and minerals our body needs, from vitamins A to Zinc. Taking Centrum can help complete your nutritional needs everyday. For adults 50 years old and up, on the other hand, Centrum Silver’s age-adjusted formula is perfect for the changing needs in one’s golden years.

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