The good news: Manila now boasts of the most happening restaurants that we don’t need to go out of the country to taste ‘global’ food. We are also eating out more and posting more foodporn photos on sites like Instagram.
The bad news: could it also be that the population is getting fatter & consuming more calories? Are we taking for granted eating healthy food in lieu of dining out and judging our intake based only on how delicious they are?
According to a 2011 survey by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), 25% of Filipino adults are overweight, and about 6% of these are obese. The problem is that obesity & being overweight put one at high risk for serious diseases such as heart attack, type 2 diabetes or even cancer. By 2015, experts predict that there will be more overweight Pinoys because of lifestyle choices. There will be more overweight females at 44% while for males, it’s at 24%.
“The situation of increased risk for obesity and overweight problems requires further education and awareness among Filipinos so that we can make better choices to improve our health and quality of life,” said Butch Lopez, business unit director for OTC (over-the-counter) and Mature Brands of pharmaceutical company Roche.
Roche and Xenical have partnered with the Philippine Association for the Study of Overweight and Obesity (PASOO) to mount a campaign dubbed ‘Rock the Fat Away.’ This is a media-focused campaign that will spread awareness on living a healthy lifestyle through a TV commercial, webisodes, a catchy campaign jingle and the social media.
I was one of those who attended the launch of Rock the Fat Away last April. I really don’t know why I was invited…. maybe because they thought I need to shed off excess pounds or I’ve been blogging too much about unhealthy food like bacon 🙂 Anyhow, a Zumba class was in order which really left us sweaty and out of breath. But it really felt good! Blogging is such a sedentary activity, worsened by too many event invites where most of the time, sinful buffet food is served. So it really pays to get moving and burn those calories! I wish we had more Zumba sessions like this….
“Throughout this campaign, we want to focus on the journey towards better health and quality of life, where rewards are reaped not just in achieving the final goal, but in the little successes along the way.” These are the words of Harold Bongbong, brand manager of weight loss pill Xenical which is made by Roche.
For more info, check out Club New You at www.newyou.com.ph. It is a virtual portal aimed at providing guidance for weight loss and achieving a healthy body weight, with helpful tools like a BMI calculator and calorie counter. Rewards are earned by entering promo codes found on purchased Xenical packs, which entitle members to special promos and prizes.
View this educational video:
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