By Caesar Vallejos
Eagle News online correspondent
The Philippines is now in the early stage of global nutrition transition as 29% of its population is already classified as “obese and overweight.”
This was the assessment of one of the world’s top endocrinologists and nutrition experts, Dr. David Heber, who has also pointed out that the United States is now the country with the most obese people.
Heber was at the Manila Hotel last October 24 to share the latest issues and trends on obesity and healthy aging to thousands of Filipino wellness coaches, nutrition entrepreneurs and enthusiasts in a wellness tour.
“America is the world champion of obesity, but with 29% of the Philippine population that is obese and overweight, that puts the country in the early stage of global nutrition transition,” said Heber who is also the Founding Director of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Center for Human Nutrition and Professor Emeritus of UCLA Medicine and Public Health.
Educated at the Harvard Medical School, Dr. Heber, has been consistently voted as one of the “Best Doctors in America.”
The global nutrition transition refers to a state where you find the prevalence of both obesity and malnutrition. What underlie in this transition are changes in diet resulting from the introduction of western foods in place of traditional plant-based diets.
Visiting the Philippines for the first time, Dr. Heber has noted the proliferation of fast-food chains in Manila. The increased popularity of western diet and the lifestyle in Asia has increased abdominal fat and worsened biomarkers of metabolic syndrome which is very common in the US and growing rapidly in Asia including the Philippines.
The National Nutrition Survey of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) also reported that three out of 10 Filipino adults are obese with more females overweight than males.
Dr. Heber also clarified certain misconceptions about body weight and body composition.
“Body composition is more important than body weight. You may be skinny on the outside, but fat on the inside,” he said.
Heber advised people to have a high protein breakfast as a daily habit. He said this is connected to long-term weight management.
He said a protein rich diet, including protein shakes, healthy meals and snacks with exercise can reduce abdominal fat.
He also recommended the increased intake of ocean fish and fish oils (Omega 3) and a decrease in Omega 6 fatty acids. He also suggested increasing the intake of good fructose and limiting the intake of food with refined sugars such as softfdrinks, cakes, cookies, and candies.
Get seven servings of colorful fruits and vegetables per day to increase antioxidants and phytonutrients and take at least 25 grams of soluble and insoluble fiber for a good digestive health, he added.
“Only 30% of how you age is determined by your genes, the other 70% (nutrition and exercise) is in your hands,” his presentation highlighted.
Heber, who is also the chairman of the Herbalife Nutrition Institute and the Herbalife Nutrition Advisory Board, provided updates on protein-rich meal replacement for weight management.
He emphasized that diets with incorporated meal replacements improved weight loss and weight maintenance. He cited this makes meals easier to plan; reduces barriers to dietary adherence; helps instill regular eating patterns; may increase accuracy of calorie estimation and estimation of portion size; provides a simple guide for healthy nutrition; positively affects self-monitoring and facilitates less deleterious food decisions.
These are some of the key concepts that he further elaborated on why a low fat high protein breakfast is a daily habit that is associated with long-term weight management.
