Eat right, live right

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino cuisine, which reflects our multicultural heritage, is an amalgamation of tastes, flavors, and cultural influences of Malay, Spanish, Chinese, and American origins. A number of the Filipino favorites are rich in flavors, such as nilagang baka, pork blood stew (dinuguan), duck’s egg (balut), Cordillera chicken dish (pinikpikan), papaitan (intestines cooked in bile), sisig, and fried pork and chicken skin (chicharon). These much-loved and often-requested dishes are undeniably delicious but are also rich in cholesterol.

For people with low risk for heart disease, the American Heart Association recommends less than 300mg of cholesterol per day through food. For those at risk, on the other hand, it recommends less than 200mg per day through food. For instance, for every 100 grams of beef, there is 3100mg of cholesterol.

But before we write off cholesterol as bad, we have to understand the important role that cholesterol plays in several key physiological functions. Produced in the liver and carried by proteins called lipoproteins, cholesterol serves as a precursor for many horproperties.

Omega 3, found in fish oils, fish oil capsules, and ocean fish, has been shown to lower bad cholesterol while omega 6, widely found in oil-based foods such as salad dressing, margarine, and vegetable oils, has been reported to have positive effects on good and bad cholesterols. Omega 3 and 6 are collectively known as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA).

High calcium Nesvita Pro Heart with Acticol helps protect the heart by lowering cholesterol levels; it also helps strengthen the bones toward optimum health and wellness.

For more information, visit www.nestle.com.ph/nesvita.