MANILA, Philippines–Fight obesity by eating healthy.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has crafted a simple, almost elementary, guide for adults to eating right as it sounded an alarm about the ever growing number of obese Filipinos.

The DOST’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) has come up with a visual tool called “Pinggang Pinoy (Filipino plate)” featuring “grow, go, and glow” types of food, categories mostly discussed in primary education classes.

“Go” food are those that give energy or are high in carbohydrates such as bread and rice. “Grow” food are those that enhance growth and development such as milk, yogurt, cheese and other dairy products. “Glow” food are rich in vitamin D and makes the skin healthy such as green leafy vegetables and fruits. The three categories make up a balanced diet, giving the right mixture of nutrients.

Teaming up with the World Health Organization, the Department of Health and the National Nutrition Council, the FNRI came up with the visual guide for adults’ healthy eating that will answer the question, “How much is enough for a nutritious meal?”

According to FNRI, the “Pinggang Pinoy” is intended to be a quick and easy guide to determine how much food a person should consume in a meal and what to eat to stay healthy.

It complements the Daily Nutritional Guide (DNG) Pyramid for Filipinos that the agency has previously developed. The pyramid recommends age-dependent food intake for Filipinos for a whole day to have a balanced diet. It builds from a base suggesting ingestion of more vegetables and whole grains and less of red meat, sugar, fats and oils which are at the top of the pyramid.

The “Pinggang Pinoy” and the DNG were developed by the DOST-FNRI based on the latest scientific findings on how choices in food, drink and activity affect health.

A nutrition survey conducted by the FNRI in 1993 showed that there were 5.7 million Filipino adults who were overweight or obese. The number grew from 3.5 million in 1987.

The Philippine Association for the Study of Overweight and Obesity defines “being overweight” as having increased body weight in relation to height and describes “obesity” as the state of having excessive amounts of fat in the body.