Plenty amidst scarcity

Hunger and poverty continue to afflict the Filipino people resulting in poor nutrition and health conditions. This is further aggravated by the skyrocketing prices of food and medicines. The paper describes the availability of indigenous food sources as cheaper potential alternatives for food, nutrition and health. The crops, either fresh or processed are potential functional foods that may prevent or reduce the risks of having nutrition related chronic degenerative diseases or the lifestyle diseases. Among the cereal grain studied, IPB Var 6 and adlai showed the highest amounts of carbohydrates, protein, energy, and fiber. Based on the Codex Alimentarius using the Recommended Nutrition Intakes (FNRI DOST 2015) per day on an adult, all cereals except rice are good source of protein while only IPB var.6 is a good source of fiber. IPB var 6, adlai, and camotes corn also showed high potential as an alternative cheaper staple to complement rice as the main source of energy in the diet as result of studies indicated an improved nutrient content when rice was combined with these crops. Among the vegetables, camiling smooth (okra) is one of those that exhibited the highest antioxidant activity (AOA) at 89.13%. The vegetables with the highest AOA also exhibited the highest levels of phytochemical components such as total phenolic compounds, tannins and flavonoids. Interestingly, some of the weeds, herbs and spices were found to have even higher antioxidant activities and phytochemical component than some of the vegetables. These include green amaranth which exhibited an AOA of 82.85% and red siling labuyo with AOA of at 92.17% per 100 g. In fruits, bignay showed the highest antioxidant activity at 98.54% and highest tannin content at 3829.97 mcg/100 g while pineapple had the highest total phenolic content (TCP) at 1589.45 mcg/100 g ad pink makopa had the highest flavonoid content at 3935 mcg/100g. Coffee beans and cacao also exhibited high antioxidant activities (AOA) up to 86.9% while in teas, Tarragon tea had the highest AOA at 97.6%. Processing methods affect the potential health and nutrition benefits that Filipinos may get from these food sources. In some, nutritive value was improved after processing but generally, prolonged cooking and processing depleted the nutrients that the food sources contain due to a combination of degradation caused by leaching into water, heat, and polyphenol oxidation. Recently, due to health awareness campaigns, the general public has become more interested in foods that support and promote health. Supplements for additional nutrient such as fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants are used by consumers. However, these supplements are very expensive to buy with prices ranging from PhP500.00 and above. The studies mentioned in this paper clearly indicate that if we look closely, in the country abounds indigenous cheaper food sources as potential alternatives for food, nutrition and health.