How to turn junk food into something nutritious

How can you transform “junk food” into something that is not junk? Fortify it with malunggay (moringa oleifera), the most nutritious “macro-vegetable”. This can be done by mixing and enriching with fine powdered leaves of malunggay both bread and burger patty.

The Asian Vegetable Research & Development Center (AVRDC) has dubbed it the “Miracle Tree” while Dr. Vivencio Mamaril of the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) calls it “Ang pinakamasustansiang gulay”. The Internet notes that malunggay is “Nature’s medicine cabinet.” While Dr. Alicia Ilaga, director, Biotech Program Office, Department of Agriculture (DA) calls Malunggay “The backyard pharmacy.” This writer refers to malunggay as “Our home drugstore in a paso.”

Based on research conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), 100  gm or one cup of cooked malunggay leaves contains 3.1 gm protein, 0.6 gm fiber, 96 mg calcium, 29 mg phophorus, 1.7 mg iron, 2,820 mg beta-carotene (pro-vitamin A), 0.07 mg thiamin (vit B1), 0.14 mg riboflavin (vit. B2), 1.2 mg niacin (vit. B3), and 53 mg ascorbic acid or vitamin C. It also has anti-oxidant activity measured at about 71 percent with tocopheral (vitamin E) equivalent of 45.

The leaves of malunggay contain seven times the vitamin C in oranges, four time the calcium in milk, three times the potassium in banana, four times the vitamin A in carrots, and two times the protein in milk.

The Department of Education (DepEd) bans “junk food” in all public elementary and high schools, and calls for only fortified food to be served to students in all schools to curb malnutrition among the youth.

In Order 17, the DepEd also ordered a ban on the sale of carbonated drinks, sugar-based synthetic or artificially flavored juices, saying these are detrimental to the child’s health. The order said the only drinks allowed in schools are milk, shakes, and juices made from fresh fruits in season.

The DepEd requires school canteens to post in the bulletin boards their daily cooked food menu indicating their nutritional value.

The DepEd order is part of the government’s Food Fortification Program that mandates the enrichment of food products with micronutrients of vitamins and minerals in small quantities. Republic Act 8976, the Food Fortification Act of 2000, mandates the fortification of rice with iron, flour with Vitamin A and iron, and cooking oil and sugar with Vitamin A.

Besides the malunggay burger, the author also recommends the following fortified products, to make “junk food” no more junk, (a) malunggay tea, (b) malunggay noodles, (c) malunggay “pan de sal, (d) malunggay potato crispies, (e) malunggay cookies, (f) malunggay “polvoron,” (g) malunggay ice cream and (h) malunggay “gulaman” ice cold drink.

Fastfood restaurant, like McDonalds, Jollibee, Wendys, etc. and foodcarts or school canteens may consider “making junk food no more junk.”

(The author is an 83-year old UN retiree who worked for 27 years with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and three years with the World Bank. He can be contacted through tel. 928-6155.)