MANILA, Philippines - Ever wondered why the law requires food product labels to include information on ingredients and nutritional content? Essentially, it’s for our protection as consumers: we have the right to know exactly what we’re ingesting into our bodies and what we’re paying for. With hundreds of food products available, we can only choose those with the best quality and value for money by checking their labels.
Busy mommy Madelon Bertulfo, 31, says she is never too busy to check the labels of the food products she buys in the supermarket. And while she used to drink the same milk as her 11-year-old son, she switched to Nesvita Pro-Bone Protection after checking its label very carefully.
“I’ve been reading about how adults have different nutritional requirements from children. For example, the milk that my son drinks has considerably more fat content compared to Nesvita Pro-Bone Protection, which is very low in fat. As an adult, we should be conscious of our total fat intake — an excessive amount may result in weight gain and the risk of disease, especially when coupled with sedentary lifestyle,” she says.
“With Nesvita Pro-Bone Protection, I only get less than half a gram of fat per serving. It says right here on the label: only 0.28 grams of fat per serving. At the same time, Nesvita Pro-Bone Protection contains the right amount of nutrients from vitamins, minerals and protein. So I feel that by drinking this adult milk, my nutritional needs are covered while at the same time I’m confident because of the low fat content,” she adds.
Mommy Carol Hizon, 32, on the other hand has been an avid milk drinker for 10 years now. She says she consumes an average of three liters of milk a week.
She used to drink the same milk that she bought for her kids but she switched to Nesvita Pro-Bone Protection after seeing on the label that it has less fat, optimum calcium content so it helps prevents osteoporosis, and meets the nutritional requirements for adults like her.
“The women in our family genetically tend to be on the big side. That’s why I’m very careful about my diet, so that I don’t get big. I don’t eat a lot during meals. I eat six small meals a day. I drink Nesvita Pro-Bone Protection so that I get the nutrition I need without the added fat,” she says.
Carol adds that nowadays, good health is increasingly becoming a priority for her and her family as the years go by. She says she chose Nesvita Pro-Bone Protection after reading on the label that it is packed with vitamins and minerals that adults like her need.
“I’m concerned about my health as I get older. For example, I want to get the right amount of calcium every day to prevent the risk of getting osteoporosis later in life. While my kids’ milk also contains calcium, the content is not in the same amount that an adult like me would need,” she says.
“I decided to get Nesvita Pro-Bone Protection as my adult milk not just because it contains the right amount of calcium for me, but also because of all the milk product labels I checked, it’s the only one with Calci-Lock, a cocktail of nutrients that lets me absorb calcium,” she adds.
Carol is talking about Nesvita Pro-Bone Protection’s Calci-Lock, a group of vitamins and minerals that work together to allow the body to absorb more amounts of calcium from milk.
Calci-Lock includes vitamin D, essential vitamins and minerals including calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and vitamin C, and vitamin K. When these nutrients work together, the body is able to absorb more calcium from milk, mineralize and build up bones (to prevent them from getting brittle with age), and activate special proteins that lock calcium in the bones.
“When you have your health and your children are healthy, too, what else can you ask for? So I encourage my kids to drink their milk while I drink Nesvita Pro-Bone Protection so that we all stay healthy as we get older,” Carol says.
Another working woman who is thankful to her milk habit is 29-year-old radio promotions executive Chem Aurelio. She says she switched to Nesvita Pro-Bone Protection after carefully checking its label at the grocery store.
“Usually, I would check for the fat content. But now that I’m going into my 30s, I’m getting concerned about nutrition and the risk of osteoporosis. So I want to get proper nutrition to help my body recover from the effects of stress, and also prevent osteoporosis as I get older,” Chem says.
Chem is right to be concerned about age-related osteoporosis. Studies show that as people age — particularly women — the calcium levels in their blood may drop. What’s the effect of this?
Calcium is an essential mineral in the body. It is well known that calcium builds and maintains bones and teeth — but not too many know that it performs other functions that keep the body alive. The calcium in the blood is used to regulate blood clotting, transmit nerve impulses, allow the muscles to flex, and regulate our heartbeat.
In case the calcium levels in the blood drop, the body will work to replace the lost calcium. Ideally, this lost calcium must be replaced every day through a good diet that includes calcium-rich foods. These include dark leafy green vegetables, dried beans and legumes, dried dilis or anchovies, tofu, canned fish, eggs, and nuts.
If the diet, however, is lacking in calcium-rich foods, the body is forced to remove calcium from the bones (99 percent of the calcium in the human body is in the bones). This phenomenon, known as “calcium cannibalism,” may result in brittle bones since the calcium from the bones is being absorbed into the blood.
Another contributing factor to osteoporosis in women is menopause. During menopause, a woman’s estrogen level drops, contributing to osteoporosis, too.