Malunggay soon in students’ meals
The Department of Education (DepEd) wants to include malunggay in meals served to children in public schools in a bid to improve their nutrition.
The DepEd’s Health and Nutrition Council (HNC) is currently conducting a two-week workshop on ways to prepare and develop malunggay-based recipes that will be included in the meals and snacks served to public school children as part of DepEd’s school feeding program.
Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said the malunggay initiative would help them achieve their goal to fight nutrition
deficiency among millions of public school children.
Likewise, it will teach the children the nutritious benefits and usefulness of malunggay, touted as a miracle vegetable.
“The education department is tapping into indigenous resources in an effort to overcome nutritional deficiency,” Lapus said.
The DepEd also encourages public schools to plant malunggay in their backyards so that children can get easy access to nutritious malunggay-based meals.
“Planting malunggay will translate to huge savings not only for the department but for the families of participants as well,” he added.
The first part of the workshop was held last April
DepEd HNC director Thelma Santos said they have been following interesting research work and studies on the nutritional benefits of the malunggay or Moringa oleifera.
A public school teacher and nurse in the Bicol region recently developed polvoron snack using malunggay powder that was given to the students. The malunggay polvoron reportedly caused a drop in the iron-deficiency level of the students.
Malunggay leaves are an outstanding source of Vitamins A, B1, and C, calcium, potassium, and iron and is known to cure beriberi, a disease caused by a deficiency in Vitamin B1. Malunggay also helps in curing rickets, a disease caused by lack of Vitamin D and calcium in the body.
Known as horseradish tree in English, malunggay originated in
Its many uses include cropping and animal feeds and it is now being studied as feedstock for biogas and diesel production. It is also used as a domestic cleaning agent and fertilizer. - Rainier Allan Ronda
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