Malunggay - An Important Functional Food

The Philippine Technical Working Group identified moringa, also known as horse radish or malunggay in the Philippines, as one of the eight functional foods, along with coconut oil, coconut products, turmeric, seaweeds, root crops, local berries, pili, and edible mushrooms.

These functional foods were chosen because they contain one or more nutrients which are helpful in improving and supporting one's health and "may prevent risks for some certain disorders."

Source: Food and Nutrition Research Institute, DOST

What are these "certain disorders?" In this article published by the FNRI Digest on the first quarter of 2018, they pointed out that about 31% of Filipino adults suffer from obesity, 22% have high blood pressure, and about 6% have elevated blood sugar levels. In addition, 2 out of 10 Filipino adults also have high cholesterol levels. 

Consuming adequate amounts of functional foods like moringa and making them part of our regular diet is an effective strategy to maximize health and reduce disease risk. However, "functional foods" are not magic foods. The best way to live a healthy life is still through proper diet and maintaining a healthy body weight along with regular exercise, avoiding tobacco, and reducing stress.