Understanding The Role of Pinggang Pinoy in a Low Fat Diet

Have you ever been to your doctor only to find out that you have a cholesterol level that is through the roof, and are advised to start a low fat diet? The high cholesterol surprised you so much that you forgot to ask the doctor, what's a low fat diet?

The local clinical practice guidelines for Dyslipidemia Management defines a high cholesterol as having total cholesterol level of ≥ 240 mg/dL. Borderline level is between 200-239 mg/dL. Once your lipid profile shows this value, consider yourself dyslipidemic or you have what is called Dyslipidemia. Of course, there are other important lipid parameters that will give your clinician a broad picture of your risk profile. But, we will focus on cholesterol for simplicity and familiarity. Once your doctor diagnoses you with dyslipidemia, he or she will advise you on certain lifestyle modifications in addition to medical therapy. Or sometimes, your doctor might delay medical therapy and would want further monitoring, leaving you with just a biiiit of lifestyle tweaking, hopefully.

There are 3 modifications that the local guidelines recommend: diet, exercise, and smoking cessation. For now, let's focus on diet! Have you heard of the Daily Nutritional Guide Pyramid for Filipinos? Twenty years ago, the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) released the pyramid to give Filipinos a guide on what and how much food to consume to achieve adequate nutrition. Based on that food pyramid, the total fat intake is only 15% of the total caloric intake. It comprises the small tip-top of the pyramid. This complements the recommendation of the local guidelines about modifying fat diet for dyslipidemic patients. By definition, a low fat diet aims to reduce fat intake to <30% energy from fat, and at least, partially replace the energy lost with carbohydrates, protein, or fruits and vegetables. The pyramid fulfills that definition by far!

In 2014, the FNRI released a simpler version of the food pyramid, termed as Pinggang Pinoy. It uses a scientific-based approach with the best scientific evidence that complements and supplements the food pyramid model. What I'm trying to say here is, if your doctor advised you to go on a low fat diet, the Pinggang Pinoy approach to managing your daily food serving size is a brilliant way to go and is definitely local clinical guidelines-approved.

So, what is Pinggang Pinoy and how does it look like? How does it taste like? Pinggang Pinoy uses a 9-inch plate, distributing food proportionally among the food groups providing ~1200-1500 calories per day. Go! Grow! Glow! The basic food groups are still there. Pinggang Pinoy advises half of the plate should be green leafy vegetables with one serving of fruit per meal. Here is the serving size breakdown of Pinggang Pinoy:

Rice and Alternatives

One serving of either of these:

• 1 cup of rice, OR

• 4 pieces of pan de sal (17 grams each), OR

• 4 pieces of loaf bread (17 grams each), OR

• 1 cup of cooked pasta, OR

• 1 piece of root crop (kamote, kamoteng kahoy, gabi, or ube)

You would not eat all these in one sitting. This only means that a cup of rice has many interesting equivalents which you may rotate throughout each meal of the days of the week, so, that the palate can enjoy.

Fish and Alternatives

Two servings per meal of either of these:

• 1 piece of small fish (galunggong), OR

• 1 piece of small chicken leg or 1 matchbox size of chicken breast, OR

• 1 matchbox size of meat, beef or pork, OR

• 1 piece of small chicken egg

Take note that the Pinggang Pinoy does not prohibit eating any kind of meat. It's all about portioning.

Vegetables and Fruits

One serving per meal of these:

• 3/4 cup to 1 cup cooked or raw vegetables

• 1 medium-sized fruit (banana, apple, orange), OR

• 1 slice of large fruit (watermelon, suha)

Be careful with fruits because if your blood glucose is high, eating some types may exacerbate high blood sugar. It is best to talk to your internist to discuss your diet when you have existing chronic illnesses like Diabetes or gout. Top your meals off with at least 8 glasses of water per day. Refrain from drinking sugary beverages and just stick with water.

As discussed, Pinggang Pinoy does not include dessert or snack items. It, however, suggests to have 4-6 servings of fruit per day. So, if you're into snacking, and you prefer eating small frequent meals, snack on some fruits that are appropriately portioned.

What's the biggest takeaway here? If you'r advised to go on a low fat diet, look no further. Consider the recommendations of Pinggang Pinoy. Of course, it's always best to talk to your doctor if you were to start a new diet.