Did you know: aside from being known as the month of love, February is also Philippine Heart Month. The yearly celebration aims to promote cardiovascular health and wellness.

As part of its continuing mission to help Filipinos live well, Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation (APC Group) has teamed up with lifestyle doctor Dr. Dex Macalintal in promoting healthy heart education by providing easy and simple ways to keep the heart in tip top shape.

Dr. Dex Macalintal, a registered nutritionist dietitian in practice for about 10 years and a licensed physician for 4 years, shared that Filipinos should practice, “heart above all.”

He noted that when our hearts malfunction, our actions will be limited and so will our productivity. Dr. Dex also highlighted that our hearts help us orchestrate how blood flows in the body which helps our other organs function properly.

In the Philippines, heart disease is the leading cause of death. In 2022, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that over 9,000 Filipinos succumbed to ischaemic heart diseases and over 4,000 died due to cerebrovascular diseases.

“Together with Dr. Dex, we want to share how Filipinos can take better care of their hearts by encouraging healthy eating habits and improving our physical health,” APC Group General Manager Corporate Planning and Public Relations Roann Co said.

Tip #1: Do not smoke, never smoke, or If you smoke, QUIT. NOW. Studies have proven that chemicals in cigarettes put the heart at risk of heart diseases. Blockage from a clot can lead to a heart attack and to some extent sudden death.

Tips #2 & #3: Exercise regularly and maintain your weight. Dr. Dex recommends having at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise daily to help achieve our ideal body weight to minimize the risk of hypertension and stroke.

Tip #4: Keep a balanced diet. A diet rich in vegetables, less fat, and less in sodium has already been proven to reduce blood pressure and blood cholesterol which are known culprits for putting your hearts at risk of diseases. Dr. Dex shares “Kaya naman, having a balanced diet is very essential in taking care of our health. Mainam na malaman kung gaano karami lamang ang pwedeng kainin so that our weight will be in the ideal range, putting us at the safe zone from lifestyle related diseases.”

To help Filipinos take better care of their heart health, APC Group launched its BawAsin® campaign which aims to help homecooks serve less sodium dishes. One practical way is to lessen the usage of salt and use AJI-NO-MOTO® Umami Seasoning. AJI-NO-MOTO® Umami Seasoning contains only 1/3 amount of sodium compared to table salt, sodium intake can be reduced by up to 40% while maintaining overall deliciousness of food.

“The goal of the BawAsin® Campaign is to reduce salt intake which is a preventive move to reduce risks of heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease. Creating less sodium and balanced meals through this campaign can help our community decrease the cases of heart disease and other non-communicable diseases,” Dr. Dex said, “Our continuous exposure to processed foods that are very rich in sodium and salt can put one at risk of these lifestyle-related diseases. Reducing salt and sodium intake just by ½ can be very helpful in the long run,” he added.

The BawAsin® or Bawasan ang Asin campaign is a reflection of the brand’s “Eat Well, Live Well” promise, which aims to help families improve their health by providing ways on how to prepare healthy and delicious meals. These initiatives are in line with the company's ultimate goal of extending the life expectancy of 1 billion people.

“With one simple step such as reducing sodium intake can help us take better care of our heart and overall health. With the tips shared by Dr. Dex and the recipes from our BawAsin campaign, we can live a healthier lifestyle while making sure we have delicious meals every single time,” said Co.

For more information about the BawAsin® campaign, visit https://www.ajinomoto.com.ph/

For easy-to-follow delicious less sodium recipes checkout ajinomoto.com.ph/whats-new-archive/sodium-recipes/

Filipino cuisine uses a wide range of healthy and nutritious ingredients, however most pinoy dishes use generous amounts of salt, soy sauce, fish sauce, or bagoong to achieve full flavor. In addition to this, Pinoys also love salty dipping sauces or sawsawan. Unfortunately, the flavor that brings the yum in Filipino dishes may be a key ingredient that is putting people’s heart and health at risk.

That’s because too much salt leads to excessive sodium intake, which has been linked to many illnesses such as heart diseases, stroke, and kidney diseases. In fact, Filipinos’ average salt consumption per day is 11 grams (4,263 milligrams of sodium). This is more than the recommended 5 grams of salt (or less than 2,000 milligrams of sodium) daily by the World Health Organization (WHO).

To help address the issue, Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation (APC) Group recently launched its BawAsin or Bawasan ang Asin campaign, an effort that encourages consumers to reduce their sodium intake without sacrificing the deliciousness of their meals.

Less Sodium, Happier Heart

Our heart works non-stop to keep us going, so we need to take a good look at the condition of our heart and give it the attention and love it deserves. And people can start with consuming less salt in their diets.

Ajinomoto’s new BawAsin section in its official website contains less sodium hacks as well as more than 100 less sodium recipes to help Filipinos in their pursuit of keeping a healthy and hearty diet. One of the main tips suggested is to substitute 1 teaspoon of salt with the combination of ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ tablespoon of MSG. This simple step allows for reducing sodium content by up to 40% while maintaining the flavor.

“Many people remain apprehensive of reducing their salt intake because of the notion and misconception that less salt results in bland-tasting or less flavorful food. This is far from the truth,” said APC Science Communication Specialist Beatrice Menorca, RND. “Based on a study entitled ‘Determining acceptability of a less sodium recipe with umami seasoning’ participants of the study actually preferred the less sodium recipes over regular recipes. This only proves that it is possible to cook delicious food with less sodium. It’s quite easy too, as there are healthier alternatives to make food rich in flavor without adding too much salt,” Menorca said.

APC Group’s BawAsin or Bawasan ang Asin campaign was also launched in a Webinar Series that was held in partnership with the Nutritionist-Dietitians Association of the Philippines. APC Group and NDAP’s Webinar Series enjoined nutrition experts and students to help spread the word about the importance of taking care of health, through healthy and nutritious food.

The first webinar entitled, ‘Invest in your health be better in 2022’, discussed how people can invest in improving their immune system by consuming healthy and nutritious food. Another webinar entitled ‘More flavor, less salt: Delicious salt reduction’ covered the effects of excessive salt intake on people’s health and how Filipinos can make food delicious with lesser salt intake.

The BawAsin or Bawasan ang Asin campaign is a reflection of the brand’s “Eat Well, Live Well” promise, which aims to help families improve their health by providing ways on how to prepare healthy and delicious meals. These initiatives are in line with the company's ultimate goal of extending the life expectancy of 1 billion people.

“It’s amazing how one simple step—reducing sodium intake—can bring about so many benefits for the heart and our overall health. We must do every little thing that would help us live a healthier lifestyle, while making sure we have delicious meals every single time,” said Roann Co, APC General Manager of Marketing and Public Relations.

For more information about the BawAsin campaign, visit ajinomoto.com.ph.