Olympic and Elite Performance Nutrition Coach, Jeaneth Aro, recently launched her children's story book series "Mga Kuwentong Nutrisyon ni Coach Jeaneth Aro".
The launch was held last July 30, 2022 at Novotel Manila. The event was attended by close friends, colleagues and relatives as well as some of the high profile athletes that Jeaneth is currently handling.
"It has always been my advocacy to share knowledge on the importance of proper nutrition and its impact on our overall health and general well-being." said Jeaneth who is the book’s co-author. "For the past 5 years, I have been using my social media platforms to come up with educational content to guide people on how to properly apply evidence-based nutrition principles in their quest to live a healthy life." She added.
The book's authors Alex Aro (3rd from left) and Jeaneth Aro are flanked by Coach Julius Naranjo, Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo, veteran sports writer Quinito Henson, lifestyle writer Lisa Nakpil, Princess Marcial, and Olympic bronze medalist Eumir Marcial.
An important step in her advocacy is to be able to reach children at the household level because good nutrition practices really start in the home. Giving both parents and kids guidance on proper nutrition will make a lasting difference on how they view everyday food items and how it can make an impact on their overall health.
"Reading story books to our kids provides not only an opportunity for us parents to bond and connect with our children but also to learn with them when the books have educational topics and content." Jeaneth recounts her story telling experience with her kids.
The Mga Kuwentong Nutrisyon ni Coach Jeaneth Aro is envisioned to be a collection of children’s story books focusing on health and nutrition that is both educational and fun to read for kids which will also serve as a guide for parents and guardians. These books also point out to the readers the importance of consulting licensed nutritionist-dietitians when it comes to managing their weight and health goals.
The first book in the series entitled "Ang Natatagong Lakas ni Bulas Gatas" tackles the various effects of the commercially available milk and “milk drinks” on the health of consumers particularly children. Written together with Jeaneth’s eldest son Alexander Aro, they drew inspiration from their own personal experience on the health benefits of including milk as an essential food item in their daily eating schedules. The story provides guidance on what the healthiest choice is amongst the many options of milk for young kids that are available in the market today. Choosing the right milk to drink will maximize their growth potential when it is regularly consumed with other whole and minimally processed foods.
The story is about a nutrient packed milk named Bulas Gatas. Despite being the best and healthy drink for children, Bulas is not the drink of choice in the grocery store. Instead, the kids and their parents who shop in the store prefer the sugary “milk-like” drinks in colorful packaging such as Pintog Tsokolate, Tamis Yogurt, and Linamnam Soymilk. One such kid is a boy named Ariel who is an aspiring basketball player. Ariel consumes a lot of these “milk-like” drinks and he wonders why he still weighs in on the heavy side and is shorter in height compared to his basketball team mates.
Co-author Alexander Aro, doing a book reading to the kids who attended the book launch
Jeaneth is very grateful to Real California Milk for coming in to support the book launch as the sole event partner. Their support is vital in getting her message out in the public and this book launch will not be possible without their generous support.
"The California Milk Advisory Board is pleased to partner with Coach Jeaneth Aro to promote the bountiful benefits of milk. California is the largest producer of milk in the USA and we are happy to share our high quality, healthful milk with Filipino families. Growing kids need energy for their studies and activities and incorporating milk into their diet supports their overall wellness. Real milk doesn’t just taste good, it’s good for them, too!" said CMAB Philippines Country Representative, Reji Retugal-Onal.
As a sports nutrition practitioner for nearly 2 decades and having handled hundreds of elite and professional athletes in the country, it has always been her desire to give back to the sports community. A way to do this is to address the challenge of poor nutrition among young aspiring athletes at the grassroots level that hinders them from reaching their full potential as future achievers in sports.
Jeaneth with some members of the TNT Tropang Giga Professional Basketball Team. From left to right: Assistant Coach Josh Reyes with baby daughter Kalista, Kib Montalbo, Carl Brian Cruz, Ryan Reyes, and team doctor Miguel Valera.
To help address this concern, Jeaneth is pledging a percentage from the total sales of the books to fund a Milk Feeding Program for Young Athletes. In addition to this, she is very grateful that the MVP Sports Foundation has agreed to work with her as a program partner in the planning and actualization of this initiative. Their wide influence and extensive network in the sports community will go a long way in achieving this program’s objective to provide young athletes, especially those in the grassroots, with healthy milk to boost their growth and performance.
MVP Sports Foundation's Atty. Oscar "Jang" Moreno Jr. talks about the importance of how crucial sports is to young kids when it comes to character building.
“Youth grassroots development has always been an integral part of MVPSF’s core values. Given proper nutrition’s importance to grassroots sports, MVPSF will strongly embrace its pivotal role in helping launch this nutrition education campaign together with Coach Jeaneth to empower the youth with the knowledge to make healthy food and beverage choices.” said MVPSF Executive Director, Jude Turcuato.
Jeaneth and Alexander Aro with MVP Sports Foundation Executive Director, Jude Turcuato and Program Director for Community Sports and Youth Development Atty. Oscar "Jang" Moreno Jr. during the program partnership signing of the Memorandum of Agreement.
Jeaneth is also inviting milk companies/brands to explore possible partnerships as they reach out to local government units, non-profit organizations, and other stakeholders to implement this Milk Feeding Program.
With Jeaneth's supportive husband Art and sons Alexander and Jacob strike a bicep pose with Bulas Gatas
To place your orders for the book, kindly contact Alex Aro at 0919 676 7840. For more details about the book, please click here