October 23rd-31st

Hello!

It’s been about a week since I’ve had any energy in me to write, so here I finally am sitting at my computer. I wish I had more to blog about, but this experience hasn't been exactly what I expected. I'm sure I should have came into this with zero expectations, then I would have been fine. Oh well!  Where should I begin?  Well as per usual here in Bolivia, I have been on and off sick the past week, symptoms ranging from a fever, nausea and headaches, but the days I’ve been well I’ve been able to make some interesting observations. 

This post is going to focus on nutrition here in Bolivia. It’s a strange world here where in one meal you are served potatoes, rice, noodles, yucca and a small ounce of protein and rarely any sort of vegetables. In fact Lydia and I have actually brought our own vegetables to certain restaurants as they are not commonly served with meals here.  As one of the mass producers of the “Super Grain” Quinoa, you would think that it would be more of a staple in the Bolivian diet, however it is also rare. The decline in quinoa consumption is linked to the increasing global market for the grain. Seems unfair seeing as they produce it, yet are unable to afford to consume it. Through my adventure I have been two exactly ONE restaurant that has quinoa on the menu, and it was one of the more expensive, “tourist” restaurants.  The starches do vary by region, yucca is more so consumed in the lowlands, while corn is abundant in the valleys and potatoes are a staple all over Bolivia as they grow in most regions. Most of the food here is fried and locals often use a seasoning called Llajua which is a spicy salsa. The most common meat used is Chicken; however in Southern Bolivia they consume more beef as barbecues are common.

In my opinion, the malnutrition Bolivia faces is due to a lack of awareness and knowledge in terms of proper nutrition. This is something that should be of focus in schools as well as advertised through the government as many of the older generations are unaware as well. Lydia went to a market where one lady actually asked her what she should be eating, because she was worried about her weight. They simply don’t know how to eat properly here, and the abundance of cheap, fried, carbohydrate heavy foods do not make it any easier. The food people consume here does not offer enough of the necessary vitamins and minerals needed for proper health and nutrition. The Andean grains, fruits and vegetables are all available at the markets for cheap prices; however it seems people gravitate towards the cheaper starches and even miss out on proteins more often than not. I was speaking with a local yesterday about the issue of malnutrition amongst children, and he told me that during the time babies breast feed they are normally in good health and receiving the vitamins and minerals needed to sustain proper health, it’s after the breast feeding when they are switched to solid foods when the lower weight and vitamin deficiencies begin. Awareness is vital to change, as it is impossible for one to change what they do not know they are doing wrong.