Comida!

In Peru, food = love :)
I have definitely found that to be true everyday that I've been here! When we aren't cooking, we're talking about food. I honestly don't have any complaints. Many of my companeros are sick of how much rice and potatoes we get. I say keep em coming! I love the rice and papas I've been eating here. Peru has over 4,000 tipos de papas!!! Camote (sweet potato) and papa amarillo (yellow potato) are my favorite so far. Chicken is common but we get beef a lot as well. Lots of eggs, but not for breakfast.
Veggies are served a lot because our host families know (and joke about) how much Norte Americanos love verduras! My breakfasts are light and yummy: they vary from rolls with jelly, cereal (yogurt instead of milk), or fruit with yogurt.
Below is my typical lunch or dinner: Rice and potatoes plus meat or a fried egg. Usually the rice is white with a little lime flavoring. The sauce on the papas varies. If this was lunch, I'd get some fruit (apple, mandarin, granadilla) and maybe boiled veggies.

You can also see how important food is here in Peru by the content of our classes these past couple weeks: Last week we had a competition for who can cook the most delicious and nutricious meal from Peruvian ingredients on a budget. Below are our dishes we came up with:

 

Note all the avocado, mango, and camote! SO good!

This week we cooked a nutritious lunch for our language class. We made vegetarian tacos with a camote+ onion+ peppers stir fry, mango, avocado, and black beans. Que rico! Graham's mom ate with us and loved it! Tacos are not common here, the tortillas were hard to find. The purple drink you see bellow is called Chicha Morada. It's sweet Peruvian fruit juice made from purple corn, pineapple, spices, water, and LOTS of sugar.

We also prepared baby food this week with our language classes. Each class was asked to make a balanced, nutritious meal that would be good for a growing baby. Our assigned age range was 6 meses. This is the age when moms start adding complementary feedings (2/ day) to the breastfeeding. The food must be mashed smooth but not liquid. Our recipe included zapillo (squash), papas, y hidago (liver). Todos los food groups included! Hidago, as well as other animal organs are excellent sources of iron and protein, crucial to the growth and development of babies. I also tasted sangrecita (cooked blood) made by another group- this is the BEST source of protein for babies. It wasn't too bad, just a little metallic-y. It would have been better eaten with a sauce or with rice/ papas. I have yet to try ceviche or cuy (guinea pig) but stay tuned!

Nutrition education is different here because we do not focus on reducing carbs and fats like we do in the US. In fact, we encourage babies and young children to eat carbs and fats. They need those for their brain development. Our main concern is that they are getting enough protein. Very little of the food here is processed, so obesity is not a problem. Malnutrition from lack of protein and micronutrients (esp. iron), however, is definitely a problem. That's why our Goal 1 has a focus on sufficient nutrition for babies under 3 years old. We target them during those crucial ages of growth and development so that they can thrive as healthy, strong, and intelligent adults. (sano, fuerte, y intelegente!)