Food Shortages Making People Fat?

It is no secret that Venezuela has been facing food shortages for quite some time, but things are getting worse by the minute. It is becoming increasingly difficult for people to find basic items and desperation is growing.

Venezuelan empanadas and sought out ingredients 

Nonetheless, it is really remarkable how the people of Venezuela are trying to adjust to their new norm by putting together meals with whatever items they can find. You can often see people replacing rice with yucca, or corn flour with plantains, etc.  The notion of eating three meals a day is far gone and most people are lucky if they have enough food in their cupboard for three meals a week. If you live in America, it may be difficult to fathom this, but nothing is quite as effective in getting the point across as images. Carlos Garcia Rawlins, a photographer for the Reuters, captured the images of food scarcity and empty cupboards from actual families living in Caracas, Venezuela.

These changes in food consumptions are beginning to have an effect on everyone's waist line. It is simply not possible for people to have a balanced diet. As mentioned by one of the Venezuelan residents featured on Rawlins' photographs, "if we have lunch, not dinner and if we have dinner, not breakfast." People are resorting to eating unhealthy foods that can fill them up for longer periods of time because they know that they will need to skip a meal, or even two. These unhealthy eating habits will eventually increase cases of diabetes, heart conditions, etc.

President Maduro is encouraging citizens to grow their own crops. This, he says, will help put a stop to the "economic warfare" that he claims is being orchestrated by the opposition to sabotage his administration. The only problem with the suggested solution is that eighty percent of Venezuelans live in an urban setting so their abilities to grow food at home are limited.

This is an example of yet another unintended consequence of economic policies followed by a solution to the wrong problem. The silver lining is that Coca-Cola has announced that it will stop production in Venezuela because they are not able to find sugar. With minimal food options, the last thing Venezuelans need is a sugary drink to add to their woes.  

Update: I'm back!

Much has happened in the last eight months. Starting with the culmination of a challenging pregnancy, the birth of my daughter in October, and the many sleepless nights that followed. In a blink of an eye, I went back to school to complete my undergraduate degree. I am happy to report that my hard work paid off when I received my degree last Saturday. My daughter and husband were there to cheer me on. My parents were also there to witness that their struggles and sacrifices were well worth it and I couldn't have been more proud to have such incredible support.

 More good news: I am not going to turn this into a mommy blog or a "follow my every move" webpage. Instead, I am going to continue to use this medium as a way to highlight some of the injustices, inefficiencies, and unintentional consequences that come from a government's negligent decisions.

I look forward to providing updates on some of the continuing issues facing the people of Venezuela as well as some of the new challenges that have emerged.