Advice for Families to Maintain Nutrition During a Quarantine

We recently received a request from a network member in Guatemala for advice on the topic of family nutrition during the COVID-19 pandemic. I’d like to open the question up to the wider network so you all might share any lessons learned in this time or in past experiences.

“Do any of you have recommendations or simple recipes to maintain good nutrition during this time of quarantine? We are facing this challenge with the families we serve (in extreme poverty), several no longer have a job, there is no food on the table. We are taking grocery bags and hygiene kits, water, as well as a cereal called: incaparina- it is a source of nutrients. But we wanted to know if there is anything else we should consider to teach the families on caring for themselves each day with the little resources they have. We also want to take care of our collaborators - give little tips. If any of you have materials or advice we would greatly appreciate it!”

These recommendations came out of a discussion at ECHO this morning. One would be to ask local people about indigenous plants they use as leafy greens. These can be overlooked and can provide vitamins and minerals as well as some protein.
Chaya is indigenous to Guatemala and is a very nutritious perennial. You can download a Chaya Recipe book from ECHO – http://edn.link/book-chaya-recipes It is also available in Spanish – https://assets.echocommunity.org/publication_issue/edd5c2de-51c4-4240-aa4a-a50f3e2f2402/es/chaya-recipe-book.pdf
There are also recommendations for fast growing plants for a household in our latest ECHO Development Notes (#147) http://edn.link/kxe2d3