By Deep Scroll Staff 
A recent Open Your Eyes interview has revealed the underbelly of Belize’s gastric health. According to Robyn Daly, who is a nutritionist at the Ministry of Health and Wellness, over 130,000 Belizeans are overweight, with 80,000 of those being obese. Why all the talk surrounding obesity?
March 4th is recognized as World Obesity Day, and in addition to the informational interview, the Ministry posted on its Facebook a flyer intended to help Belizeans find cost-effective and healthy meals under $10. Except–Belizeans are not happy.
For one, residents say some of the suggested meals aren’t particularly nutritious. For example, garnachas, burrito, and gacho. Others complain that the meals aren’t nearly as affordable as advertised, especially for families trying to stretch their grocery budgets.
One commenter says, “…here i am eating leafy veggies only for you to come tell me to eat gacho,burrito and garnches because its a healthy meal ….”
Another says, “MOH needs a new Dietician because who decided that fried corn tortillas, white bread, white rice, and flour tortillas healthy? Is this rage bait!?”
Other commenters focus on the financial aspect. One says, “Only way da under $10 da if u d buy from local street vendors fi yoself if yo no eat big lol. If yo got family, what then? Go buy the ingredients fi almost anyone of these listed urself n yo pass $15. 15 years ago yo cudda stretch $10-$15 fi mek a meal fi feed a small family. Not now?”
“The enchilada itself is more than ten.one pack a chicken breast is already 8/9 them want fi breast.the cheese itself is 11$ cm on,” says another.
It seems Belizeans find the flyer insulting, resulting in a backlash that the MOH more than likely did not expect. Whether Belizeans will follow the flyer on their wellness journey remains to be seen.
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