Give them time

Did you see the Fox News story recently about how Mexico has a bigger problem with adults being fat than the U.S. has? The New York Post has the figures (so to speak):

According to a new report from the United Nations, nearly 70 percent of Mexican adults are overweight, and childhood obesity in the country has tripled within the past decade, Medical Daily reported. One-third of Mexican teenagers are also obese, and experts believe that four out of every five obese children will remain overweight for the rest of their lives.

Overall, 32.8 percent of Mexican adults are considered obese, compared to 31.8 percent of adults in the United States. Nearly 70,000 deaths in Mexico each year are caused by weight-related diabetes, and more than 400,000 new cases of diabetes are diagnosed annually.

Experts believe the rise in Mexico’s obesity rates has to do with the continuously growing gap between the country’s classes, as 50 percent of the population currently lives below the poverty line. According to Medical Daily, healthy diets are becoming less affordable, prompting individuals with low incomes to consume more unhealthy foods, such as fried foods and soda.

One researcher also believes the increase can be attributed to more Mexicans moving from rural to urban areas, where food prices are much higher and sedentary lifestyles are easier.

Actually, I have observed in my part-time job as cashier at a big box store that Mexicans eat healthier than Americans. They invariably load the conveyor belt with produce: Roma tomatoes, several kinds of peppers, lettuce, mangos, and a variety of other fruits and vegetables. Yes, there are the tortillas and tacos, too. But they have yet to realize the important food value of Oreos, Paula Dean cakes, Coke and Pepsi, or Hersheys and Reeses. Give them time.