Staying healthy in Mexico

The whole of nature, as has been said, is a conjugation of the verb to eat, in the active and in the passive. -William Ralph Inge (1860 – 1954) – an English author, Anglican priest, professor of divinity at Cambridge, and Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral

When you hear about “health” in Mexico most people automatically think of Montezuma’s Revenge. While that is not what I am going to blog about, yesterday was the first day that I started to feel pains in my stomach although that’s as bad as it has gotten (I blame the coffee made from unfiltered water after church and my immediate ingestion of Tums upon such symptoms). However, just this slight discomfort has made me realize how unhealthy my lifestyle in Mexico is. And I am not alone. Obesity and diabetes are HUGE problems in Mexico. In fact, Mexico now surpasses the United States as the fattest country.

Sidenote on stereotypes:

Gringo stereotype #1: All Americans love McDonalds. This stereotype probably makes me madder than any other one. I rarely eat McDonalds in the US and do my best to avoid it in other countries (unless I am going to be there a long time). I personally am not keeping McDonalds in business, your country as a whole is. Just as I do not assume that all Mexicans are fat and love McDonalds, I would appreciate it if they didn’t think the same of me.

Gringo stereotype #2: This has nothing to do with health but I find it annoying. People here think I can’t handle anything spicy. Now, I am not a person who LOVES spicy food but I can handle a little kick (I lived in Texas for 4 years). Normally when I approach a salsa here I put just a bit on, try it, and add more if I desire. However, every single time I am anywhere and I reach for the salsa people start talking about how “Americans can’t eat spicy foods” or giving me warnings as if I might explode. I would eat a whole habanero if people would never talk about “cuidado, pica!” again.

The articles above list several reasons for this tripling of obesity rates in the past 30 years and I couldn’t agree more. When you think about it Mexico is a country filled with poverty and obesity and diabetes are usually considered “rich” diseases. That’s not the case in Mexico for several reasons:

• The Mexican Diet- In the past Mexicans ate a balanced diet of vegetables with corn tortillas and beans, however this is quickly changing. Nowadays street vendors do not sell fresh fruits and juices (though some do) there is a PROLIFERATION of taco and hamburger stands. These are not just fast food stands but food that is fried in animal fat in front of you. Don’t get me wrong– it’s delicious. Best tacos I have ever eaten. It is cheap and convenient and thus, extremely popular. Also, the fact that more women are working outside the home means that families are leaving the home instead of eating home cooked meals.
• Globalization- Some people point to globalization as a factor in increasing “American” fast food chains. While this is true, it happens in every country and not every country has an obesity problem. Mexico also has its own national chains such as “El Pollo Feliz” that offer other fried alternatives to McDonalds.
• Lack of clean drinking water- You can’t drink the tap water here in Mexico so people have to buy purified bottled water. For many people this is very expensive. However, Coca-Cola is sometimes even cheaper than water and now Mexico consumes more soda products than any other country (after America). Some women in the south even put Coke in their babies’ bottles. The strangest thing I have noticed here is that many of the “fruit juices” are actually carbonated and contain huge amounts of sugar. And very few corner stores or street vendors carry Coca-Light (much to my dismay).
• Violence- Fear of violence is the number one priority for most people here. Thus, nutrition and exercise take a back seat in terms of things to worry about. People are scared to go out exercising for fear that they might be mugged or kidnapped (hence the reason my family was wary of letting me go by myself and the reason that I can only go at certain times when the park is full of people).

The exercise thing is very peculiar to me. Lindsay has joined a gym but I have not and I need to ask her what is like here, however gyms do not seem to be very popular. Neither is running. When I go exercising in the park there are a lot of other people there walking very slowly. And everyone wears very heavy sweatsuits in the 90 degree weather. I definitely stand out in my spandex capris and Duke shirt (not to mention red hair). Plus I am one of the few people who actually run. I do not feel unsafe really although I do get lots of creepy stares, and if it weren’t for the fact that I doubt most of them could catch me, I might be a little afraid by some of the looks I have gotten. The government has several ad campaigns urging people do exercise but, in my opinion, it is not working. (Another sidenote: when I can’t join a gym I like to use these free workouts that are updated monthly)

Tacos al pastor (pork tacos marinated in a "special sauce") ie. the best tacos ever

The whole eating situation is becoming a problem for me because I want to engage in the culture here (which means eating the food) but I don’t want to sacrifice my health in doing so. Most people know that I am not a crazy health nut (my Hot Pockets have to be Lean and my Coke has to be Diet but that’s about it) but I can really tell a difference in how eating fried, fatty foods affects my energy and mood. Thus, I have tried to make a set of dietary rules to follow while I am here:

• Insist on buying diet soda, skim milk and my own large thing of water, regardless of the cost. Just because other people don’t do it doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t. Also, I find Mexican labels very misleading. For example, its not just “skim” and “whole” milk but there is “light”, “decreamed”, “de-lactosed”, “100% fit”, etc.
• Only eat “en la calle” twice a month. The family gets so excited when I agree to do it (not because it is special but because apparently the Duke students here last year wouldn’t do it because they were worried it would make them sick). For them it is very normal so I don’t like asking them to break their normal routine for me. Also, those street tacos are delicious. However, I feel like twice a month is enough of a splurge.
• The Mexican meal plan in essence should be very healthy. A small breakfast, a large lunch and a small dinner. However, when you are eating fried foods at every meal it doesn’t matter how small your meals are. I am going to try to do more of cooking my own breakfast and dinner and joining the family in their meal for lunch.
• I (can’t believe I am saying this) am actually considering fasting. I have never been pro-fasting even back at Rice when they would do those 24 hour famine things to raise money for starving kids in the third world. I would donate money but never understood why I would pay someone so that I could not eat. It just seemed hypocritical. At Duke fasting is a devotional practice that many people experiment with but in every situation I have been put it in it has been a mandatory fast and I hate it when people tell me what to do. BUT, now that I have both a physical AND spiritual reason I am actually considering it. John Wesley fasted on Wednesdays and Fridays and encouraged his clergy to fast on Fridays so I am considering doing it just on Fridays.
• All of these rules go out the window when I am invited to someone’s home. Accepting hospitality is very important here and as a representative of another country I want to receive everything that is offered to me with graciously. This was a HUGE thing that was repeated in orientation, however  as Lindsay mentioned in her similar post on hospitality  there is a point here at which you have to say “No”. (Note that Lindsay is a pseudo-vegetarian which is virtually unheard of here). Lindsay quoted Luke 10:8 – “Whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat what is set before you“– clearly Luke had never been to a church in Mexico City.

If anyone has encountered any similar problems living abroad and has suggestions I would love to hear them!