# Obese Mexico



## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

As I have lived in Mxico full time for some 12 years in both the Lake Chapala area and the Chiapas Highlands, this report that just appeared in _The Economist _edition for May 29 to June 1 is no surprise to me but confirms what I have long suspected as a fellow gordo myself.

It seems that Mexico has actually become even more overweight than the U.S. which is infamous for having among the fattest people of any nation on the planet. The most recent statistics cited by _The Economist _indicate that a quarter of all Mexican men and a third of all mexican women are obese and approximately 10,000,000 people, or one sixth of the population suffer from diabetes primarily as a result of this obesity epidemic. That places Mexico as number six among all nations on earth in the number of diabetics in the population as a whole. 

Contributing to this obesity epidemic is the large amount of fatty foods and snacks so popular in the country. Any one who has lived here for any length of time can attest to the incredible popularity of sugar laden Coca Cola and this article confirms the fact that on a per capita basis, Mexicans drink more Coca Cola than that consumed in any other country on earth. In fact, seven out of every ten drinks sold in Mexico are sugar laden sodas. 

This obesity epidemic in Mexico has serious health ramifications so this report should not be taken lightly. However, as a tubbo myself, at least I feel right at home here. Interestingly, in most if not all of the world , the poorer the population with ready access to junk and often starchy foods, the fatter the population on a per capita basis, thus, Mississippi is the fattest state in the U.S. followed closely by other poor southern states as the fattest places in that country. A paradox here in Chiapas, the poorest state in Mexico with an indigenous population of about 40 percent of the population, is that the indigenous are among the poorest or the poor but they consume a largely vegetarian diet with very little meat so, while the mestizo population of the state has been suffering from this obesity epidemic, the indigenous have experienced little if any weight gains recently and obese indigenous people in Chiapas are rarely spotted in the community at large.


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## mes1952 (Dec 11, 2012)

The U.S. is in a strong 2nd place with Mexico; at one time the U.S. had the fattest but now Mexico has surpassed. Both countries have a population with poor eating habits, i.e., high fat diet, high SODA consumption and lack of exercise. 
It amazes me that with the abundance (and low price) of fruits and vegetables here in Mexico that most Mexicans don't consume them. The lower income Mexicans still eat the traditional rice and beans and meat dish and rarely diverse that. I have cooked several dishes such as Indian and Asian for my Mexican friends but most of them are just not willing to try something different even when I point out that it is cheaper (and more healthy) than their normal food. I'm sure this is different with the middle class Mexicans but, as we all know, there are more poor in Mexico than the others.


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

Ever been around a grade school when it lets out, the vendors attach like timeshare sharks selling hotdogs wrapped in bacon and deep fried, curly fried potatoes, churros, cotton candy and bags of colored sugar water.Nothing healthy on this schools street menu. The funny thing is one can eat healthy food in Mexico but I guess that's not a lot of fun.........


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

Sugars and fats taste good. You can drink and eat these foods with your hands. Vegetables taste great covered with cheese. Practically anything tastes good covered with cheese.

I was at a friend's house where dinner was being served. There were ten of us and the main course was three roasted chickens. The to-go chickens came with rice, but a huge bowl of pasta with crema was placed on the table next to the rice. I wondered where the vegetables or the salads was, but none could be found except for the onions that came with the chicken.

Years ago, back in the states, I was surprised that my ex-wife's son of 20 could not use a fork.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

joaquinx said:


> Sugars and fats taste good. You can drink and eat these foods with your hands. Vegetables taste great covered with cheese. Practically anything tastes good covered with cheese.
> 
> I was at a friend's house where dinner was being served. There were ten of us and the main course was three roasted chickens. The to-go chickens came with rice, but a huge bowl of pasta with crema was placed on the table next to the rice. I wondered where the vegetables or the salads was, but none could be found except for the onions that came with the chicken.
> 
> Years ago, back in the states, I was surprised that my ex-wife's son of 20 could not use a fork.


For years, I've been bemoaning the fact that vegetables do not form part of the typical Mexican diet, unless they're covered in cream or cheese sauce!


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

It is truly very sad what is happening in the world regarding obesity. Something or many things went wrong and now we are facing major health problems! We will have to make huge efforts and diets in order to go back to what was considered as normal. Hopefully we will be successful in doing so soon enough, otherwise, we'll have even greater difficulties sooner than we think. How no one foresaw this a few waist sizes ago???


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

Isla Verde said:


> For years, I've been bemoaning the fact that vegetables do not form part of the typical Mexican diet, unless they're covered in cream or cheese sauce!


One often hears, from expats relocated ot Mexico, how wonderful it is to live in an environment that offers so many varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables year-round. Yet many Mexicans don't take advantage of the same. Maybe it's economics, as referred to earlier, or just the change in culture/lifestyle/eating habits in Mexico. But there are many sugary and sweet things consumed in Mexico. Lots of soft drinks. Lots of _Sabritas_-type sacks. And all of those things cost $$$. More than the cost of fresh fruit, typically. The more some people think we're different ("Americans" and "Mexicans"), the more we look/behave alike. :grouphug:


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Longford said:


> One often hears, from expats relocated ot Mexico, how wonderful it is to live in an environment that offers so many varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables year-round. Yet many Mexicans don't take advantage of the same. Maybe it's economics, as referred to earlier, or just the change in culture/lifestyle/eating habits in Mexico. But there are many sugary and sweet things consumed in Mexico. Lots of soft drinks. Lots of Sabritas-type sacks. And all of those things cost $$$. More than the cost of fresh fruit, typically. The more some people think we're different ("Americans" and "Mexicans"), the more we look/behave alike. :grouphug:


You are very right when saying fruits are much healthier than chips and processed food, but fruits also have lots of sugar. The problem is about eating too much and not moving enough


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

yes fruits and veggies have sugar but it is not refined sugar.......


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

chicois8 said:


> yes fruits and veggies have sugar but it is not refined sugar.......


I doubt if the sugars in vegetables is a problem for anyone trying to eat nutritiously, but the sugar content (even though it's not refined sugar) of fruit is rather high. A year ago I went on a rigourous (and quite successful), doctor-supervised diet and was told to lay off fruit high in sugar content, in particular, bananas and mangoes. On the other hand, no limit was placed on the consumption of vegetables.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Isla Verde said:


> I doubt if the sugars in vegetables is a problem for anyone trying to eat nutritiously, but the sugar content (even though it's not refined sugar) of fruit is rather high. A year ago I went on a rigourous (and quite successful), doctor-supervised diet and was told to lay off fruit high in sugar content, in particular, bananas and mangoes. On the other hand, no limit was placed on the consumption of vegetables.


I rest my case!


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## circle110 (Jul 20, 2009)

I flew back to Guanajuato from the US yesterday. I was already seated on the plane when a hugely obese American man boarded and was trying to fit into his row without success. 30 seconds later an equally obese Mexican woman entered the plane right behind him. They didn't know each other.

The two could not pass in the aisle and neither could move into a row to let the other pass. They were stuck and neither one spoke the other's language so they couldn't talk it out. A pair of stewardesses had to come to assist and it took them 10 minutes to engineer a solution! Meanwhile there were a dozen people still trying to board the plane who were stuck standing frustrated in the aisle. They finally figured out a way but I didn't see how they managed it.

Mid-flight, the obese man had to go to the bathroom. He tried to enter the plane's baño but couldn't at first. He had to push in his gut with his hands and then literally slam his body through the doorway sideways. I can only imagine how he navigated the situation once inside; those bathrooms are really small.

When I saw this thread I couldn't help but think that I just witnessed a perfect demonstration of Mexican and American obesity in action. Not pretty at all.


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## mes1952 (Dec 11, 2012)

And the American diet is the same...how many people do you know in the U.S. who eat fruits and vegetables regularly? Not many otherwise the U.S. would not be in 2nd place for fat people. If you want a good representation of the state of obese Americans just go to Costco...since everything is in large quantities this is where overeaters purchase food. And almost everything in Costco is processed so it is a paradise for the average American diet.


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## mes1952 (Dec 11, 2012)

It's everything in moderation; it's certainly more healthy to eat fruits with sugar than soda and other food containing all the corn syrup which is the main culprit; fruit does not contain corn syrup. And at least the fruit contains other nutrients and fiber which is void in the typical sugar laden diet.


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## jlms (May 15, 2008)

The problem are not rice with beans (lets forget about the meat for a minute, which is way beyond the budget of most Mexicans).

The problem with the Mexican diet has two major strands: firstly it has become carbohydrate heavy. Many Mexicans won't see any vegetables or fruit on their diets, and meat is an authentic luxury for most, many of them will have a tamal with atole for breakfast, or a pastry with coffee (which will have lots of sugar). The meals are always accompanied with sugary sodas or the more traditional "aguas frescas" with yet even more sugar.

The second problem is one similar to the one faced in the US: most processed foods have big amounts of ingredients that are not good for you but which are included to enhance flavour, often keeping it as quiet as possible: I have a little challenge for you. try to buy a commercial fruit juice without sugar. It is nigh to impossible (in the UK both kinds are clearly labelled and both are offered as choices widely enough), and worst, some brands are presented as "healthy" when in reality they are diabetic time bombs. Corn syrup is to be found everywhere, even in foods that are salty (and the salt is regularly too much as well).

This will be a fiendishly difficult problem to solve, what is driving these trends is price: starchy foods are cheaper and give you more energy, unfortunately the sedentary nature of many jobs means that this energy is accumulated rather than used, and because these foodstuffs increase you insulin levels one has the natural tendency to keep them high with even more food, otherwise one feels the pangs of hunger very quickly, even after a heavy meal, as soon as the insulin starts to diminish in your bloodstream.

And what is one to do when one is hungry in Mexico, but to buy sweets, have another sugar laden coffee or tea, or hey, a quick taco or torta de tamal before dinner :-(


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

The world is getting fatter not just Americans and Mexicans. With pizzas, tacos, hambugers, hotdogs, sandwiches replacing well rounded meals in France you just have to go to the supermarket and check the sizes of clothes available. Twenty years ago you could not find an XL in France now you have no problem finding XXL and even XXXL.
What is differnt between the us and Mexico
They had a show the other day on a town in Japan where people live very healthy lives well past 100 but they showed that the young generation was changing their diet and they also were getting fat and they predicted that and many other countries id the size of the portions. Some portions sizes are frightening.
that generation would have shorter lives as well.
With women going out and working there is no time to prepare well balenced meals for the family. People eat on the run, walk less and so on. It is a very difficult trend to change.

Meanwhile airlines are making the seats smaller to stuff more people on a plane. There is less and less leg room for people to enter the seats, it is disgraceful and downright dangerous to stuff people like that on public transportation. Planes are unconfortable no matter what your size is and I have taken to wear compression socks on long flights as it is more and more difficult to get out of a seat and walk around.


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

mes1952 said:


> If you want a good representation of the state of obese Americans just go to Costco...since everything is in large quantities this is where overeaters purchase food. And almost everything in Costco is processed so it is a paradise for the average American diet.


The Costco you shop at ... seems to attract a very different clientel than the ones I frequent ... in Chicago, and the ones I've shopped at in Mexico. 

Because someone purchases foodstuffs packaged in large quantities doesn't equate to the purchaser being obese. People who over-eat purchase their food more so at "regular" supermarkets than at the Costco/Sam's Club stores ... IMO. Stores such as Costco/Sam's Club are popular with families because purchasing frequently used items in "bulk" is less expensive than purchasing lesser quantities at smaller stores. Economy of scale. 

Yes, the Costco/Sam's Club stores do sell lots and lots of "processed" foods ... no differently as smaller supermarkets all across Mexico. But, they (Costco/Sam's Club) sell a lot of unprocessed fresh baked goods, fresh produce, fresh meats, etc. 

What I see at Costco/Sam's Club stores in Mexico (which cater to the "Mexican" diet) is no different or very little different than what I see offered for sale at the same stores in the USA.


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## mes1952 (Dec 11, 2012)

Longford said:


> The Costco you shop at ... seems to attract a very different clientel than the ones I frequent ... in Chicago, and the ones I've shopped at in Mexico.
> 
> Because someone purchases foodstuffs packaged in large quantities doesn't equate to the purchaser being obese. People who over-eat purchase their food more so at "regular" supermarkets than at the Costco/Sam's Club stores ... IMO. Stores such as Costco/Sam's Club are popular with families because purchasing frequently used items in "bulk" is less expensive than purchasing lesser quantities at smaller stores. Economy of scale.
> 
> ...


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## TravelLover (Apr 12, 2013)

I don't think there's anyone who ever got OBESE from eating fruit ...


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## jlms (May 15, 2008)

I beg to differ. We have been sold the idea that fruit (normally in top of sweet breakfast cereal, or with sweetened yoghurt! ) is good for you regardless of how much actually would be good.

I have seen documentaries in which people apparently eating healthily can't lose weight, after closer inspection of their diets those big bowls of fruit are doing them no favours.

Sugar is sugar, and it isn't good for you in generous amounts (fruit, syrups, sugar, you name it, the problem is that often sugar is hidden in processed foods...).


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## mickisue1 (Mar 10, 2012)

jlms said:


> I beg to differ. We have been sold the idea that fruit (normally in top of sweet breakfast cereal, or with sweetened yoghurt! ) is good for you regardless of how much actually would be good.
> 
> I have seen documentaries in which people apparently eating healthily can't lose weight, after closer inspection of their diets those big bowls of fruit are doing them no favours.
> 
> Sugar is sugar, and it isn't good for you in generous amounts (fruit, syrups, sugar, you name it, the problem is that often sugar is hidden in processed foods...).


Sugar is NOT sugar. Sugar, packaged in the apple in your hand, enters the bloodstream more slowly than does sugar in the sweetened cereal in the bowl in the morning.

Eating fruit MAY, to some people, mean putting a couple slices of peeled peach on top of the frosted flakes in the bowl. But real fruit, as a food in and of itself, is a healthy part of one's diet.

Yes, it contains sugar. But not in the same ratio to package as in a glass of orange juice, which has very little else, except maybe some ascorbic acid.

The carbs we need to worry about are not in a whole peach, or a handful of berries. They're the ones in the white flour in the tortillas or bread that are staples of many Western diets. They're the ones in the potatoes we NOBers love to bake, fry, cover with cheese and salt. They're in the salad dressings we pour on our salads. They're in the sodas that some of us feed to our children to ensure that they'll have type II diabetes as early as possible.

If one pays attention to what one eats, and uses common sense, then the delivery systems for gargantuan amounts of carbohydrates won't be part of one's diet, and won't cause the obesity that is epidemic in both the US and MX.

Part of that common sense is, of course, to ignore the FDA's ideas about fat and grains. I won't go into that, it's a complex topic. There's a book by Gary Taubes "Good Calories, Bad Calories" that's available on Kindle, which can illuminate some of the issues. It's a slow read even with a background in nutrition, but fascinating.


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

mes1952 said:


> If you read my post correctly, I was referring to Costco's in the U.S. I work at several in the San Diego area and this atmosphere is the same. I do not shop Costco in Mexico or the U.S.; not everyone likes Costco especially if you are single and eat healthy. I rarely take any of those samples in any of the stores where I work as the majority of them are not healthy...which means I'm not spending $$ on a membership. For my lifestyle, Calimax and Commercial Mexicana are much cheaper and have better prices and I don't want to spend $200 at one time for a few things just to buy bulk.


I read your earlier comments, and responded. No misunderstanding non my part. Obviously, you don't like your employer or the products it sells (Costco). Fine. Tpo each his/her own preferences. But I'm suggesting not everyone has had such a negative experience as you have. By the way, there's no minimum purchase required at Costco/Sams Club. You can purchase $100 pesos worth of goods, or $1,000 worth.


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

_Here's a broader response I wanted to post but after I worked on the edit to the earlier one, above, I had exceed the allowable 15 minute timeframe ... so I'm posting it separately:_



mes1952 said:


> If you read my post correctly, I was referring to Costco's in the U.S. I work at several in the San Diego area and this atmosphere is the same. I do not shop Costco in Mexico or the U.S.; not everyone likes Costco especially if you are single and eat healthy. I rarely take any of those samples in any of the stores where I work as the majority of them are not healthy...which means I'm not spending $$ on a membership. For my lifestyle, Calimax and Commercial Mexicana are much cheaper and have better prices and I don't want to spend $200 at one time for a few things just to buy bulk.


The theme of the discussion is Obesity in Mexico. And, naturally, with people participating in the discussion who mostly come from the USA ... comparisons between the two countries will be made. I get that. But the focus is the focus - obesity in Mexico. 

I think I read your earlier comments correctly, and responded. Obviously, you don't like your employer or the products it sells (Costco). Fine. To each his/her own preferences. But I'm suggesting not everyone has had such a negative experience as you have and I believe that people who've visited and shopped in Costco/Sam's Clubs in Mexico, and the USA, will probably say there's not much difference in the appearance of the customers in these stores. 

Whether or not someone eats a free sample of a food product offered in one of these stores ... has, in my view, little to nothing to do with obesity, IMO. I see skinny people, old people, think people and children avail themselves of food samples. The same happens at my neighborhood supermarket in Chicago where samples are offered to shoppers. At Costco I've been offered yogurt, strawberries, fresh baked goods ... as well as pizza or sausage or other fat-laden products. There's no conspiracy to fatten the world by offering food samples ... that I've detected. And there's no minimum purchase required at Costco/Sams Clubs. You can purchase $100 pesos worth of goods, or $1,000 worth. What people spend has little relationship to obesity, IMO. For many people, annual membership clubs don't make sense because they don't purchase enough/save enough to justify the cost. For millions of people, though, these types of stores fill a need/want. 

In Mexico, if you asked most shoppers at these membership club stores ... they'd describe their arrival on the scene as a Godsend. Mexicans are increasingly obese because of personal choices they make and a changing culture in which people in many parts of the country don't get as much exercise. That's about the same as we see in the USA.


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## TravelLover (Apr 12, 2013)

jlms said:


> I beg to differ. We have been sold the idea that fruit (normally in top of sweet breakfast cereal, or with sweetened yoghurt! ) is good for you regardless of how much actually would be good.
> 
> I have seen documentaries in which people apparently eating healthily can't lose weight, after closer inspection of their diets those big bowls of fruit are doing them no favours.
> 
> Sugar is sugar, and it isn't good for you in generous amounts (fruit, syrups, sugar, you name it, the problem is that often sugar is hidden in processed foods...).


There's actually a large community of people who eat mostly fruit (raw fooders) and NONE of them are obese. In fact they are quite thin and fit.

Maybe in those documentaries you saw fruit was blamed but it could have been something else--like the processed foods which have CHEMICALS in them that negatively affect the body including interfering with weight loss.

If you can't pronounced the ingredients then your body won't know what to do with them!

Also it's the processed sweet breakfast cereals and the sweetened yogurts that need to be eliminated, NOT the fruit!

I actually LOST weight (going from a US size 6 to a US size 2) on a fruit based raw food diet. I got blood work done and my triglycerides were low (40) and my fasting glucose was normal (85, I think).

The problem with the "sugar is sugar" argument is that if someone decides to cut all sugar out of their diet s/he will eventually give into their needs for sugar. And what would this person reach for? Well since this person thinks that a mango is just as "bad" as a piece of chocolate cake they are going to eat the cake instead of the mango!

It's best to eat whole foods that have been around for centuries and stay away from the "modern" foods. That's a large reason why there's an obesity issue in North America. Also lack of exercise.


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## DebMer (Dec 31, 2011)

Several years ago I did about 6 months on a raw foods diet, putting no limitations on myself as far as quantity, calories, fats, etc. In spite of the fact that I was fairly sedentary and eating about 3,000 calories a day (half of them from vegetable and animal fat), my body effortlessly adjusted to an ideal weight. I was daily consuming a huge fruit smoothie, huge green salad, an avocado or two or three, raw nuts and seeds, raw coconut oil, olives (probably not raw) and raw eggs, milk and cheese. I wasn't able to stick to the diet (gave in to temptation), but I always have at the back of my mind how much better I felt and looked during that time period. I'm in the process now of increasing raw foods in my daily intake, and am at about 60-70% and already feel the difference.

Just my experience in relation to the conversation about fruit sugars. 




TravelLover said:


> There's actually a large community of people who eat mostly fruit (raw fooders) and NONE of them are obese. In fact they are quite thin and fit.
> 
> Maybe in those documentaries you saw fruit was blamed but it could have been something else--like the processed foods which have CHEMICALS in them that negatively affect the body including interfering with weight loss.
> 
> ...


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## phredo (Aug 15, 2009)

I lived for a while near Captain Cook, on the Kona coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. In the neighborhood lived a band of about five people, who many, some more affectionately than others, called "the fruit flies." They lived by ranging over vacant land to pick the fruit they found on trees, mostly papaya, avocado, mango, banana, and guava. (Banana was problematic, because it usually needs to ripen off the plant.) As far as I know, they ate nothing else, certainly not any cooked food, because they did not have a fixed abode but slept on the ground at night.

They were the skinniest people I have ever seen.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

phredo said:


> I lived for a while near Captain Cook, on the Kona coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. In the neighborhood lived a band of about five people, who many, some more affectionately than others, called "the fruit flies." They lived by ranging over vacant land to pick the fruit they found on trees, mostly papaya, avocado, mango, banana, and guava. (Banana was problematic, because it usually needs to ripen off the plant.) As far as I know, they ate nothing else, certainly not any cooked food, because they did not have a fixed abode but slept on the ground at night.
> 
> They were the skinniest people I have ever seen.


Skinny doesn't always mean healthy  .


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

Isla Verde said:


> Skinny doesn't always mean healthy  .


Yes, and there are eating disorders that describe this.


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## phredo (Aug 15, 2009)

Isla Verde said:


> Skinny doesn't always mean healthy  .


Good point. In fact, at least one guy ended up having to get all his teeth capped because of the effect of eating so many guavas.

But they definitely were not obese. My take on fruit/sugar is that it is somewhat difficult to eat enough fruit in its natural state to provide excessive amounts of calories. I think it is the processed sugars in sodas, pastries, and so many foods, including so-called "juices", that creates the problem. I know that when I am in Mexico, I eat lots and lots of bananas and as much papaya as I am willing to wait to ripen and carve up, and I lose weight usually while I am there.

My problem in Mexico is getting enough whole grains (I don't consider GM corn good food) and vegetables (when eating out).


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## mickisue1 (Mar 10, 2012)

You don't have to worry about getting "enough" grains. We didn't evolve eating them, and they are not really a necessary part of the diet. Get your fruits, vegies, nuts and meat (we did evolve, eating meat) and you'll be good.

Heh. Can't wait to hear what Will has to say about that last one!


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

mickisue1 said:


> You don't have to worry about getting "enough" grains. We didn't evolve eating them, and they are not really a necessary part of the diet. Get your fruits, vegies, nuts and meat (we did evolve, eating meat) and you'll be good.
> 
> Heh. Can't wait to hear what Will has to say about that last one!


I spent last week with a Texan discussing meat eating so I am too burned out to debate it this week. :behindsofa:


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## mickisue1 (Mar 10, 2012)

Oh, my.

I'm sitting in my kitchen laughing my head off at that little emoticon.


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