Its Not America’s Fault For the Fat

When something goes amiss people are quick to point fingers at other people. When people start to gain weight they are always quick to point certain fingers. When other countries started to have their obesity rate skyrocket, America took a blind eye and said “It’s not our fault,” oh but on the contrary it is fully the american cultures fault as to why the obesity rate in other countries have skyrocketed over the years.

People say that American culture has only helped Mexico. That their fast food culture is not the reason for the obesity rate to raise, that it must be something else that is going skew.  Now, within Mexico’s culture, the country has a vibrant food pyramid that they consume on the daily basis and overall a healthy country. Mexico has a rich diet that contains such delicacies that would make one’s mouth water. Some of those are culturally rich food are cabrito ( baby goat), fresh pico de gallo, handmade corn tortillas and freshly mashed guacamole. All of these foods are rich in vitamins so how did these foods make Mexico fat American culture? That is because it didn’t, the introduction of the American fast food culture is what made the obesity rate increase over the years. Before 1994, There was not a free trade zone between North America and Mexico. This means that the fast food chains and their disastrous products were not allowed to be in the country and Mexico was free of the dangerous foods. In 1994 the game changed and the obesity rate started to rise. In 1994 the NAFTA came into place. The NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) is an agreement between United States, Canada, and Mexico that allowed the countries to freely trade and implement their fast food culture, including the dangerous food that came with it, in their way of life. According to the website, rt.com, the NAFTA allowed Mexico to become a “dumping ground for a slew of cheap fast food and carbonated drinks.” As of 2013, Mexico, yearly, drinks 43 gallons of soda per capita annually. With this statistic alone it allows Mexico to be the world’s highest rate of soda consumption. This increase is all american fast food cultures fault. They pushed their destructive products on the people of Mexico. With the increase of the soda consumption it only leads to the introduction to serious health problems. According to the website, when one is diagnosed with obesity it puts them at a increased chance to 20 times for diabetes. Not only does it increase the chance for diabetes, it also opens them up to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and gallstones. All because of American fast food culture wants to increase their yearly revenue.

Some that see that argument will just say “American fast food culture has only affected one area, American fast food culture can’t be blamed for the entire world!” While Mexico is just one example of how American Fast Food culture has poorly affected countries, there are other areas of the world that have been affected, such as Asia or India. According to NCBI, Asia has 60 percent of the worldwide total of people that are diagnosed with diabetes. Before the introduction of fast food, the people of Asia used to be a country the diet of vegetables, whole grains and limited consumption of animal products. They are now shifting towards a diet of fast food, processed meats, highly-processed carbohydrates, and the land being swamped with cola machines. India is a very different story. According to CNBC, “India has a long had a reputation as being unfriendly to foreign businesses, but when it comes to fast food, international chains are being warmly welcomed by a young, upwardly mobile population.” This is meaning that India was once a country that did not let American fast food chains into their land, but now they are letting them in, but starting to see negative side effects. With the increase of fast food chains, the number of people diagnosed with diabetes will increase from 61 million to 101 million. With the increase of diagnosed people this means that the demand for medication in order to survive with the disease will only become more expensive for the people that can afford it. Many people will die due to the fact that they are unable to afford the medicine they need since American fast food culture pushed themselves into other countries.

While many people would ignore the fact that american fast food culture is putting other countries in danger, they will just say “If it’s ruining them and causing obesity, why don’t the people just go out and buy something else? No one is forcing them.” While that is true, no one is forcing them to buy the food, it is the only option that they have. The economy around the world is in the toilet. Regardless of where you go many people are hurting and can not afford to eat healthy food. In Mexico they have the super value menu, comparable to the one in the United States, where in the US one can get a meal for $5. In mexico, according to OECD, the average person only makes about 13,000 USD. This is significantly lower than what the average American makes. This means that they have succumbed to eating fast food due to the fact that their annual wage earnings do not allow them to eat the items that are classified as “healthy”.

Works Cited

Eatocracy Editors. “5@5 – The Truth about Mexican Food.”Http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2011/08/24/55-the-truth-about-mexican-food/. N.p., Aug.-Sept. 2011. Web. 9  Nov. 2015    

“How Excess Weight Affects Your Health.” http://www.helpguide.org/harvard/how-excess-weight-affects-your-health.htm. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.

Pan, An, Vasanti Malik, and Frank B. Hu. “Exporting Diabetes to Asia: The Impact of Western-Style Fast Food.” Circulation. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2015.

“Indians Develop Taste for the Big Mac.” CNBC. N.p., 08 Jan. 2014. Web. 09 Nov. 2015.

“Mexico.” OECD Better Life Index. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2015.