Fast food

Fast food was never in my menu as a child, at least the fast food we associate with the term fast food, we think fast food and we automatically assume pizza and hamburgers. I grew up in Mexico City, the food and eating habits are very different than in the United States in many different ways, although equally unhealthy the meal itself differs dramatically as well as the ease for one to purchase a fast food meal. We find ourselves comfortably buying 6 or 7 dollar meals, for the average American earning minimum wage this is still feasible, it brings food to satisfy you’re hunger at a reasonable price. When in Mexico the same meal cost is an average of 60 pesos, when the average Mexican earning minimum wage earns about 80 pesos for an 8 hour shift. You can see how fast food is not cost effective for someone living in Mexico City. Moreover, culture is a significant factor, as a child, teenager and even a young adult I was expected to sit for a family dinner.

I was introduce to a wonderful world of great tasting, fast and ready to go meals in my early twenties, I was never forced to eat such meals but my situation definitely made it much more convenient to stop at a drive thru window and pick up dinner. I lived alone and often found it very difficult to cook, not to mention the fact that my cooking skills were not the best and my menu was very limited. Over the past two years I have made a commitment to myself, I try to stay away from fast food as much as possible, I either pack a lunch or a plan for a sit down meal. The consequences of my bad eating habits have left me with a couple of medical conditions such as, hypertension and high cholesterol. After being diagnosed I became more aware of the possible outcomes and risk factors. I engage in a more active lifestyle and my eating habits have improved.

After doing a little research I came to know that high cholesterol and hypertension have always been present in my family, had I know this before I would have definitely made different choices. I don’t blame the food itself or the marketing behind it, however I would recommend that parents and young adults read and document yourself to make the best possible decision.