YOU ARE NOT WHAT YOU EAT SECOND E-MAGAZINE ENTRY

When it comes to food, the majority of world's population has experience it. Without food

a human can resist up to 2 months.1 However is the indispensable to keep in good condition and

functioning as what we are. "Everything comes by sight", a saying; We all want to see us great

and for that we must take care what you eat... or at least way in which we do it. The number of

times that food is consumed every day and portions are equally important to exercise and avoid

sedentary lifestyle. There is the idea that fast-food restaurants are only garbage that sick people

and small businesses —although offers almost the same product— are better.

But among everything what you eat also are the drinks. Water is the essential liquid for

life, however few people embrace it as their daily

drink. So the industry invents products flavorings,

colorings and sweeteners; all chemical

compositions which has been proved that they are

harmful to health. 'Consumer Reports' has made a

new study in 2015 indicating where some sodas

contain carcinogenic potential, and as many

Americans drink these products, putting at risk his

life.

A chemical called 4-methylimidazole (4-MeI). This potential carcinogen is found in some

types of caramel color, the artificial ingredient used to turn colas and other soft drinks

brown. Every day, more than half of Americans between the ages of 6 and 64 typically

drink soda in amounts that could expose them to enough 4-MeI to increase their cancer

risk, according to a new analysis of national soda consumption conducted by scientists at

Consumer Reports and the Center for a Livable Future at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg

School of Public Health. 2

1 Batanga.com. (2013, January 9). ¿Cuánto tiempo aguanta una persona sin comer? [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://curiosidades.batanga.com/4151/cuanto-tiempo-aguanta-una-persona-sin-comer 2 Smith TJS, Wolfson JA, Jiao D, Crupain MJ, Rangan U, et al. (2015) Caramel Color in Soft Drinks and Exposure to 4-Methylimidazole: A Quantitative Risk Assessment. PLoS ONE 10(2): e0118138. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0118138

People tend to choose what looks nicer, so even with the food and we must be informed

because something that seems harmless can finish us long term. However despite the belief "you

are what you eat"... you aren't what you eat, according to a demonstration by a high school

teacher, John Cisna, which for 90 days only consumed food in the fast-food chain McDonald's 3

times a day and lost 37 pounds.

You probably think that it is false or even a "study" sponsored by the company, however

behind the process of eating, Cisna was governed

by a strict diet organized by students, that included

limits of 2,000 calories per day. «I'm the perfect

example of a slob», said the teacher in a phone

interview for USA Today. He mentions that he ate

all kinds of products on the menu, including Big

Mac, quarter pound and even desserts, like the

sundae ice cream cones. Its objective was to

demonstrate that no matter what you eat and

where you eat, but the way in which it is made. During the three months, his cholesterol dropped

from 249 to 170. However Cisna also remained a plan of exercise consisting of a daily 45 minute

walk.3

But this debate also touch the area of the types of establishments. People tend to criticize

the fast food chains as the guilty that there is obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, and many

related health problems. There are "small" restaurants which offer similar products and double

standards does not attack them, but it also has something to do with the culture. For example in

Mexico, Taco Bell has tried twice in its history in this country; in 1992 the first time and didn't.

The second time in 2007 after according to them, a strategic

plan with changes of names on products, completed in 2010

due to low profitability.4

«It's like bringing ice to the Arctic», complained the

chronicler of popular culture Carlos Monsiváis,5 referring to

3 Bruce, H. (2014, January 6). Eat McDonald's for 3 months, lose 37 pounds? [Website]. Retrieved from http://goo.gl/06K1ZE 4 Taco Bell. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved March 18, 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taco_Bell#Mexico 5 El Universal. (2007, October 10). Taco Bell reintenta conquistar a México [Website]. Retrieved from http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/finanzas/60530.html

that food is a copy of Mexican food for Americans. However the presentation of these products

is different from the typical dishes of the Latin country, it is rather American but Tex-Mex inspired

food. Mexicans really dislike this, but it is an issue of globalization, because equally there is food

from other countries that is very popular in the rest of the world, as it is the pizza, and regardless

of where you buy —fast food or local restaurant— people gives the credit to the Italians.

Returning to healthy and in Costa Rica, it is a society with double

standards where strongly critical of fast-food restaurants, however the

traditional "casados" are very common for lunch, dishes which are a bomb of

calories, according to a study by the CCSS. The idea is to adjust its composition

to balance flour and vegetables, in order to avoid factors that increase the risks

of overweight, obesity and cardiovascular disease.6

6 CRHoy.com. (2013, September 24). El típico "casado" tico es una bomba de calorías [Website]. Retrieved from http://www.crhoy.com/el-tipico-casado-tico-es-una-bomba-de-calorias/