Buenos Aires growing obesity problem

[perry]

I went out last weekend to various events in the Costanera Ser and afterwards visited a standard buffet in Buenos Aires . To put it midly I was shocked at the amount of obese people I saw and this is a growing problem in the Capital . 5 years ago obesity was relatively rare now its become common and with the fast food obsession being heavily promoted here we will end up being amongst the world fattest people. Argentina is currently 13th in the world not something to be proud of .

http://www.forbes.com/2007/02/07/worlds-fattest-countries-forbeslife-cx_ls_0208worldfat_2.html


Obesity in Argentina is a growing health concern with health officials stating that it is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in the Argentina. According to Forbes, Argentina ranks 13 on a 2007 list of fattest countries with a percentage of 69.4% of its citizens with an unhealthy weight.

Obesity in Argentina is a growing health concern with health officials stating that it is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in the Argentina. According to Forbes Argentina ranks 13 on a 2007 list of fattest countries with a percentage of 69.4% of its citizens with an unhealthy weight

Obesity is a huge problem and is the one of the leading causes of death and is implicated in many diseases from heart , cancer, diabetes etc etc.

I believe that all fast food should be limited and soft drinks drinken very sparingly as they are pure poison. Diet drinks are no better by the way as aspartame is highly toxic and are implicated in thousands of deaths per annum. The link is highly recommend for those who love diet cokes.
http://www.sweetpoison.com/


The natural diets of argentines of the gaucho of meat , with little carbs and no processed foods was much better than todays diets of pizza, chocolate, choripan and icecream . The gauchos from 100 years ago had no obesity and were excellent specimens of human health . We need to go back to what nature intended for us and that is what grows and is alive we can eat .

 

[erocifeller]

Not surprising ... most of the world is following suit (from the higher income nations). You go anywhere in Latin America (e.g. Mexico, Argentina) and you will find a fairly unhealthy diet of high salt, sugar, deep fried goodness, and carbs.

Still a ways off from Nauru (94% obesity!) and the USA.

The gauchos may not have been obese for they probably lacked an adequate diet and were far from sedentary thus allowing them to burn off an excess calories consumed rather quickly.

I agree with you on the soft drinks. The are proven to be the leading cause of obesity (at least in North America).

 

[texxaslonghorn]

I probably gained 20-30 lbs. in the first 6 months or so of living in Argentina. I guess as a yanqui who had never experienced an asado, I went a little overboard.

 

[fifs2]

Interesting post Perry and like inflation increasing fatness at least, has been a sensation of late for me if not a reality. In the office I would say at least 30% of the girls go weekly to a dietician...average cost per visit $60ARS..so add that to the 150 per visit psychologist and its no wonder a salary of 3000 pesos doesnt go far...especially as some people go to both twice a week. I guess we as a world are all addicted to the belief that anything can be fixed by throwing more money then time and sense at it...

 

[HowardinBA]

I probably gained 20-30 lbs. in the first 6 months or so of living in Argentina. I guess as a yanqui who had never experienced an asado, I went a little overboard.

well there are plenty of gymnasiums,tennis/paddle courts,places to walk,run,jog etc.so no excuse there Tex

 

[MikeB12]

In another forum regarding health and nutrition this was recently posted...

"I am currently in Argentina visiting my wife's family.

I have been coming here since the early 1990s. Argentina at that time was coming out of isolation imposed by its dictatorship. Snack food and soft drinks were expensive and a novelty. A typical meal would be a steak and salad with wine or water. All Argentine men played soccer and the women were frequently dancers. People walked long distances. Unsurprisingly people were strikingly goodlooking--lean and leggy women abounded.

In 2010 things have changed. Coca Cola predominates--I went to a traditional asado banquet and there were pitchers of sweet soft drinks. It is hard to find water in kiosks--they only sell soft drinks now. Snack and fast food is everywhere. Candy abounds. More people have cars. Unsurprisingly people now look flabby and more tired--the women look more like typical first world types--muffin tops abound. My wife's cousin who works for Coca Cola--they give him free soda--is clearly obese and pre-diabetic.

I have also noted that Argentines have responded to their expanding girth by taking up jogging and eating less fat and meat. Nutritionists are pushing US conventional wisdom."

 

[jp]

Good ole' coca cola.

Given that their liquid candy drink is about as healthy as drinking sweetened battery acid, they've taken it upon themselves to promote their product as "excellent for emotional health". Was slightly stunned to read the claims on the side of a coca cola bottle, proudly announcing that families who drank 2L bottles of coke at dinner time were less likely to divorce and their kids were less likely to fall pregnant as teenagers.

Have a friend who works out in the villas, and said one of the upsetting and unexpected signs of poverty was seeing kids and adults with heads full rotten teeth. There's not always potable water available, bottled water is expensive and doesn't taste nearly as "emotionally healthy" as cheap knock-off cola, which does a great job of dissolving everyone's teeth in record time. Tooth enamel might be one of the hardest organic substances around, but it can't withstand being permanently bathed in sugary acid.

 

[Napoleon]

I haven't noticed. The guy in this picture standing in to the side of the car in the back right seems to be actually fairly slim. But maybe that's just because this was taken in Palermo.

Palermo seems to have more active people than other parts of town.

 

[perry]

In another forum regarding health and nutrition this was recently posted...

"I am currently in Argentina visiting my wife's family.

I have been coming here since the early 1990s. Argentina at that time was coming out of isolation imposed by its dictatorship. Snack food and soft drinks were expensive and a novelty. A typical meal would be a steak and salad with wine or water. All Argentine men played soccer and the women were frequently dancers. People walked long distances. Unsurprisingly people were strikingly goodlooking--lean and leggy women abounded.

In 2010 things have changed. Coca Cola predominates--I went to a traditional asado banquet and there were pitchers of sweet soft drinks. It is hard to find water in kiosks--they only sell soft drinks now. Snack and fast food is everywhere. Candy abounds. More people have cars. Unsurprisingly people now look flabby and more tired--the women look more like typical first world types--muffin tops abound. My wife's cousin who works for Coca Cola--they give him free soda--is clearly obese and pre-diabetic.

I have also noted that Argentines have responded to their expanding girth by taking up jogging and eating less fat and meat. Nutritionists are pushing US conventional wisdom."

Great post Mike

I agree with this and I remember visiting in 1984 and never seeing a obese person in Buenos Aires . Fast food was considered a rarity and water was the drink of choice . These days with the invasion of fast food chains the health and body image of argentinians has been damaged.

Many people do not know the huge amount of calories in fast food and that they Starbucks and McDonalds are the worst offenders. Did you know that a vanilla bean frappuccino with whipped cream delivers over 500 calories to your body? It's astonishing: many of the coffee drinks served at Starbucks and other coffee joints are little more than coffee-flavored sugar and fat potions that will cause you to rapidly gain weight. They're candy. Nutritionally speaking, they're not that different from ice cream.

 

[Napoleon]

I probably gained 20-30 lbs. in the first 6 months or so of living in Argentina. I guess as a yanqui who had never experienced an asado, I went a little overboard.

Horns UP!

Whenever I got back to the States, I gain between 5 and 10 lbs (~2.3-4.6 kilos) in just a matter of a couple of weeks. Everyone eats fairly large lunches AND dinners and then they drive everywhere. It kills me.

And I rarely go crazy on the beef, though last night I did go to a parrilla for dinner. But then again, today's my birthday, so I'm entitled to a little indulgence.