So you want to go on a diet in Mexico

Are you ready for another weekly tale of woe and minor inconvenience? This time it’s about going on a diet in Mexico.

As some of you know, I got back from a trip to the United States last month. As always, I put on at least eight pounds even though I was only there for a couple of weeks. Most came off within a week or so of being back in Mexico. Still, it left me sluggish, and made it really hard to get back to my normal eating habits.

Part of the issue? I just can’t resist Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream. Even after their listeria scare, I loved them. “Well, we all make mistakes!” I said.

Pathetic, I know.

Then there were the restaurants I hadn’t been to in forever, and donuts! Krispy Kreme has opened a little kiosk at my local Mexican mall, but I need the real stuff when I go home. If they don’t taste the same as when my mom would get us donut holes before taking us to preschool, it’s just not the same.

As you can probably tell, my main issue is sugar. There have been times over the past several years in which I’ve given it up completely, often for months at a time. I’d slim down, and I’d feel good. “How could I have put that stuff in my body for so long?” I think.

Then I go home, and it’s game over.

At least I live in Mexico and not the U.S. I’m sure I’d weigh at least 50 pounds more if it were the other way around.

For some reason, it’s just easier not to go overboard in Mexico.

A disclaimer: being overweight is not the worst thing in the world. I’ve accepted that I’m no longer a teenage princess. It’s fine. But I’m getting older, and my body is handling the changes shakily, at best, and I need all the help I can get. Having seen high cholesterol and triglycerides on my last tests scared me straight for a while, but then I want home to Texas. And now here I am, trying to get back on track, again.

So let’s say you, too, want to lose a bit of weight while you’re in Mexico. Happily, you’re in luck! There are a few forces against you — like there would be anywhere — but for the most part, I find keeping up at least a moderately healthy lifestyle here is much easier.

Let’s start with the forces against:

Limited options: If you’re someone like me that kind of hates to cook, and hates even more to plan meals, this is…kind of a problem. My creativity, alas, does not apply to all areas of my life, and food is for sure bottom of the list.
Sometimes I try to solve this by finding a diet that I can just follow. Unfortunately, it always involves preparation, and often of ingredients that I just can’t find down here. If I were doing it in the U.S., I’d find quite a bit of what I needed in both the frozen and canned food aisles. Not so here! Canned food is especially limited, and things like egg and spinach microwavable frittatas, for example, are nowhere to be found.

Cheap and convenient sweets: This is not unique to Mexico, I realize, and the way they’re presented here is actually quite helpful. Still, it can be hard to resist the prominent displays of pillowy pastries, cookies, and sweets sold everywhere.

Mexicans aren’t militant: When I stopped eating sugar, people thought I was extreme. Surely, they asked, I could have a little in moderation? No, I cannot have a little in moderation. It’s like a beer to an alcoholic. One taste sends me down a slippery slope, and sobriety might take months to get back to. A relaxed attitude is good in general, but if you’re trying to be careful about your eating, it can render your intentions pretty much meaningless.

Now, for the good!

Fresh, inexpensive ingredients: While you might not find many diet-friendly convenience foods to serve as a crutch, you will find plenty of fresh food! Fruit and vegetables are quite inexpensive compared to the U.S. And not only can you find them at the grocery store, but even your local tiendita is bound to have some. The market, of course, is the place to be for variety galore. A bodega too is a great place to find things like nuts and seeds by weight. Unsweetened coconut flakes? Not at the store, but for sure at the bodega!

Way smaller portions: If you’ve mostly been living in the U.S., you’re probably used to having your drinks constantly refilled. Plates are gigantic and filled to the brim.
In Mexico, portions are much more reasonable. Ordering a Coke will get you a can of Coke and a glass of ice. If you want more, you order another one, and pay for it. And while you can certainly walk away full after a meal at a Mexican restaurant, stuffing yourself to the brim isn’t as easy. Another plus? “Comidas corrida” are cheap lunches where you show up and get what everyone is getting. There’s a soup, a main dish, a simple dessert and usually some agua fresca. Delicious, nutritious, and pretty well balanced!

Drive-through culture is absent: I’m speaking for my own community here. Fast food, U.S. style, is not an everyday thing. This is due in great part to the fact that it’s actually quite a bit more expensive than cheaper, homemade food. This is a good thing.

Nutritional warning labels: In 2019, a law was passed in Mexico that required black-and-white octagon-shaped warning labels be put on every package of food that contains excessive sugar, salt, calories, saturated fats and trans fats. I really appreciate these, as they work to counteract deceptive advertising. “Excess sugar in tomato sauce? What? Never mind!”

Lots of opportunities for exercise: In most communities in Mexico, you can walk. And if you do, you’re not going to be the only one walking: because there aren’t the same types of zoning laws as in the U.S., you’ll often find just what you need right in your neighborhood. No need to speed off somewhere in your car.

This is not a complete list, but I’ve tried to give you a good idea of what you might expect. Just know that if you’re hoping to get healthier in Mexico, your prospects are actually great! Good luck out there, and try not to overdo it at the bakery.

Sarah DeVries is a writer and translator based in Xalapa, Veracruz. She can be reached through her website, sarahedevries.substack.com.