This document discusses the relationship between food consumption and health. It argues that while food is essential for life, what and how much you eat can impact your health over the long term. Even foods from major fast food chains can be part of a healthy diet if consumed in moderation and as part of an overall active lifestyle. The number of daily calories consumed matters more than where the food comes from. A high school teacher lost weight by eating McDonald's meals for 90 days while limiting his calorie intake and exercising regularly, showing diet is more important than any individual food.

1. 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

2. 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

3. 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/