How Has Diet Changed in Mexico over the Last 60 Years?

Overweight and obesity are severe public health issues in Mexico, affecting 72.4% of adults, 42.9% of adolescents, 37.4% of school-aged children, and 7.8% of children under 5. Efforts to control this trend have been insufficient.

Data from the Food and Agriculture Organizartion of the United Nations (FAO) food balance sheets for Mexico from 1960 to 2020 were used to analyze nutrition transition, including changes in dietary patterns such as energy intake and diet composition by food groups and macronutrients.

An increase of almost 900 kcal consumed daily per person and a shift in macronutrient distribution have taken place over the last 60 years in Mexican diet. Energy intake from fat has increased by 9%, at the expense of complex carbohydrates. There has been a decline in legume consumption and a rise in the intake of meat, vegetable oils, and sugar and sweeteners, many found in ultra-processed products.

Significant changes in the Mexican diet over the past 60 years include a substantial increase in daily calorie intake, alongside shifts in macronutrient distribution and nutritional quality.