Better nutrition ideas while in Mexico.

September 13, 2009 5:08 PM

Better nutrition ideas while in Mexico. Have been here a month, on work. May stay another. Problem is, I tend to eat little, cook less; (male, 58, thin) and the heat and difficulty of getting fresh food compounds the situation. Is there a supplement or vitamin I could find in the health stores here that would help w/ weight and energy? and what should I be looking for?
posted by ebesan to health & fitness (9 comments total)

Where in Mexico are you? Are you in a city or the country-side? Is the problem getting fresh food a question of access / time / language / knowledge? Do you have access to a kitchen?
posted by bottlebrushtree at 5:21 PM on September 13

Merida, the Yucatan; a city.
knowledge, access.....and squeamish about vegetables from the market. Do have a kitchen.....kinda lazy about cooking, i guess.
but the heat kills my appetite.
and have always been skinny. i kind of forget about eating, always have.
So maybe this is a time to think harder about better nutrition?
posted by ebesan at 5:29 PM on September 13

a friend in merida taught me this one - it's super quick and super tasty to make a quesadilla with oaxaca cheese and a quesadilla. a little pam sprayed in the pan, throw down the quesadilla, add some cheese on one side (maybe a little fresh ground pepper if you're fancy), fold over and brown on both sides. even when it's hot, these are so tasty and easy to make... it's also awesome if you add a scrambled egg and some hot sauce to the quesadilla, if you're up for the extra 3 minutes of kitchen time.

now that i'm in nc i go to a hispanic grocery store just for oaxaca cheese and make quesadillas (or scrambled egg quesadillas) on a regular basis.
posted by noloveforned at 5:52 PM on September 13

DUH. read that as 'make a quesadilla with oaxaca cheese and a tortilla'. i'm outta oaxaca and must be jonesin'!
posted by noloveforned at 5:55 PM on September 13

One way people in the tropics deal with the heat is to eat dinner late in the evening after it cools down a bit. I also lose my appetite in the heat but I find that spicy or sweet foods are more palatable. (Cold salads also work but you probably don't want to chance it with uncooked vegetables.)

My suggestion: have a decent breakfast before it gets too hot. If you can't stomach a heavy breakfast, go to a bakery and pick up some Mexican pastries - they're wonderful, not overly sweet, and are great with hot coffee or maybe even cold horchata. Add a papaya sprinkled with lime juice, or half a melon, if you want a bit more than pastry. In Merida I drank horchata made with coconut milk, which is canned and therefore heated so it's safer than relying on drinks made with water, and insanely delicious too.

Lunch: eat light, maybe even just fruit or a smoothie. When I was there years ago, there were ice cream places all over that served fruit drinks. Cold liquids are about the easiest thing to take in the heat, and a decent smoothie can keep you going for a while. (Made with coconut milk or ice cream if you don't trust the water.)

Afternoon snack: you might need one if your lunch was very small. Another smoothie, maybe.

Dinner: wait until about 8 pm or later, until it's cooled off a little. If it's wiltingly hot in your apartment and you can't stand the thought of cooking, just eat out. Again, years ago there were dozens of appealing little restaurants with tables outside to catch the evening breezes. For another month, restaurant food won't kill you. Only eat things that have been cooked, so no raw salads, no salsa fresca.

If you want to get over your squeamishness about market vegetables, here are a few rules of thumb: start with veggies that are familiar which you already know how to cook. Don't eat anything raw unless you peel it first. (No lettuce, no spinach salad) Wash everything first with soap and water and tackle it with a scrub brush if you can. Err on the side of overcooking.

At the risk of sounding ridiculous, I'd suggest you stick to vegetables with smooth skins that are easy to wash. Tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini, carrots, etc. "Fractal" vegetables like broccoli can harbor lots of dirt and bugs. If you want to try some unfamiliar vegetables, ask the market vendors for suggestions on how to cook them.

Really, though, there's no need to cook if you're just there for another few weeks. Mexico is a fantastic place to wander around and try the street food. Patronize only those vendors who cook your food to order, rather than taking it out of a glass case, and you'll be fine. Mexican food is brilliant and woefully undervalued, it's a helluva lot of work to make it at home, and if I had a whole month there I'd never set foot in my own kitchen even though I love to cook.
posted by Quietgal at 6:21 PM on September 13

Ensure, Boost, something like that. Complete nutrition + extra calories for you. No preparation required.
posted by Ouisch at 6:22 PM on September 13

I've noticed that it's hard to find/eat anything other than meat, cheese and starch in Mexico, yup. It's not just you.

Weirdly, the fruits and vegetables are very good in Mexico... but nobody seems to buy or use them. Don't be afraid of the vegetables in the market: just cook the hell out of them if you're worried for some reason.

All the regular vitamins should be available at any supermercados, though they're expensive. I always take a big bottle of multivitamins when I go.
posted by rokusan at 9:42 PM on September 13

squeamish about vegetables from the market

Er... why? Just wash them with soap before eating. We use a special disinfectant for vegetables like lettuce or strawberries that can easily absorb bacteria. You'll find the little bottles in the produce department of any supermarket, you can use it for all your vegetables if you want.

Papaya and nopales are super nutritious. You can even make pineapple, papaya and nopal smoothies. Or take a nopal leaf, wash it and grill it with some cheese, or make scrambled eggs with nopales. You can also find amaranto sweets in many stores, it has many proteins.

It takes about 2 minutes to make a quesadilla, it's like the Mexican equivalent of pb&j sandwiches. You don't need pam or any kind of oil (although it might not hurt if you are not eating much fat). Just grab two tortillas, some cheese and heat them in a frying pan for a couple of minutes, using medium heat. For extra flavor and calories, add a couple of ham slices (jamón), avocado, red tomato slices and some salsa, you can buy it bottled at any store. You can also use manchego cheese instead of oaxaca, it's softer and has a higher fat content.
posted by clearlydemon at 9:44 PM on September 13

Fruit and veg from the markets really are just fine to eat if you wash (in purified water) and (preferably) peel them.

But you say you tend to be too lazy to cook, so I say--eat out!! There are great places in Merida, from street food (Antonio's pork taco stand on the main square--it always has a long line) to restaurants (lots of places to have a cool, late dinner outside).

But most of all I'm posting to mention "agua de frutas". I practically lived on these in Central America/Yucatan. The fruit of your choice stuck in a blender with purified water or ice. Cold and super refreshing in hot Merida!!!! Yucatan has great tropical fruits--enjoy them!

(And while in Merida, do check out the archaeology and folkart museums and the many open-air dances/parties.)
posted by mkuhnell at 7:22 AM on September 14