The U.S. and Mexico share a common problem: many people are simultaneously overweight and undernourished, while others live in poverty with not enough to eat.

The outcomes are sometimes visible and sometimes hidden. Both the wealthy and the poor consume excessive amounts of junk food and sugary drinks—foods full of empty calories. The rich often indulge for comfort, while the poor consume what they can afford.

Some nutritionists oversimplify the issue, claiming that the solution lies in everyone eating healthy, nutrient-dense foods. But today’s realities make that utopian advice difficult to follow. First, truly nutritious foods—such as organic vegetables, range-fed animal meats, and wild-caught fish—are expensive and difficult to obtain in densely populated areas. Second, recent global events, including pandemic-related fear and broken supply chains, have triggered food shortages and misguided health restrictions.

Many health problems begin at childbirth. Wealthier parents often avoid breastfeeding, while poorer mothers tend to breastfeed out of necessity. Breastfeeding transfers vital hormones and immunity from mother to child. However, if a mother’s diet is nutritionally poor, even her milk may lack essential nutrients, leading to stunted growth in children. On the other hand, many bottle-fed children become obese by adulthood due to cheap, high-calorie foods. An overweight teenager in a wealthy country like the U.S. may still be severely deficient in the micronutrients essential for optimal health.

The ideal diet includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans. Yet much of the population in the U.S. and Mexico has developed a preference for snacks loaded with refined carbs, sugar, and ultra-processed ingredients. These poor diets now contribute to more deaths than smoking and are linked to chronic microbiome damage and lifelong disorders, including:

• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• Obesity
• Type 2 Diabetes
• Atopic Dermatitis (eczema), often accompanied by asthma or hay fever

There is no pharmaceutical cure for eczema, but a cream and tincture made from Chilcoatl (Heliopsis longpipes) can help reduce symptoms.

Natural foods can correct most undernourishment and microbiome issues. An alkaline diet lowers inflammation and increases good bacteria in the gut, while antioxidant-rich foods protect against oxidative damage.

Anti-Inflammatory Foods

• Organic or Mexican-grown vegetables: Rich in phytonutrients that reduce symptoms of arthritis, Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Include beets, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, dark leafy greens, kale, spinach, onions, peas, salad greens, sea vegetables, and squashes.
• Fresh fruits: Antioxidants help prevent cancer and support brain health. Eat avocados, apples, berries, cherries, nectarines, oranges, pears, grapefruit, plums, pomegranates, and strawberries.
• Herbs, spices, and teas: Use turmeric, ginger, basil, oregano, thyme, green tea, and organic coffee.
• Probiotics: Populate the gut with good bacteria. Try fermented foods like kefir and cultured vegetables, or Maz-Mix, a multi-herb, omega-3-rich probiotic/prebiotic formula with 22 amino acids.
• Wild-caught fish, cage-free chicken, and pasture-raised meats: Higher in omega-3s and rich in zinc, selenium, and B vitamins.
• Healthy fats: Include grass-fed butter, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, nuts, and seeds.
• Ancient grains and legumes: Consume two to three servings daily of nutrient-dense Aztec plants such as quelite, amaranth, quinoa, black beans, chickpeas, lentils, and black rice.
• Moderation foods: Enjoy small amounts of red wine and dark chocolate (high in cocoa) daily.