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The Mexican American Community and Blue Zones

Research Paper

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I want to introduce to the Blue Zones- areas where longevity and health are inclined. Taken from the article, "Blue Zones: Lessons From The World's Longest Lived," I wrote an essay in English class freshman year about the Blue Zones and comparing it to a community that may show inclined or declined longevity through the evidence of "the power 9" and how to live longer according to the blue zones. I chose the Mexican-American community.

This essay also got chosen and displayed in the book-.

 

Essay #1 Final Draft

“No soy de aquí, ni de allá.” Meaning "I am not from here, nor from there." Many Mexican Americans, or any mixed culture person, feel stuck in the middle and can't belong to a particular group because they have mixed cultures. My community may think that we are too Mexican for the U.S. but too American for Mexico. It's an endless loop we feel we can't escape, and it can be hurtful sometimes. Blue Zones are areas around the world where it's been proven that people live longer & healthier with 9 main ideas (the power 9). These 9 ideas are: Move Naturally, Purpose, Downshift, 80% Rule, Plant Slant, Wine @ 5, Belong, Loved Ones First, and Right Tribe.

The Mexican American community is opposite to Blue zones, where their life span is much shorter. According to Rich Mendez from CNBC, during the pandemic, "life expectancy among all Hispanics declined by three years from 81.8 years in 2019 to 78.8 years in 2020," making it hard to live a healthy life in our community. Analyzing this community is an excellent opportunity to show a comparison & contrast of the power 9 idea and how cultural traditions can change this overall idea. When analyzing the Mexican American community with the Power 9 background, it is apparent that their strengths comply with the unitedness of loved ones but need to work on their health physically & mentally to create a more positive lifestyle and have longevity in our community.

I am Chicana; this means my parents are from Mexico, but I was born in the United States of America. Though this still falls into being Latino, I identify more with Chicana because it forms a smaller community, specifically for Mexican Americans. The Mexican American community is for those who identify as Mexican and American - having Mexican descent. Being in a community gives you a sense of belonging and comfort because you're surrounded by people like you. This can be by looks, culture, beliefs, hobbies, etc. The Mexican American community is a big part of the U.S. and has greatly impacted the overall American culture. The food, music, language, agriculture, and appreciation of our culture, are just a few examples that have been added to American culture. This fast-growing community flows with immigrants and keeps growing even when facing racist oppressing remarks. With the history of the Mexican America war, there is still a grudge towards Mexicans as a "colonized group," and they still hold a "low position in the nation's social and economic hierarchy" (Saenz). "Even U.S.-born Mexicans... occupy a low socioeconomic position among the various groups that constitute the Latino population," according to Rogelio Saenz from PRB. The dreams and determination are strong in my community; even with the backlash we may face, staying true to our culture is what makes a difference and helps us stand out and be proud.

Like any other community, the Mexican American community has its strengths & struggles. Its strengths are faith, unity, and family. Its struggles are division because of racism in our community, biases, toxic traditions, and mental health. Both of its strengths and struggles can collide because of negative aspects that can happen. For example, as part of the Mexican culture, many grow up catholic and religious. Though it may be good for our faith and unity, it can also be bad because some households believe in the fanatical strict Christian faith, which can be restrictive and toxic to grow up with. "The integrity of the family and the family value system has never been broken for Mexican descendants. This behavior reflects the level of support that the family structure inside the Mexican culture has for each family member," stated Alexander Greene in LatinxKC. This truthful fact about family importance is a strong strength that is spread throughout Latin America.

Now, specifically using the Power 9 from Blue Zones, their recommendations are split in half with things the Mexican American community does and doesn't do. Loved Ones First, Move Naturally, and Belong are all recommendations the community does follow, but Plant Slant, Downshift, and 80% Rule aren't followed.

The Mexican community strongly values the rule of Loved Ones First in Power 9. As I stated before, as a strength, family is very important. I am very family-oriented and grew up learning that your family comes first, and you must respect it. Though it is good to keep that positive love and group together, it can be harmful if your family is toxic or perceives a hostile environment, so leaving will always be challenging because you are expected to stay and help your family, feeling more obligated than out of love. In Blue Zones, it states keeping your family at home & the kids taking care of the parents as they age is expected; it actually "lowers disease and mortality rates of the children in the home too (319)." In our culture, placing family members in a nursing home is seen as neglectful or disrespectful to your family. To show you care and out of love, the kids and family members take care of the elders; it's the general idea of unity and family being first.

As for Move Naturally and Belong, Mexican Americans and the Latinx community are physically active and active in faith. Working hard for yourself or your parents is the common reason to be active. That may be working different jobs or practicing faith, but in the end, staying active is to help your mind and remain determined. For example, the Mexican American community can relate to finding a safe place with faith. Catholicism is the main religion for Mexican Americans, still as the years have gone by with the new generation, it has changed a lot due to different beliefs or becoming agnostic. As stated in Blue Zones, being active in your faith can add more years of life to that sense of belonging in a faith-based community and can count as finding purpose in life.

For recommendations that aren't followed, health-related ones like the 80% Rule and Plant Slant are a consistent struggle. A large part of Mexico and America is obese. According to the CDC, 49.5% of men and 50.9% of women over 20 are obese. In the Mexican community, diabetes is the biggest issue in health. Diabetes is caused genetically but can be “activated” by the unhealthiness of Mexican food and the ingredients used. Mexican cuisine always has bread, tortillas, cheese, a lot of frying, spices & super sweets. Its calories are super high and loaded with cholesterol, fats, and salt. Though it may contain everything you need on your plate: dairy, fruit, vegetables, protein, and grain, the portions are bigger than they should be, leading to the cause of our health issues. With almost every dish, there are beans and rice, which can be good, but it depends on your economic structure if it's truly a balanced diet. Those living in the lower class can't afford a balanced diet or focus on what's healthy, their focus is on getting food on the table. So for them, all they eat is rice and beans with tortillas or whatever they can afford; eating the same thing every day, not being a balanced meal, isn't healthy. The middle class can afford a balanced diet and protein sides, so the rice & beans would be more nutritious for their diets. The quote stated in "Food is a Luxury" relates to the economic problem Mexican Americans may face: "real food was for the privileged—those who could afford the hours and energy it takes to cook." But either way, our food is a big part of our culture and tradition; no matter your class, incorporating Mexican food into your diet is a must. That is why the 80% rule - not eating till you're full - is hard to practice because we grow up learning to appreciate our food and not waste it, so you have to eat everything given to you and finish it, even if you're full. It is disrespectful to say "no" to food offered and not finish it. This is a leading contributor to why there is a lack of diets in this culture. It's hard to keep up with dieting when you are most likely pressured to stop or have temptations all around you. I think working on yourself by having a balanced diet is possible. It will be a challenge in general, but understanding each other's goals and focus will be beneficial for change.

For the downshift rule, trying to de-stress and focus on your mental health is not common in the Mexican community. Relaxation and de-stressing are a struggle with Hispanics in general, but for Mexicans, the cultural traditions take over. Machismo (toxic masculinity) is a toxic trait that goes on in Mexican households and changes the view of de-stressing. The article "Instagram Therapy" explains the Latinx community's barriers when speaking about mental health. Asking for “help is seen as a sign of weakness”; even when you try to talk to family members, machismo takes over, and you're told to push aside your feelings. There has been some progress and more people challenging machismo in culture and tradition, but with some traditions going hand-in-hand with machismo, faith, and family, it's hard to break something that has been going on forever. So, it is taking longer with mental health and therapy because machismo is hard to fight, but it is at least being fought and talked about. "The traditional structure of the Mexican family is that of a patriarchal society with the mother at the center of most domestic spaces and tasks. Typically, the father emphasizes and sets a strong example in hard work ethic and character (Greene, LatinxKC)." This is the common family dynamic for Hispanics; it ties into machismo and the idea that the father is the head of the household. It is a struggle to talk about hard topics and mental health when the parents don't know how to practice it or talk about it because this is a new thing being challenged.

We continue with our ongoing loop of generational trauma and cycle of feeling stuck, but with the internet and resources being provided to break these negative traits, the Mexican American community has no excuse to now improve our health physically and mentally.

 

 

Works Cited

Buettner, Dan, and Skemp, Sam. "Blue Zones: Lessons From The World's Longest Lived." American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, vol. 10, no. 5, Sept-Oct 2016, pp. 318-321.

Mendez, Rich. "U.S. Life Expectancy Dropped by 1.5 Years in 2020, Biggest Drop since WWII." CNBC, CNBC, 21 July 2021, https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/21/life-expectancy-in-the-us-declined-in-2020-especially-among-people-of-color-.html

Saenz, Rogelio. "Latinos and the Changing Face of America." PRB, Population Reference Bureau, 20 Aug. 2004, https://www.prb.org/resources/latinos-and-the-changing-face-of-america/

"FASTSTATS - Health of Mexican American Population." National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 6 Sept. 2022, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/mexican-health.htm

Greene, Alexander. "Mexican Immigration to the United States and Its Effect on Mexican Culture and the Family Structure." LatinxKC, Accessed 28 Sep. 2022 https://info.umkc.edu/latinxkc/essays/spring-2017/mexican-immigration-family/

Cruz Lemar, Marissa. "How 'Instagram Therapy' Helps Normalize Latinx Mental Healthcare." Mashable, 29 Oct. 2021, https://mashable.com/article/instagram-therapy 

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