Tlayudas or hamburgers: how nutritious is food at airports

The inauguration of the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) brought with it much criticism, praise, controversy and different points of view for the government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO).

However, one fact that stole the reflectors was the sale of Mexican snacks inside the premises, especially from those merchants who took the opportunity to market their food without having an allocated space.

Faced with such criticism, the Mexican president raised the possibility of having a special section to “ship” tlayudas, golden tacos, quesadillas and many other foods in the AIFA. It was for this reason that Infobae Mexico spoke with nutritionist Suleima Díaz, who explained some characteristics of national foods, as well as their difference from fast foods.

For the nutrition specialist, it was important to emphasize that no food by itself has advantages or disadvantages for a person's daily diet, since each body - which fulfills a specific task or activity - has different requirements in the diet that it must meet.

However, it may seem firsthand that, as the Mexican president mentioned, tlayuda - understood as toast, topped with beans, coriander, onion, nopales, salsa and cheese - is more nutritious than a hamburger made from frozen foods, since the ingredients of the former are “natural” and are less combined with fats.

And it is that the preparation of food in fast food stalls has been questioned over the years, due to irregularities in the quality of meat, the lack of vegetables or fresh foods, as well as the saturation of fats, have been detected.

However, the graduate in Nutrition ruled that the daily life with which this type of food is consumed, for example tlayuda, as well as the combination with other ingredients throughout the active hours of the day will tell if it is really “more nutritious” than a hamburger for a person who, for example, does not consume them regularly.

In addition, he pointed out that, as is known, corn is the basis of Mexican food, so it is present in most of the recipes of the most characteristic foods; however, he invited people to observe the amounts, that is, how much they eat of the same food, in addition to knowing what their body needs. nutritional form.

Despite the foregoing, for the professional at the Universidad Iberoamericana (Ibero), beyond the food that may be sold inside shopping malls, airports and more, it is important that all merchants adhere to the Mexican Official Standard (NOM) 251 of the Ministry of Health (SSA), which indicates hygiene practices for the processing of food, beverages or food supplements and the facilities to be adapted for the sale of food, beverages or food supplements.

Since he pointed out that, no matter how “nutritious” the tlayuda or a hamburger with the freshest ingredients has, in fact if they do not adhere to the processes of selection, cleaning and eating practices they can affect the health of people, because they can contract diseases by skipping steps of healthiness.

Therefore, in the event of a Mexican antojitos pavilion at AIFA, Ms. Suleima Díaz considered that if the locals adhere to Mexican standards, they could prove to be a good alternative to the fast food commonly found in these types of centers.

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