Home Health A disturbing look inside an idyllic small Texas town that keeps a BIG secret

A disturbing look inside an idyllic small Texas town that keeps a BIG secret

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An eye-opening documentary delves into America's fattest city, and residents reveal the health problems they face.

This small, little-known Texas town has a big problem.

McAllen is the most obese city in the United States, with a staggering nearly eight in 10 adults obese or overweight.

It also has the second-highest proportion of obese teens of any U.S. city and the second-highest number of obese children.

As a result, in recent years there has been an explosion of weight-related diabetes, heart disease, and cancers.

Now, a revealing documentary has shed light on the epidemic affecting this border city and the devious marketing tactics junk food makers use to entice locals to eat themselves to death.

In one scene, the filmmakers from youtube channel Yes theory, sit down with McAllen resident Alejandra, who used to weigh 270 pounds.

‘At the age of 28… my organs started to malfunction and they (the doctors) gave me a good five years and after that they didn’t know how things would go for me.’

Like many McAllen residents, Alejandra, who does not provide her last name, grew up in Mexico, just 10 miles away.

An eye-opening documentary delves into America’s fattest city, and residents reveal the health problems they face.

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Ammar Kandil and Staffan Taylor, from the YouTube channel Yes Theory, landed in McAllen, Texas, which has been rated several times as the most obese city in the country.

She reveals that she started gaining weight as a child after gorging on unhealthy school meals such as pizza, chicken, nuggets and burgers.

As a child in her home country, Alejandra said she grew up with her mother and grandmother cooking and “never ate any processed foods.”

But in the United States, when she was forced to eat free school meals, her addiction to fast food grew.

She said: ‘FFrom first grade to fifth grade I gained weight.’

Alejandra does not reveal how she managed to reduce her weight but in the documentary she appears in better health.

When asked why obesity is so high in McAllen, Alejandra says it is largely because it is a high-poverty community, with fast food being the most affordable way to satisfy hunger.

In 2024, the poverty rate in McAllen, which has a population of about 146,000 and is located in the southeastern part of the Rio Grande Valley, was just under 21 percent, about double the national average.

Alejandra reveals that at the end of each month, when people are ‘running out of money,’ all the fast food joints in McAllen advertise deals with ’25-cent wings on Wednesdays (or) 50-cent tacos on Tuesdays.’

At an iHop pancake restaurant that the Yes Theory crew stops at, they see a sign advertising free meals for kids during happy hour.

A report published last year revealed that more than 8 in 10 people in this small metropolis are obese or overweight, and diabetes and heart disease are rife.

A report published last year revealed that more than 8 in 10 people in this small metropolis are obese or overweight, and diabetes and heart disease are rife.

At an iHop pancake restaurant that the Yes Theory crew stops at, they see a sign advertising free meals for kids during happy hour.

At an iHop pancake restaurant that the Yes Theory crew stops at, they see a sign advertising free meals for kids during happy hour.

Expressing his outrage over this, filmmaker Ammar says: ‘TThe hat is so sick. Am thinking how manipulative this is. (If) you are a dad or you are a mom and you don’t have that much (money) to support your family, of course you are going to come here.

‘This is How evil you are, you’re using people’s circumstances to just grab a family and make them come spend money here.’

About 45 percent of adults 18 and older in McAllen are obese, compared to 40 percent nationally, and an additional 31 percent of McAllen residents are overweight.

That puts the proportion of adults who are too fat at 76 percent.

As they drive around town, Ammar says in one area he counts six fast food restaurants within a two-block radius.

Many McAllen residents grew up in Mexico, as the country's border is only 10 miles away.

Many McAllen residents grew up in Mexico, as the country’s border is only 10 miles away.

After exploring McAllen, the filmmakers say they believe the fast food problem is not just specific to the city but is a nationwide problem.

After exploring McAllen, the filmmakers say they believe the fast food problem is not just specific to the city but is a nationwide problem.

Like Alejandra, other McAllen residents say the ease of fast food is a big problem.

One woman the Yes Theory team spoke to at a grocery store says it’s hard to escape self-service in the city, but she’s trying to cook more at home for the sake of her kids.

A man who also wanders the aisles explains that buying products at the supermarket is not much better than fast food, since many products in the United States are ultra-processed.

Pointing to a box of Cheerios in the cereal aisle, he explains: ‘AndYou put a little heart on (the box). The people simply assuming it’s healthy and it really isn’t because the minute you put a little sugar or anything glazed in it… it’s not healthy, it doesn’t matter.

“(Even) if you take regular Cheerios… they’re still putting all that sugar in your body.”

One and a half cups of Original Cheerios has 2 g of sugar, while the same serving of Honey Nut flavor has 18 g.

In one scene, the filmmakers sit down with McAllen resident Alejandra, who reveals that she started gaining weight after gorging on free, unhealthy meals at school.

In one scene, the filmmakers sit down with McAllen resident Alejandra, who reveals that she started gaining weight after gorging on free, unhealthy meals at school.

While driving around town, the Yes Theory team counts six fast food restaurants within a two-block radius.

While driving around town, the Yes Theory team counts six fast food restaurants within a two-block radius.

The man in the film, who is not named, says buying healthier products also costs more, so many McAllen residents “are price-constrained.”

And he adds: “When you live paycheck to paycheck, sometimes it’s not feasible to get healthier things.”

One McAllen resident who has more knowledge about the diet is medical student Surya Namboodiri.

But she tells the Yes Theory team that her awareness is not due to school and that it is something she has had to educate herself on.

Buying products at the supermarket is not much better than fast food, since many products in the US are ultra-processed.

Buying products at the supermarket is not much better than fast food, since many products in the US are ultra-processed.

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“You put a little heart (on the box) and people just assume it’s healthy,” one McAllen resident says of some breakfast cereals.

She reveals: ‘Nutrition is basically not in our curriculum. We might have an hour or two during our four years of medical education.’

It’s this lack of education, Namboodiri says, that is fueling obesity in McAllen.

She adds: ‘IIt’s unfair to just point at people and say, “Why don’t you do this? Why do you let these bad habits control your lives?”

‘It’s not just your personal choice in this regard, you also have to consider the infrastructure (and) lack of access to these healthier food options.

‘We are also not doing our part and educating people about what even an unhealthy diet looks like. If I just say “oh, you need to eat healthier,” they don’t know what that looks like. They simply know what they have been eating while growing up.

A man in the film, whose name is not mentioned, says that buying healthier products also costs more, which is why many McAllen residents

A man in the film, whose name is not mentioned, says that buying healthier products also costs more, so many McAllen residents “are restricted by price tags.”

A box of corn dogs at the supermarket is advertised as a good source of protein.

A box of corn dogs at the supermarket is advertised as a good source of protein.

After exploring McAllen, the filmmakers say they believe the fast food problem is not just specific to the city but is a nationwide problem.

Ammar concludes: ‘WWhen we first had the idea to investigate McAllen, we thought there was something unique about this city.

‘But after talking to residents and discussing the problem with experts, we slowly became more aware that this is not a McAllen problem, it’s an American problem, one that has seeped into every city in the country.

‘But what we also learned from this experience is that for those struggling with weight there is hope.

“By learning about the systems in place and educating ourselves about how we can improve our diet and well-being, we can break the unhealthy cycle we seem to be trapped in and regain control of our quality of life.”

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