They were under American rule more recently, and were only given their Independence without a fight after agreeing to preferential trade on importing American products.

I didn't argue about that. I just said that before American rule they were ruled by Spaniards.

Sure, for you and I it's not equivalent.

But for them, it might as well be. People simply did not eat large amounts of packaged, processed food only a few generations ago, like people do everywhere in the west, including the EU.

I just complained about the use of "western diet" as a catch-all epithet for unhealthy, processed food.