Following a 60's Diet?

I have been watching this show.  On demand TV is...crazy awesome.  I watch an episode here and there when I have a free minute.  I miss half of the storyline for some reason or another but that is okay.  This show is not for the Leave it to Beaver types, although it does take place in 1960.  The part I love is the funny way they show us how times have changed.  For instance, the little girl comes in the room with a plastic bag over her head and the mom scolds "I better not find my dry cleaning all over the floor".  Or, the pregnant lady who is having a suburban house wife gossip session while enjoying a cigarette (cigarettes and drinking are a prerequisite for every scene).   Or, at a restaurant the waiter asks "if the lady wants the cream peas or the creamed spinach with that".

 I roll with laughter at this show but it got me thinking.  The 50' and 60's and even the 40's were times of huge change in the American diet.  Canned food and pre-cooked items were a part of everyday meals.  White bread, bacon, Tang for breakfast were staples.1  From scratch was inspired by Julia Child who amazed women with her lavish French cooking adding a stick of butter with every ingredient.  We could never get away with that kind of cooking today.  But, right there is the golden point.  We are not getting away with it more than they were.  Obesity numbers didn't start to take significant parts if society until the early 1990's!   I am sure you got a kick out of this scene from Pleasantville in 1998.

In 1991 the highest obesity rating for a state was 15% - about 1.5 for every 10 people.  In 2008 that number rose to 29% - 1/3 the population is obese, not just fat but obese!2   In the 1960's there was not a shelf at the market that sold "diet food".  Now, diet products are a billion dollar industry, how can that be? It is time to take a good look at yourself.  You know where you are with this challenge.  If fattening foods are not the problem than what is it?  Are we that emotionally starved? I believe that to be a factor, yes.

  The overuse of corn is definitely a factor.  Start reading labels!  High fructose corn syrup was invented in 1957.  In 1975 Americans were averaging 70 pounds of sugar and 4 pounds of HFCS, by 2008 45 lbs of sugar and 39 lbs of HFCS.3  But, pointing your finger at something does nothing.  In 1985 Coke switched from sugar to HFCS - it is cheaper by far.  Don't fall into the same trap.  We spend less on food today, percentage wise, than ever before and the trade off is not worth it.   Make a commitment to be healthy, or at least healthier, one choice at a time.  Spend 20 more cents for the ketchup with no HFCS.  Look for grass fed beef, buy fresh foods more often and read, read, read those labels!  We can't wait for anyone else to fix the problem.  When enough people make these choices then the 20 cents more will be gone.  This is so much more than fitting into your pants.      

1. http://www.foodtimeline.org
2. http://calorielab.com/news/2006/08/30/nibbles-south-ranks-high-in-fattest-state-survey
http://www.wikinvest.com/images/0/04/Obesity_Picture.gif
3.http://www.highfructosecornsyrup.org/2009/08/sugar-vs-corn-syrup-50-years-of-sweet.html
http://motherjones.com/environment/2009/07/sugar-vs-corn-syrup