Why were Americans of all ages so thin during the 1960s and 1970s?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No corn syrup. Things were sweetened with real sugar.

There was corn syrup. It was cheap and accessible.

We used to put it on our pancakes. We were poor and corn syrup was cheaper than maple syrup.

Corn syrup was in all the sweet stuff.

It was not widely added to processed foods of all kinds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No corn syrup. Things were sweetened with real sugar.

There was corn syrup. It was cheap and accessible.

We used to put it on our pancakes. We were poor and corn syrup was cheaper than maple syrup.

Corn syrup was in all the sweet stuff.

Yep, KARO corn syrup was in everything back then.

It did not start being added into food until 1970. It was determined "safe" by the FDA in 1976.

Karo corn syrup was around since the early 1900s.

http://www.karosyrup.com/about_us.html

I have my mom's old cookbook from the 1950s and recipes call for corn syrup, especially candies and caramels.

[Anonymous]

Convenience foods engineered to keep people hungry and coming back for more. Trans fats and high fructose corn syrup. Starbucks on every corner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No corn syrup. Things were sweetened with real sugar.

There was corn syrup. It was cheap and accessible.

We used to put it on our pancakes. We were poor and corn syrup was cheaper than maple syrup.

Corn syrup was in all the sweet stuff.

Yep, KARO corn syrup was in everything back then.

It did not start being added into food until 1970. It was determined "safe" by the FDA in 1976.

Karo corn syrup was around since the early 1900s.

http://www.karosyrup.com/about_us.html

I have my mom's old cookbook from the 1950s and recipes call for corn syrup, especially candies and caramels.

And pecan pie.

[Anonymous]

Portion sizes.

Youve seen the McDonald’s comparisons for example. Large cup back in the day is now a kids size. Drinks, burgers, fries (and every meal + every restaurant) are serving much bigger portions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Like others have said, the walking everywhere will do it. I live in NYC, and while there certainly are overweight people here, not as much in the suburbs. I really notice it when I visit family out of the city how large people are.

Urban areas have higher levels of obesity that suburban areas, FYI.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Portion sizes.

Youve seen the McDonald’s comparisons for example. Large cup back in the day is now a kids size. Drinks, burgers, fries (and every meal + every restaurant) are serving much bigger portions.

Here: https://www.eater.com/2015/9/9/9297609/mcdonalds-sizes-growth-since-1955

[Anonymous]

Lots of things.

Processed food is even more highly processed now, and engineered to get you to eat more of it, and contains more sugar--things have sugar that you really wouldn't imagine, like chicken nuggets. Other changes in the way food is grown and produced.

More sedentary lifestyle. There was less on TV and no video games. Kids weren't so overscheduled and spent more time playing outside. Adults walked more places, too.

More people smoked.

People ate crap diets, but they generally ate less, mostly because there was less snacking. A lot more people ate family dinners at home. People didn't eat out as much.

And the lowfat diets of the 80s and 90s resulted in people eating way more processed carbs, thinking they were healthy.

[Anonymous]

Here in the dc area, we are some of the thinnest in the country. Go to other states or even 50 miles away and the poeple are huge.

I am shocked at how big school kids here are though. I am in my 30s and the "fat kids" when I was growing up would be the thinner ones now. I don't remember any 10 year olds being obese.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No corn syrup. Things were sweetened with real sugar.

There was corn syrup. It was cheap and accessible.

We used to put it on our pancakes. We were poor and corn syrup was cheaper than maple syrup.

Corn syrup was in all the sweet stuff.

Yep, KARO corn syrup was in everything back then.

It did not start being added into food until 1970. It was determined "safe" by the FDA in 1976.

Karo corn syrup was around since the early 1900s.

http://www.karosyrup.com/about_us.html

I have my mom's old cookbook from the 1950s and recipes call for corn syrup, especially candies and caramels.

And pecan pie.

My grandmother made homemade baby formula in the 1940s and 50s using condensed milk and Karo syrup.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No corn syrup. Things were sweetened with real sugar.

There was corn syrup. It was cheap and accessible.

We used to put it on our pancakes. We were poor and corn syrup was cheaper than maple syrup.

Corn syrup was in all the sweet stuff.

Yep, KARO corn syrup was in everything back then.

It did not start being added into food until 1970. It was determined "safe" by the FDA in 1976.

Karo corn syrup was around since the early 1900s.

http://www.karosyrup.com/about_us.html

I have my mom's old cookbook from the 1950s and recipes call for corn syrup, especially candies and caramels.

But it was not widely used. There was a 25% increase in use from 1970's to the 2000's.

[Anonymous]

The entry of more women into the workforce meant fewer family dinners at home, and also more disposable income for eating out for the middle class.

[Anonymous]

I'll add this one: No microwaves. It took effort to make a make a meal, warm up a snack, or reheat leftovers.

[Anonymous]

Walking two miles to and from school uphill each way in snow storms.

[Anonymous]

Maybe moms being at home? Meal preparing instead of eating out? I know if I had a wife cooking for me my diet would likely be better. - WOHM