Why were people so skinny in the 70s and 80s

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know folks. I was around in the 80s and I ate tons of snacks, lots of candy and junk food, and we watched TV all the time. Cable became a thing in the 80s. And yes, we ate at home a lot but a lot of that food was heavily processed. Lots of casseroles from recipes on the back of a soup can, lots of freezer meals, etc. And I had a SAHM. My own child eats better and watches way less television than I did at her age. And it's not an SES thing -- my parents were/are a higher SES than my DH and I are.

I still agree that processed foods and lack of exercise is a big part of it, but I'm not sure television is the culprit. I think it's stress. I think families are stressed, parents are stressed, kids are stressed. I think everyone numbs with whatever is handy, whether that's fatty foods or television or video games or the internet. I think we're all trying to make the day to day as tolerable as possible because the long term feels worse than ever. And so much is expected of us. Kids in the 70s and 80s just went to school, maybe did one or two activities, tops. Yes, there were fewer dual-income parents, because it was possible to own a home and send your kids to decent schools without a second income. And if you did own a home and your kids were doing okay in school (which could mean straight Bs, that was fine and most people didn't freak out about that), you were considered successful even if you worked a blue collar job and never took a vacation that required an airplane.

Being middle class in the 70s and 80s was nice. Even for POC who were experiencing more racism, being middle class was pretty nice. It was a sustainable lifestyle that felt meaningful (kids, work) but also included a decent amount of leisure time and family time.

I don't know what the heck we're doing now. It seems terrible. I think it's hard to "eat your veggies" and get some exercise when you are exhausted and stressed out and feel like no matter what you do or how hard you try, you'll never have enough money to retire on, you'll never be able to afford college for your kids, and you are one medical emergency away from financial ruin.



I think it's stress and everything else (overeating, processed and heavy foods, lack of exercise, overwork, etc.) goes back to that.

Regarding "eat your veggies" - the veggies we are eating now are veggie chips and puffs, smoothies, bagged salads that have been in the refrigerator case fora. week... etc. We aren't eating out of grandma's garden.

But we weren't eating out of "grandma's garden" in the 70s and 80s either. Were you around back then? My mom's idea of a salad in the 70s and 80s was iceberg lettuce, cucumber slices, some carrot shavings, and ranch dressing. Almost all of our other vegetables came from cans. And supply chains were different back then so you couldn't get fruit as easily year round as you can now, especially not if you grew up in a small town in the middle of nowhere like I did.

People have been eating heavily processed foods since the 50s. A lot of people when I was a kid blamed microwaves for ushering in an era of terrible nutrition. And, yes, working women. None of this is new. At all. You are all rehashing an argument that has been around for almost a century as though it's a recent problem with recent causes.

I guess I associate the iceberg lettuce / canned vegetable thing with the white midwest. Was this widespread throughout the US, including the coasts, until the California eating movement? I grew up on the coasts in the 80s in small towns and cities and we ate plenty of fresh food. I live in the midwest now where DH's family is and they do indeed eat canned vegetables. I live in a major "urbane" suburb and it is hard to find a salad that isn't mostly iceberg lettuce.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People weren't any skinnier in the 80's OP. They were heavier because working out wasn't a thing. Your parents were skinny because they were young. Once you get into your 50's, it is WORK to keep the weight off.

Of course they were. Try obesity rate among adults has more than doubled since the 70s/80s.

And kids! I remember when I was in school, there were like 2 heavy kids who got teased. Now I see obese kids pretty regularly.

It's always jarring to see photos of kids from back then they are always very thin. Kids just look different now. They seem bigger in every way.

Yes, kids were so much thinner. There were so many rail thin girls in my classes when I was little.

Processed foods were the norm in my suburban neighborhood. Typical lunch brought from home was white bread PB+J, a little non ziploc sandwich bag of Doritos or other chips, some kind of snack cake item, and then school milk because you had to get it and capri sun when it finally became available or soda. Sometimes there was a piece of fruit thrown in but most likely it was just another snack item maybe fruit in syrup or pudding.

Kids played outside a lot for sure but not always running around. I mean we sat outsides a lot and hung out and we also played board games and watched tv. Lots and lots of tv. It was normal to come home from school and turn on the tv and eat a snack and start homework to the tv and then maybe take a break to go out and play.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People weren't any skinnier in the 80's OP. They were heavier because working out wasn't a thing. Your parents were skinny because they were young. Once you get into your 50's, it is WORK to keep the weight off.

Good grief. Of course working out was a thing. How old are you? Aerobics classes, step aerobics, the Jane Fonda workout videos, Jazzercise, all of that stuff was big. Gyms became big business in the 80s.




It was such a big thing that there were movies around it.

[Anonymous]

It’s the snacking. I don’t remember there ever being a group snack after every sports game or kid activity when I was a kid. I don’t think I ever ate a snack in the car on the way to/from anywhere as a child. Activities were once a week, not 2-3x and certainly not during dinner time, so parents back then weren’t schlepping around and trying to accomplish 3 things all at once. Food was also not as varied or as tasty. You had cereal for breakfast, a sandwich of some sort for lunch with chips, some type of after school item and a regular dinner. My boomer parents still eat in this boring regimented way.

[Anonymous]

I think chemicals (hormones, preservatives, etc.) play a big part. I’ve lived for 6 months to 2 years in other countries in Europe, Africa and Asia and I always lost 10lbs within the first few months and it stayed off until I move back to the US (and I’m already thin). I ate more food but just lost weight effortlessly without exercising (although I walked a little more, not much since I’m in Dc and take public transportation). In the US, I have to diet and exercise to see any change but it’s hard to maintain and I’m hungry. I know there are other reasons but that’s something I believe based off personal experience and friends.

[Anonymous]

As for more processed foods now, I'm just not sure about this. Kool-Aid and PBJ sandwiches with Skippy PB and grape jelly were staples in the 70s/80s. I ate tons of junk food and sugar (Fun Dip, SweetTarts, soda) as a kid and was super skinny. I also watched tons of TV, even though I otherwise spent time riding my bike and was a competitive athlete.

Maybe part of the reason is outsourcing? I recently deep cleaned our house rather than hiring a service and was exhausted. I even commented to my husband that this is why our grandmothers did not gain weight.

But even with all of these things, I think something has fundamentally altered our environment and food supply. You see it not just in the obesity epidemic, but in the prevalence of food allergies (unheard of when I was a kid) and autoimmune disease. There is something very wrong.

And I think this PP has a good point -

I don't know what the heck we're doing now. It seems terrible. I think it's hard to "eat your veggies" and get some exercise when you are exhausted and stressed out and feel like no matter what you do or how hard you try, you'll never have enough money to retire on, you'll never be able to afford college for your kids, and you are one medical emergency away from financial ruin.

[Anonymous]

Not a lot of processed food
Cigarettes
Cocaine

[Anonymous]

Those of you who keep bringing up smoking ought to look at the statistics for smoking. Even back then fewer than half of adult Americans smoked. Sure, it's less now but not enough to make that valid.

[Anonymous]

And saying cocaine is just plain stupid. Do you think everyone was running around spending thousands on blow? Get some critical thinking skills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And saying cocaine is just plain stupid. Do you think everyone was running around spending thousands on blow? Get some critical thinking skills.

Calm down. I'm sure that was a joke.

[Anonymous]

The smoking, as PPs have said. And the regular movement built into each day. More kids walked or biked to/from school, or at least from the bus stop. They played outside. Or they walked or biked to friends’ houses, the mall, etc.

Meanwhile, the adults kept busy at home (housework and lawn care weren’t outsourced in the same way) and at the office (no email, so you had to walk down to a colleague’s office for a quick question).

And there just wasn’t the abundance of food. Portion sizes were smaller, adults didn’t eat snacks, and there wasn’t a quick-serve restaurant every block. The modern retail mix is totally different — the little vacuum cleaner repair places, independent drug stores, video rental places, pet stores, and local banks are now more likely to be a Starbucks, Chipotle, or Panera. Think of how many places to eat there were in your town growing up compared to now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People weren't any skinnier in the 80's OP. They were heavier because working out wasn't a thing. Your parents were skinny because they were young. Once you get into your 50's, it is WORK to keep the weight off.

Statistically, people were skinnier in the 80s

[Anonymous]

Much bigger drug culture in those decades. Also cigarettes. I knew people who lived on cottage cheese and cigarettes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And saying cocaine is just plain stupid. Do you think everyone was running around spending thousands on blow? Get some critical thinking skills.

I knew poor kids who did coke back then. It didn't cost "thousands" and most teens had jobs in those days too.

[Anonymous]

I have pans from my grandmother. The casserole pans now look like single serving pans. They fit one potato and a little milk but back then were used to feed 7 people for dinner.

They all just ate a lot less and moved a lot more.