Have you ever taken a look at old photos from the 50's and 60's and notice something so different from today's photos? With few exceptions, the people in the photos are thin. So what's up with that?
Startling Statistics
According to the CDC the average American woman now weighs as much as the average man did in 1960. Women are now 18.5% heavier and men are now 17.6% heavier.
And what about those tiny waists women seemed to have? On average, women's waists were 6 inches smaller in the 50's than they are today!
Approximately 10% of the American population was classified as obese in the 1950's while the current obesity rate is over 35%.
Appropriately Confused?
Just how do we figure out what to eat to help ensure a healthy life and maintain a healthy weight? Certainly there are many choices according to today's fads. Maybe it should be eating clean, dairy free, gluten free, GMO free, carbohydrate free, high protein, organic, low fat, high fat, or paleo??
Are you appropriately confused? Let's look at some of the things that have changed over the years and see if possibly there is a basic, simple answer.
A Major Diet Change
Obesity rates began slowly rising in the mid 1980s - coincidentally at the same time that fast foods, pizza delivery and take out started to become the norm.
Fast food was a rare treat in the 1950's but today is has become a major part of the American diet. On any given day in the United States an estimated 36.6% or approximately 84.8 million adults consume fast food.
Think about this for a minute; 'back in the day' when you left home for work or school, it was the norm to pack a brown bag lunch. Something like a sandwich, piece of fruit and maybe a cookie were in the bag. This is a big difference from the 500 calorie double burger, 180 calorie french fries and a 200 calorie soda at a drive-thru fast food place.
Portion Distortion
Portions, portions, portions. Everything has gotten bigger; from the plates we serve our food on at home to the portions served in restaurants.
Dinner plates have increased from 9 inches across to 12 inches! Sodas in the 50's were 7 oz. and today they are 30+ oz. Hamburgers were 3.9 oz. and are now 12 oz. French Fries were 2.4 oz. while today the serving is 6.7 oz.
The consumption of sugar has increased nearly 40% and the average caloric intake today has increased by 300-400 calories per day! Is it a wonder that women's waists are bigger?
Simple Fixes
Have more meals at home. Plan out your meals. Go shopping. Make a list of food you and your family need for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.
Shop for the entire week. Consider eating out a treat and not something to do on a daily basis.
No super sizing. When eating out - think smaller portion sizes. How about choosing a kids meal, or sharing the adult meal with someone. Use your luncheon plate at home in place of the dinner plate. Remember your luncheon plate is about the same size as the dinner plate from the 50's.
Buy real food! Fill your cart with fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds. Look for fresh whole lean meats, poultry and seafood. choose 100% whole grains in breads, rice and pastas.
Look at all the labels - is the food item high in sodium (above 250 mg) or does it have more than 5 grams of added sugar?
Limit the amount of canned and prepackaged foods. Shop the perimeter of the store.
Have water in place of soda with your meals.
Eat dinner together as a family. Enjoy your meal. Eat slowly while you enjoy the conversations that arise at the dinner table.
Clean and Simple
Remember the many confusing fad choices for a healthy eating lifestyle? Looking back at the 50's, the food choices, meals and snacks centered basically around the current fad called 'Eating Clean'.
In place of processed foods and fast foods the diet consisted mostly of fresh vegetables and fruits, healthy, lean meats, poultry and fish, whole grains and eggs. And meals were in smaller portions and usually eaten at home.
Pretty simple right?
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