As a septuagenarian (over 70 years old), I have a unique perspective on today's
popular diets. Having lived through the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, I know from
experience that simple carbohydrates such as white bread (including the gluten),
corn, sugar and candy, soda pop, milk, ice cream, cheese, processed meats such as
bacon and all types of fast foods were part of the everyday healthy life before 1996.
Being born at the end of WWll and part of the
"Boomer" generation, I grew up with copious
amounts of spaghetti, pizzas, corn on the cob,
burgers from A&W and Burger King along with
milkshakes, french fries and cokes as a teenager.
I know that dinner tables were commonly loaded
with food that would make most nutritionists of
today shudder. The staples of the day were sliced
white bread, milk with lots of meat and potatoes smothered in gravy.
Most people today believe food today is less healthy than in past generations.
However, except for one significant difference, the food eaten during the "Happy
Days" generation was actually less healthy. Today, consumer protection laws ensure
that our food is better inspected, regulated and labeled for nutritional content and
contain less harmful amounts of pesticides, insecticides and trans fats.
Foods today are basically still prepared and eaten the same way they always have.
So, if consumers are generally eating healthier food than past generations, what has
changed?
Why are people today becoming afraid to eat bread, milk and meat. Why are we
being told by health professionals that eating gluten is bad for you or we shouldn't
eat too much sugar, salt or charred or processed meats? These foods never made
people sick in the past so why are they making consumers sick today?
Although some of today’s foods may not have been around prior to 1996,
most of the foods considered unhealthy today, such as corn, wheat and
barbecued meat, have traditionally been consumed by humanity for
thousands of years.
Never in my lifetime or at any time in recorded history has there been the epidemic
of health issues facing us today.
Did you know that today’s chronic diseases and runaway health issues such as
childhood and adult related obesity, Type 2 diabetes, auto-immune diseases, celiac
and other intestinal disorders, autism and infertility were extremely rare or unheard
of in the general population before 1996.