Dietary habits have undergone major changes in the last 50 years. The foods we eat to fuel our bodies and keep us healthy look quite different from what they did decades back. Let’s look at the key shifts that have altered our eating habits. Also, what might the future of food look like as we continue to seek out efficiency and convenience? Getting to the bottom of trends in our dietary landscape can help us make better choices for our health going forward. Here are the ways our diets have changed in the last five decades.
A Troubling Surge in Sugar Consumption
The amount of sugar people eat daily has skyrocketed over the past decades. Would you believe the average American eats about 60 pounds of sugar every year? To put that in perspective, people were eating less than half that amount back in the 1950s and 60s – just 25 pounds a year. Where’s all that extra sugar consumption coming from?
Most of the increase comes from a surge in processed food consumption. We’re unknowingly getting extra sugar from sweetened yogurts, cereals, salad dressings, and snacks. And the scary thing is, you don’t realize how much added sugar you’re consuming when it’s hidden in all those packaged foods you eat.
This dramatic increase in sugar consumption has an impact on health too. Scientists link the adoption of ultra-processed foods to rising obesity levels and type 2 diabetes diagnoses – both major risk factors for heart disease. Figuring out ways to cut back on unnecessary sweeteners, watch our sugar portions, and build diets focused more on whole, nutritious foods could help turn the tide. Moderation and balance are key – our bodies can handle some sweetness, but the excess amount we eat today is setting us up for trouble.
Vegetables Are Less Nutritious Than They Used to Be
Vegetables have earned high honors for their health benefits – and for good reason. Yet over the years, they’ve lost their nutritional oomph. Scientists say that today’s veggies have 5 to 40 percent less vitamins and minerals than they did 50 years ago.
One reason for the drop in nutrition is how we grow vegetables at scale now. Companies choose varieties that grow quickly and cheaply with the help of chemical fertilizers. But while those fertilizers bulk up plants fast, they drain the soil of the stuff that makes vegetables good for us. It’s a vicious cycle – we want affordable, abundant veggies, but those same efficiency practices sap away their nutrition over time.
Makes you wonder – should we go back to older growing methods even if it means pricier produce? And will vegetables lose even more nutrients if we further deplete the soil? But one thing’s for sure – it’s hard to replace veggies as a low-calorie source of essential fiber and nutrients. We may need to rethink how we grow them if we want to enjoy the full health benefits that produce offers.
Genetically Engineered Foods: Common Yet Controversial
Genetic engineering technology has made its way into many of the foods we buy these days. Scientists are taking genes from one living thing and inserting them into something completely different – like putting flounder genes into strawberries to prevent freezing, or bacteria DNA into corn to kill pests. Even though packages aren’t required to label whether ingredients have been genetically modified (we just call that a GMO), the fact they’re so widespread makes people uneasy about what they’re putting in their bodies.
Now, the big research studies mostly say GMOs are safe to eat and don’t pose health risks. However, there are still open discussions about whether tinkering with genetics could have unintended side effects that show up down the road. Since science is still developing, it leaves us questioning: should we pump the brakes until we know more about the long-term impacts? Do the agricultural benefits outweigh the uncertainties? And do people have a right to know through labeling if they’re eating franken foods, even if they’re deemed safe?
There are no easy answers to this one. But genetic the engineering genie is already out of the bottle. As technology keeps advancing, the debate will rage around the implications for both human health and farming practices. We’ll have to weigh all those tangled factors when deciding how to move forward.
Portion Sizes: The Ballooning Effect
Portion sizes have exploded over the last 50 years. Back in the day, a normal single serving was a reasonable amount of food. But nowadays, with processed foods and fast-food joints everywhere, the meals we sit down to often pack enough calories for 2 or even 3 old-school portions.
Research shows the average plate, cup or package of food is 2 to 5 times larger than it was in the seventies. At restaurants, we’re looking at portions that are 4 times as big. Crazy, right? We have access to these endless feasts everywhere we turn.
The trouble is, when a restaurant serves us a massive plate of food, we tend to eat it all. And over time, regularly overloading our systems with that many calories starts to take a real toll on our health. Scientists believe it’s a factor in skyrocketing obesity rates and related problems like heart disease and diabetes.
So, what can we do to get back to more reasonable, healthy portion sizes? Maybe restaurants could offer half-portions at a discount, families can share plates more often, and we can learn to wrap up leftovers rather than devouring oversized plates of food. Even better, prepare meals at home. Moderation and balance are the name of the game when it comes to healthy eating and preventing obesity and disease down the road.
More Food Additives: Convenience at a Cost
Our fast-paced, convenient world has exploded with packaged foods pumped up with additives that preserve freshness or enhance flavor. These extras serve a purpose, for sure. They make processed snacks tastier and last longer on shelves, matching our on-the-go lifestyles.
But there’s a downside to all these added ingredients. Relying on additive-heavy foods means we eat fewer less-processed whole foods, like fruits and vegetables overflowing with health-protecting nutrients. And for some people, certain additives cause digestive issues or reactions.
So, the uptick in processed options in our diets may shortchange us on nutrition and pose issues for sensitive people. By embracing convenience, we risk our long-term well-being – from digestion troubles to depleted energy to a higher risk for illness down the road.
Moderation is key, as always. We can still enjoy the occasional processed snack, in reasonable portions. However focusing more on wholesome, additive-free whole foods can help safeguard our health.
Conclusion
The food we eat these days looks so different from what our grandparents ate back in their day. Between super-sized portions, over-processed ingredients, and industrial farming, our meals have “lost their way” nutritionally.
But it’s not all doom and gloom! Little things like taking a closer look at nutrition labels, cooking at home more often, and reaching for whole foods whenever we can add up to big health boosts over time. It may take work to unravel our modern food culture. But if we want to live long, feel great, and dodge preventable illness, getting back to quality, nutritious eating may be one of our best bets.
References:
- How Nutrient Density in Produce has Declined Over Time] (https://www.newchapter.com/wellness-blog/how-nutrient-density-in-produce-has-declined-over-time/
- Controversy over genetically modified organisms: the governing laws and regulations] (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11710306/
- Americans eat too much sugar — nearly 100 pounds of sugar annually] (https://facethefactsusa.org/facts/the-sweet-life-and-what-it-costs-us/
- High fructose corn syrup, excess-free-fructose, and risk of coronary heart disease among African Americans] (https://bmcnutrition.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40795-020-00396-x)
- Ultra-processed foods and added sugars in the US diet] (https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/6/3/e009892)
- [Is fructose bad for you? — Harvard Health] (https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-fructose-bad-for-you-200705012507)
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