Why we’re fatter than in the 1950s - Warren Nash

We’re in the midst of an obesity crisis, despite being obsessed with diet & clean eating. In the 1950's people were significantly thinner, whilst being less conscious about what they were eating.

In this mini documentary I explore the differences in calorie intake and expenditure between the 1950s vs today. Is it just about having a more sedentary lifestyle and are we burning the same amount of calories as the slimmer population 50 years ago?

Either way, it’s obvious our lifestyles have changed and we’re more overweight than ever before. Learn about some of the key factors affecting our diet and lifestyle today. What is the trump factor?

[Laura_B__]

Not mentioned but also important is the fact that much of the processed, sugary food we eat these days is so lacking in nutrition that it actually makes us feel hungrier because our bodies are in fact malnourished. People in the 1950s ate "real" food for the most part as processed food was still new and "junk food" was rare, so they would have felt more satisfied with eating less.

[richardbeckmann]

I was born in 1935. Food now is yummier than what we had in the 50s. My mother served plain beef liver fried in Crisco seasoned with salt and pepper; no one asked for seconds!

[MrChuck]

Just think...I could have gone for a walk instead of watching this.

[prairieflower]

Food portions were smaller too. Now everything is super sized. Look on packages and see what the proper servings size is. Like 3 cookies and a half a cup of ice cream, not BOWLS full. We eat TOO much now.

[onceuponablink]

The sad thing is I’m a person who is a size 2 to 4 and people tell me I should eat more when I am perfectly healthy people think that what we have today is healthy but it really isn’t

[stevend.bennett]

One Starbucks Frappacino Caramel Latte contains as many calories as one person's whole day in 1950.

[juliekauran]

They only had 600 products in a supermarket and people had gardens to keep. No fast food. Went for walks in all weather. Had set food times. Ate their traditional food according to culture.

[spartaeus]

Sedentary people tend to sit and eat out of boredom. When you keep busy, you eat less!

[kofiofosu]

Interesting that people are less happy now than in the 1950s

[jeanbean]

Added sugar and high fructose corn syrup in everything.

[CryStealHeart]

There wasn't so much chemicals additives and fillers in food in the 1950s. Which could biologically activate thirst and hunger.

[susanvotroubek]

When I was in school in the 60's I remember there was usually only one over weight girl
or boy in our class. It was considered puzzling. Everyone else was not incredibly skinny, but just a normal weigh. We walked every where and only came inside when it was dinner time. We were outside a lot!
I work in a shop in the mid-west and being extremely over weight is now the norm, not the exception.

[eisenjeisen]

When i was a teenager i lifted weights and put muscle on my body and did many other exercise and watched what i ate and took pretty good care of myself, and today i'm 86 and drive a car for pleasure and do most of my walking in the malls as Florida gets to hot to walk in the streets.

[checkmate]

I purposely set up my life so that things aren't too easy. Modern convenience just makes you soft, physically AND mentally.

[jgiza]

I was a kid in the late 60s and 70s in southern California... We had a big Italian family, mostly Mom cooked simple dishes, pasta and meatballs and chicken parmigiana . I also remember lots of stews. However, maybe once every three months, Mom told Dad to get us McDonalds as she wanted a break from all the cooking We were THRILLED... :) We also played outside most days. All 13 kids were THIN. Those were great times!

[randomuploadsism]

main reason: Portions were smaller. And people drank water.

[alicelowell]

How about home-cooked (1950s) vs. factory-processed (today)?!

[dinahsoar]

Back in my day you did not snack between meals. And meal portions were small compared to nowadays. And we were not told we must eat breakfast either. Farmers did; but I never ate until I got hungry so I broke the fast when I ate my lunch. Soda's, which were rare were 6 ounces. Dessert was rare too; only served when we had company or it was a birthday or holiday. And we moved more. I had to walk 3 miles to school both ways. And we had a hand fed wringer on our washing machine, AND the clothes had to be hung outside on the line b/c we did not have a dryer. And TV was limited too. As a kid I was told to go outside and play.

[chloegilbert]

When I was a child, it was a rare treat to go to McDonalds and back then a small hamburger, small free, and small drink was considered a meal. Maybe a man would get two burgers. Compare that to now where the amount of food ordered is at least four times this amount.
We eat far too many calories.

[englishcountrylife]

I lived through through all this history. It’s definitely the change of diet to fast food, cheap restaurants and junk food.Potatoes, cabbage, carrots, rice pudding or cake and custard. Fizzy drinks and chocolate was a treat. Poverty was different the. Poor people were thin now they are fat. Poor people are usually still in manual work. I don’t do complication. I just eat fresh, that’s my advise, eat fresh.