To wonder why we were a thinner nation before we all knew so much about food.

[Bumblebumble123]

Isn't it funny that in years gone by, people didn't have the knowledge about food they have now. Peoples diets weren't dictated by calories or grams of fat or carbs, they were dictated by hunger. Yet now we have an obesity epidemic.

Is educating people on food counter productive? Would we all be better to scrap the info and start listening to our bodies?

I don't know the answer. I just find it odd that we know more than ever about food yet the nations waistline is getting bigger.

I have been watching home in time for tea too, it’s really interesting. I agree with all the comments about not moving enough, prevalence of processed junk, size of meals and dinner plates, less home cooking etc. Along with not enough time to cook, I also think lack of sleep is a factor. Our bodies need energy because we’re tired and we respond by feeding it rather than getting more sleep. People used to go to work their official hours - and that was perfectly OK - and work locally. Now so many of us commute and are expected to work extra hours and we simply don’t get enough sleep.

We all eat far too much. We don't just have a mid morning afternoon tea break we have a biscuit or some other sugary food too. Portions have grown along with the size of plates produced now. We fill the plates or we feel we are not serving enough. The availability of food on the go, mainly high calorie stuff is another contributing factor. Workers made their own packed lunch as takeaway was unheard of so they had more control over what they were eating. Or there was a canteen producing basic meals of meat and veg and a pud. No smoothie, choc milk, colas.Availability and cost of alcohol is another. Food available for tots is abundant and again high sugar. Years ago I think kids got a slice of bread and butter to stave of hunger. Even in the 70s people didn't eat, drink then eat on way home from a night out and the night ended much earlier too, no munching at 2 am. Marketing has done it's job, we have been made to think all the food/drinks/alcohol is necessary or else we are missing out from having a good time. To been seen eating in the street was a no-no. Guess where a lot if the litter comes from nowadays- takeaways. Our attitude to food has definitely changed.

The problem with this thread is that people keep saying that everyone eats too much, everyone doesn't exercise enough etc etc but the fact is that not everyone is overweight. Not everyone struggles with their weight and some people are perfectly slim. It would be more useful to consider what they are doing rather than hark to memories of being a child (which may or may not be correct).

You never saw small children being given stuff to eat during shopping trips in the 1970s. You trailed round after Mum while she did all her shopping, went to bank, post office, etc, getting hungrier and hungrier, but didn’t eat until you got home for your lunch / dinner. No one was carrying around snack pots of grapes or whatever to keep the child in the trolley seat happy and occupied, or pinching bread from the bakery section to eat now and pay for at the till.

but the fact is that not everyone is overweight

Look at it in terms of population rather than people you know!! We are the most obese country in Western Europe.

" It would be more useful to consider what they are doing rather than hark to memories of being a child (which may or may not be correct)."

They are - perhaps - eating in ways that are life-long habits, first instilled in childhood.

Look at it in terms of population rather than people you know!! We are the most obese country in Western Europe.

But not everyone is obese -that is my point! Rather than assume that everyone is obese now and no one was obese then (not true), it would be more useful to just look at differences between those who are and who are not overweight/obese now. Memories of what you did and didn't see in the 70s probably won't be correct, particularly if you were a child then. Even if they are correct you are probably talking about differences in your own eating habits and not necessarily anyone elses.

It would be more useful to consider what they are doing rather than hark to memories of being a child (which may or may not be correct)

They will still probably be eating less and moving more. A colleague is what most people would say is effortlessly and naturally slim. She is active as has a horse and also walks and mountain bikes.

She eats normal food in small portions and never diets but almost never eats fast food either and probably doesn't binge eat. She probably eats out in a restaurant at least once a week - I know this because she often has leftover curry/pizza for lunch at work - ie she only eats half the meal and takes the rest home.

I am slightly podgy but I know that is because I occasionally binge eat or eat too much crap and am not as active as I have been in the past due to laziness and CBA. If I stopped binging, moved a bit more, ate a bit better and watched portion sizes, I would probably lose a few pounds and become what most people would say was slim as I am tall and stay reasonably toned with a small waist even when techincally overweight.

What has changed a lot is that people carry a lot more weight around their middles - as a nation we probably need to look at the causes of this and take steps to reverse it as it is considered extra unhealthy.

They are - perhaps - eating in ways that are life-long habits, first instilled in childhood.

The obese people or the slim people?

There was a brilliant post on here a few weeks ago from a woman who gave up 20 years of failed dieting and stopped weighing herself and has shed (and kept off) loads of weight.

So yes OP, I agree. I once read that weighing yourself regularly starts you unhealthily obsessing about calories, which makes you think about food much more than you should, which makes you want to eat a lot more.

When I was a child everything was homemade.I
We ate at mealtimes.
There was no fast food, only fish and chip shops, which were used occasionally.
We did not have a car and public transport wasn't great.
I walked everyehere, played out, no screrns, only a couple of tv channels showing kid's tv at selected times.

I didn't have a McDonald's until I was an adult.
People were encouraged to walk where I lived. Pe at school was very physical, no excuses you were made do it an that was that.
It as never expressed in terms of this activity will helpthsemysclesor whatever , we just got on with it.
I remember inwardly moaning when it was cross country. We had to run through fields, broken and run miles and get back to school quickly or face an absolute bollocking.

The obese people or the slim people?

Both, surely? I think how families fed their DC changed quite a bit in the 1970s, for several reasons and those changes have been compounded by continuing trends. And all that set the conditions for overconsumption (not just of food), which has snowballed for far too many people.

Yes, I make good use of things that are available now, that weren't available in my childhood - including a fair amount of part-prepared food. But the habits from childhood and how my DMum fed us (especially the role of treat food) have definitely stuck and I really don't think that's uncommon. Also I do note that my predilection for walking everywhere causes more comment than I would expect.

I was very overweight for about 15 years or so, so it's not a guaranteed safety. But when I got serious about changing back,I knew what to do and was able to do it.

but the fact is that not everyone is overweight

In the US I noticed some figures the other day that said that 3/4 of men and over 60% of women are overweight or obese. So, in fact, it is 'normal' and 'typical' to be overweight/obese there.

It's easy to think-that's not us. But the same manufacturers doing supersize Coke portions and stuffing everything with sugar/syrup would like to do the same here.

And- even in European countries other than the UK, the % overweight/obese is creeping up now.

That's why national changes like banning transfats are quite effective (which Canada is doing). They don't rely on individual's willpower which has been shown to struggle in an 'obesogenic' environment where everything big business does is designed to make them eat/consume more.

It's easy to think-that's not us. But the same manufacturers doing supersize Coke portions and stuffing everything with sugar/syrup would like to do the same here.

I'm not thinking "that's not us". I'm just pointing out that it isn't everyone and that it would be more useful to look at the difference between people today rather than harking back to probably inaccurate childhood memories. I have never been overweight and have never been on a diet. None of my colleagues or friends are overweight either. We aren't all the same now just as we weren't all the same in the 70s.

Heating.
Apparently you are in ‘fuel poverty’ now if you can’t afford to keep your living rooms at 21 deg and bedrooms at 18. That’s really warm. When I was growing up (late 70s/early 80s) if you were cold in the house you were told to put on a jersey or run round outside for a bit. Ice on the inside of windows and hot water bottles all winter we’re just normal.
Now people expect just to wear the same light clothing all year round, and ‘no shoes’ households abound - growing up my feet would have dropped off with cold if I’d just worn socks!
Everywhere is kept hot - shop assistants wear short sleeved shirts, kids uniform is just a polo shirt and cotton sweatshirt all year round it’s bizarre really, but schools are hot - mine used to have to put on a woolly jumper when they came home!
Also tv/screens generally train kids from a very young age that sitting still is normal and fun. In the part fun was running, climbing, playing around. Now fun is sitting staring. We carry what we learn as children into adulthood as ‘norms’.

I think we all know what we should be doing, it’s just having the willpower that’s difficult when marketing and lifestyles make it so much easier to do the other thing. However there is also a wider than ever range of fabulous fruit and veg available and most restaurants have something on the menu that is reasonably healthy.
I was a chubby child in the 70s (we weren’t all slim then!). We had optional homemade cakes available every tea time and, my parents having grown up during the war, expected us to clear our dinner plate whether we felt full or not.
I’m now a slim adult. I walk at pace instead of taking the car whenever possible, I take the stairs, I walk up escalators, when my DD was at primary school I walked her 2 miles to school (she scooted) etc. I don’t do enough exercise but I try. I love eating out, I do eat chips, I love chocolate but I’m careful. I eat a lot of vegetables and a lot less carbs, I eat veg soup for lunch and at some point every day I’m properly hungry. When I’ve been out for dinner, I eat less than usual for the next couple of days. It’s not difficult but it does take effort - it’s more a mindset thing and I think we have to take responsibility for own health and not expect someone else to do it for us. I’m grateful that my mum cooked veggies really nicely so I’ve grown up loving them and that really helps.
I don’t know any slim women who arent careful with what they eat, even the ones who exercise a lot.

I don’t know any slim women who arent careful with what they eat, even the ones who exercise a lot.

It depends on what you define as "careful" though. I don't really think about the quantity of food and wouldn't eat less after going out for a meal. I don't eat if I am already full but that is because I don't want to. I don't eat food high in saturated fat fullstop though.

I think the biggest problem is nothing is consistent. Growing up I was always told have a yogurt as a snack as it was healthy. But when there's less calories in a bar of chocolate ide pick the chocolate everytime.

Eating healthy is so expensive too. If you look at all the offers it's all junk food and any offers on fruit or veg are 2 precut mangoes for £3

When people are being sanctioned left right and centre their priority is to fill tummies with anything.

justputitoff Actually the definition of fuel poverty is spending more than 10% of your household income on heating your house to a comfortable temperature of 21/18.

For old or ill people, that probably is about right.

Bluelone, precut mangoes are a luxury product.

Fresh carrots, potatoes, broccoli, onion, bananas, leek, cellery, cucumbers, tinned toms, for example cost very little.

The idea that people can't afford healthy food is just not true. They PREFER other stuff though, and most of us have no trouble filling our bellies, in fact overfill our bellies

just - I walked past my neighbours window when the snow was here, and her child (maybe 10/11?) was in the kitchen wearing shorts and no top
I went inside and put my fluffy socks and jumper on!

If old or ill yes, but young (or youngish) healthy people shouldn’t need this level of heating or consider it normal. In the winter it’s cold, you’ll need woolies, and you’ll burn some fat too! Also sitting is when you get cold so working at home or doing homework can be tricky, but if you sit for hours as most kids do watching a screen then you will get cold, or need a very warm room.

Sorry, I like spending my money on heating my flat to 25 degrees. I don't want to live in cold. I'd rather eat salad and scrambled egg and no junk (which I do) than eat hearty meals all the time but shiver in my own home.

Some people have to take steroids or other drugs that pile on the pounds, but they are a very tiny minority. Most obese people are obese because of the amount of food and drink they put in their mouths.
If you don’t believe me, go along to Slimming World or Weightwatchers for a few months and see how the weight drops off when you eat a healthier diet.

It's not just the exercise, although that is part of it. The twenty four hour availability of food is actually much more recent than some posters have indicated.
when I was growing up, you ate only at mealtimes and didn't get pud unless you had eaten your greens, portions were much smaller, there were almost no takeaways and very few restaurants in our locality. It was actually quite difficult to overeat.