The "normal" BMI of 24 was based on white men in Belgium in the 1800s. I don't think it has any relevance to women in particular. We have more body fat than. men, and always have. That said, I wandered into a McDonalds and ordered a fajita a few years ago only to be told that it hadn't been on the menu for a decade. We grow most of our own food, almost never order out and I love to cook from scratch - including bread. I'm still considered fat, even though my blood pressure is perfect, cholesterol under control, and with two big dogs to walk I usually crack out 5 miles a day. I get that we are the fattest nation on earth, but the irony here is the the Food Industrial Complex uses this to create MORE processed, so-called "diet" food, including diet cola, which is ridiculous. Basically, America has lost touch with food and food sources, and we are completely and totally screwed up on this issue.
I can confirm that when I was growing up in the 70s and 80s, snacking was seen as a bad habit that promoted tooth decay and spoiled your appetite for dinner. I don’t remember ever having snack time in school; but my kids in the 2000s had snack time all the way up through 5th grade. And what’s more, every kid activity that they were in required us to send snacks with them. I remember kind of losing it one time and pointing out to the organizer that the activity was at 1:00 pm - THEY HAVE JUST HAD LUNCH, why do they need a snack an hour later?
I had a reputation for being the mean mom who refused to pack a cooler of snacks for every event. I used to tell my kids “if you can’t go two hours without eating, that is a sign of medical issue and we will need to take you to the pediatrician!” which usually shut them up.
Another development that I noticed over the past 30 years is that snack food is now sold in places that have no logical association with food. Why is there a snack aisle at the hardware store? I remember when the first gas station mini-mart opening in my town in 1989; we kids were ASTOUNDED that we could now get Milky Ways and Doritos at 2 AM.
The "normal" BMI of 24 was based on white men in Belgium in the 1800s. I don't think it has any relevance to women in particular. We have more body fat than. men, and always have. That said, I wandered into a McDonalds and ordered a fajita a few years ago only to be told that it hadn't been on the menu for a decade. We grow most of our own food, almost never order out and I love to cook from scratch - including bread. I'm still considered fat, even though my blood pressure is perfect, cholesterol under control, and with two big dogs to walk I usually crack out 5 miles a day. I get that we are the fattest nation on earth, but the irony here is the the Food Industrial Complex uses this to create MORE processed, so-called "diet" food, including diet cola, which is ridiculous. Basically, America has lost touch with food and food sources, and we are completely and totally screwed up on this issue.
This sounds super-Puritanical.
I can confirm that when I was growing up in the 70s and 80s, snacking was seen as a bad habit that promoted tooth decay and spoiled your appetite for dinner. I don’t remember ever having snack time in school; but my kids in the 2000s had snack time all the way up through 5th grade. And what’s more, every kid activity that they were in required us to send snacks with them. I remember kind of losing it one time and pointing out to the organizer that the activity was at 1:00 pm - THEY HAVE JUST HAD LUNCH, why do they need a snack an hour later?
I had a reputation for being the mean mom who refused to pack a cooler of snacks for every event. I used to tell my kids “if you can’t go two hours without eating, that is a sign of medical issue and we will need to take you to the pediatrician!” which usually shut them up.
Another development that I noticed over the past 30 years is that snack food is now sold in places that have no logical association with food. Why is there a snack aisle at the hardware store? I remember when the first gas station mini-mart opening in my town in 1989; we kids were ASTOUNDED that we could now get Milky Ways and Doritos at 2 AM.
Food is a coping mechanism. Too much discomfort=too much food. Good one James!