A census was done in the USA in the early 70’s. What it revealed was alarming – that more than 22% of Americans were obese. Logically it was thought, the only reason was that the American diet consisted of high fat and if that was reduced, then America could become a slim, healthy nation again.Low fat gurus, and aerobics divas in leotards started to spring up together with their low fat diet program. America was on a warpath again and this time they were damn sure that they would win (after having to pull out of Vietnam around that time as well).
The Surgeon General (or the equivalent of the HSA) introduced the magic Food Pyramid – the panacea to its obesity woes – Complex carbohydrates forming the base – the highly recommended food group, followed by fruits and vegetables, then the proteins and lastly the least recommended, fats.
Products like margarine and non-diary creamer were touted as ‘healthy’ alternatives to the high fat stuff like butter and milk. They were included in everything - from cereals to ice-cream.
The marketing was swift and furious with almost every country adopting it. Even till today the Food Pyramid is taught in our schools and nutritionists still swear by it.
Hurray! We can now enjoy our food like our pastries and breads and pasta loaded with artificially made fats (trans fats) and we’ll still be slim. Or at least that was what the manufacturers wanted us to believe – and for a long time we did.
Ironically in that almost 40 years of adopting the Food Pyramid and a high Carbohydrate/ low fat diet as the best was to stay healthy, the percentage of fat Americans have more than doubled the 1970 figures! Today more than 50% of Americans are obese or heading that way.
We in Singapore have dutifully adopted much of the American diets - convenient, quick, processed stuff that's full of very little actually.
It’s time for change…again.
