Cooking at home is a practical way to help you maintain a healthy weight AND to save money on food! It’s difficult to look at pictures of groups of people from the 60s and 70s and spot someone who’s overweight. Much of this has to do with their eating habits, all starting at the store. Here are 5 easy tips from grocery shopping in the 1960s.
1. Shop from the Grocery List
Frugal housewives needed to make their limited family income stretch. Before leaving the house, these ladies checked the fridge and cabinets, making note of what was needed. They walked around the store and crossed items off the grocery list as they went to ensure that every dollar spent was on nutritious and practical foods.
Research suggests that grocery-list users tend to have lower BMIs than non-users1. With this in mind, take the time to write a list. This may help you to avoid impulse purchases of junk food that only wastes your hard-earned money.
2. Take a walk or Bus to the Grocery Store
Nowadays, we are driving just about everywhere. But back in the day, most people walked or took the bus places. Walking to the grocery store like they did in the 1960s is a practical way to get in some physical activity. The evidence shows that people who walk 10,000 steps or more per day seem to have a lower body fat percentage than people who are more sedentary2. (Although, as a side note, much of this difference likely stems from differences in eating habits of people who walk a lot versus those who don’t, as physical activity, alone, is not the best predictor of weight). Importantly, regardless of weight loss, lifelong regular physical activity is associated with a reduced risk of cancer3.
3. Shop MULTIPLE times a week
In line with tip number 2, grocery shopping in 1950s America required MULTIPLE trips per week for a couple reasons: 1) although most families had refrigerators at this time, fridge space was quite small so not a lot of leftovers could be stored and 2) walking to the store limits the amount of food you can carry home compared to driving.
Shopping multiple times a week can help further increase your physical activity. Also, since you know you will return to the store in just a few days, it can help you avoid purchasing too much food. The findings of one study demonstrate that more frequent grocery shopping is associated with better diet quality including lower intake of fat-storing calories from “empty calories”, or ultra-processed food.
4. Canned Goods are Good!
Man…our grandparents’ generation loved canned goods, especially fruits and vegetables. Most families had canned peas as a dinner side, and peaches in syrup for dessert. You may turn your nose up at canned corn and sardines, but research shows that frequent canned food consumption is associated with higher nutrient intakes4.
5. SAY NO: NO ready-made meals; NO snacks; NO beverages
One of the biggest changes in the American diet since the 50s is our consumption of ready-made meals and snacks. Back then, cooking from scratch was a lot more common. Frozen dinners, packaged chips and cookies were seen as a once-in-a-while treat. Also, families really only drank water, milk, coffee and tea, so they weren’t buying sugar-sweetened beverages like sodas and juices to keep in the house.
Research reveals that people who regularly consume ready-to-eat-foods are more likely to be overweight than people who eat minimally processed foods cooked from scratch.