The generation of our great grandparents had a more simple and healthy lifestyle.

Lately, I keep thinking of my great-grandmother, and how many of family have some kind of diabetes – but she didn’t.

She was fit and able until the day she passed – And I wonder why. Why aren’t the younger members of the family as healthy as she was?

According to this Huffington Post article, there are 5 main reasons, with the first being dieting. Now, diet fads are a dime a dozen, each with a celebrity endorsement and a celebrity price tag.

I can’t imagine people subscribing to this during rationing. The idea of restricting or refusing readily available food would have seemed absurd.

So if she didn’t adhere to Atkins or stick to Slimming World, how was her basic diet different?

Artificial just wasn’t a word used to describe ingredients back then. No artificial sweeteners, colors or preservatives. When our great grandparents lived, everything was organic – chemicals just weren’t used in farming. When Land Girls went back to city living, they had an appreciation for how their food was produced.

Another point is that Land Girls and people of the time had more physically demanding jobs. Being employed in an office was a rarity, so sitting at a desk for most of the day was simply not an option. Netflix wasn’t even an idea in science fiction so you couldn’t binge-watch Orange Is The New Black until 4 in the morning.

Instead, the extra time was spent planning and preparing meals. Planning was vital during rationing. You had to get the most out of what you had. There were no convenience foods, no microwaves – just a basic oven and a gas hob.

Cooking was a slower process and it made you appreciate your food – you took the time to eat and meals were never ever rushed.

There was no, “Now, now, now!” attitude to food and I think the generation of our great grandparents would tell that attitude where to go pretty quickly.

They weren’t told what they wanted or offered excessive ‘buy one get one free’ deals. There were no marketing teams trying to sell ‘healthy’ options with carcinogenic sugar substitutes.

Diet, low-fat, low-sugar – these things are more to sell another product than it is to improve your health.

So get back to basics.

Take out convenience food and put more time and thought into your meals. Plan your meals to avoid impulse buys and processed food and your body and your bank account will thank you! Just like your healthy great grandparents did!



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This Post Has One Comment

  1. Tom Kavakopoulos

    Definitely!!

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