Inspired by this video, the sort of cheap, fried food that is readily available in the United States is one of the major reasons why the country has such a big problem with obesity. With a POD on April 15, 1955 (the day that the McDonald's Corporation was founded) what could be done to make American food and culture healthier.
Healthier Food Culture in America
- Thread starter SeaBos
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Policy changes around farm subsidies could be a good place to start. Eliminate corn subsidies and the creep of HFCS into all processed foods might be butterflied away. You’d need to reduce the political influence of the Midwest, of course.
Different transit and urban planning patterns, reducing the American dependence on the car, could lead to fast food being less ubiquitous (although it would certainly exist to some degree).
Different transit and urban planning patterns, reducing the American dependence on the car, could lead to fast food being less ubiquitous (although it would certainly exist to some degree).
1955 might be too late of a POD to make American food less centered on high-fat dishes. It might be in time to stop the spread of fast food, but people would still love fried chicken, barbecue, cheesy casseroles and meatloaves. They'd also continue to love hot dogs and hamburgers.
The latest POD I can see working is WW2. Rationing plus altering food sent to the troops could change the basic pattern of American eating to something a little healthier but equally acceptable. A Mediterranean diet like that of Italy could work; if it has to be within American cuisine, then I'd say a seafood-based cuisine might work (although that poses problems for inland states, where pork/beef would have to remain king), or perhaps a Mexican-inspired cuisine.
If 1955 is set in stone then a post-war diversification of tastes needs to happen faster than OTL. In a lot of cities "What do you want tonight?" is answered today with a country rather than a dish. If that view could be popularized fast and nationwide, including rural areas, then Americans might become accustomed to choosing between healthier cuisines than the old native foods. It'd be Thai one night, Chinese another, Italian, Japanese, and so on. There'd still be a place for regional cuisine -- Southern, Southwest, American Jewish, etc. There would actually be more emphasis on regional American cooking rather than a homogenized menu of burgers and double burgers.
Not that there's anything wrong with burgers.
The latest POD I can see working is WW2. Rationing plus altering food sent to the troops could change the basic pattern of American eating to something a little healthier but equally acceptable. A Mediterranean diet like that of Italy could work; if it has to be within American cuisine, then I'd say a seafood-based cuisine might work (although that poses problems for inland states, where pork/beef would have to remain king), or perhaps a Mexican-inspired cuisine.
If 1955 is set in stone then a post-war diversification of tastes needs to happen faster than OTL. In a lot of cities "What do you want tonight?" is answered today with a country rather than a dish. If that view could be popularized fast and nationwide, including rural areas, then Americans might become accustomed to choosing between healthier cuisines than the old native foods. It'd be Thai one night, Chinese another, Italian, Japanese, and so on. There'd still be a place for regional cuisine -- Southern, Southwest, American Jewish, etc. There would actually be more emphasis on regional American cooking rather than a homogenized menu of burgers and double burgers.
Not that there's anything wrong with burgers.
The biggest issue with “diet” in America is that food is a commodity in large swaths of this country. Try to tell a farmer in Iowa or Kansas they need to eat more fruits and vegetables after they have spent a dust covered day driving a tractor or running a combine.
Seafood and rice are hard to find in the land of meat and potatoes, even today. And the smaller the town, the less options there are. The local grocery store has three times the space for meat and convenience foods than they do for fruit and veg. And that is the ONLY grocery store in the entire county. Neighboring counties have even smaller markets with less selection.
Simply put, attitudes have to shift from eating enough to eating right and for a generation that still remembers the Depression, that is an uphill fight.
Seafood and rice are hard to find in the land of meat and potatoes, even today. And the smaller the town, the less options there are. The local grocery store has three times the space for meat and convenience foods than they do for fruit and veg. And that is the ONLY grocery store in the entire county. Neighboring counties have even smaller markets with less selection.
Simply put, attitudes have to shift from eating enough to eating right and for a generation that still remembers the Depression, that is an uphill fight.
Indian McDonalds certainly isn't vegan, with the Big Mac in India being chicken, plus some other chicken dishes, and also ones including cheese (including paneer).
There's no way that would work outside of a couple of ultra-diverse cities like New York. Maybe nowadays where regional cities can have lots of ethnic cuisine, but not back in the 50s. Although back then, it would've more been Polish one night, Greek the next, maybe Italian one night, etc. Except there's still wide swathes of the country which don't have that ethnic diversity. The one way around that is you somehow get Americans borrowing tons of foreign/ethnic dishes, but Americans would put their own spin on things which probably means lots of extra oils, fats, frying, etc. are added.
You could change the way school meals were prepared. Funding for full service kitchens in most elementary and middle schools might help, along with an actual chef in the schools, or at least given lunch workers more freedom to develop menus. Make this funding so integral to federal education spending (tie it into the national breakfast/lunch program) that it is endeared by the communities, and you might see a trend away from bad foods.
One of the grander issues of why we Americans eat the way we do is because of how we farm. I probably misquote this picture chart from the book Omnivore’s Dilemma, but American farms were much more diverse in what they grew compared to today. The soy, wheat, corn diets that are associated with today’s high calorie/high fat
foods is directly tied to the cheapness of grain and soy crops.
One of the grander issues of why we Americans eat the way we do is because of how we farm. I probably misquote this picture chart from the book Omnivore’s Dilemma, but American farms were much more diverse in what they grew compared to today. The soy, wheat, corn diets that are associated with today’s high calorie/high fat
foods is directly tied to the cheapness of grain and soy crops.
Bingo, a huge number of people price point their food, & a cheap diet is a unhealthy diet. I've gardened, raised livestock, hunted and gathered from the woods. Its time consuming, requires patience, & therefor has a cost, Many folks can't do it and most won't spend the time.
Maybe alot of it could be subsidized and then later reinforced with greenforce and technological approaches to it>
Possibly. These days there would be a social backlash, folks insisting on their right to eat crap & not pay taxes that go to guvmint interference in their life.
Bookmark1995
Banned
I think a lot of bad health in this country can be claimed on Ancel Keys' bullshit lipid hypothesis. It is thanks to him we replaced fat with sugar in our diet.
Have him being seriously questioned or caught in a lie, and you can undo decades of bad dieting.
Have him being seriously questioned or caught in a lie, and you can undo decades of bad dieting.
Aside from what Americans eat, the sheer amount they eat always amazes me - I quite like watching shows like Diners, Drive-Ins and Drives or Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares (obviously there's a fairly wide range of food quality on those two shows) and no matter where in the country the place they're showing is the portions are huge to European eyes (even the UK where we're rapidly following the US for obesity).
How did the US come to a point where a standard meal in a local cafe/diner type place comes on a plate the size of a bin lid? I assume that once upon a time your portions must have been similar in size to European places given that the majority of your population originally came from Europe (or Africa, where they're obviously not famous for eating huge meals either).
What happened to make it normal to eat so much more than your cousins in Europe?
How did the US come to a point where a standard meal in a local cafe/diner type place comes on a plate the size of a bin lid? I assume that once upon a time your portions must have been similar in size to European places given that the majority of your population originally came from Europe (or Africa, where they're obviously not famous for eating huge meals either).
What happened to make it normal to eat so much more than your cousins in Europe?
I've heard an explanation for this, goes something like: Restaurant industry trying to break in to the low end market (not the places the posh go) is competing not against other restaurants, but rather, home cooking. A major element of the dinner table is the availability of seconds. Trying to incorporate that faces some extreme profit eroding, what to do, what to do... Supposedly, the cure was as simple as increasing the initial portion size, leading to what you reference. Some allusion to this phenomenon is still seen in comedic bits that make fun of portion sizes at expensive restaurants.
I read a book on the subject called ‘Fatland’ a few years back that attributes the phenomenon to shame, or lack thereof. Cinemas found that, in general, people want more popcorn but don’t want to be seen getting second helpings, and have an internal aversion to getting seconds because it makes them more conscious of their gluttony. Selling larger bags eliminates both problems—people are more willing to eat one large bag than two small ones, and they feel less conspicuous.
Anecdotally, it makes sense—and also works with other studies that show people eat less from smaller serving bowls.
This phenomenon drove the invention of Supersizing and value meals (packing side dishes in with the main course). Large portion sizes in restaurants are just smart marketing.
Anyway, if you want to make food culture healthier, I suggest divorcing snacking from other entertainment. The ritual of eating chips or drinking sugary soda while watching TV bumps up overall consumption.
marathag
Banned
So what PoD?
The Tunguska explosion centered over Detroit in 1908 so mechanization is slowed? US Horse and Mule population peaked early in WWI, and peak rail milage was in 1913
You know what the F in HFCS stands for, right?
Fructose.
Sugar.
Just cheaper to produce.
Midwest was growing Sugar Beets before that.
Processed Food started after the Civil War. Corn Flakes. Enriched Bread before WWII
What you really need to eliminate, is cheap food, Corn, Beans and Wheat
That means more money is then spent on Food, rather than goods.
That makes a poorer USA, so forget about Lend Lease in WWII Little food to export, and underdeveloped Petroleum and automotive industries
I'd rather stay in the World we are in, with fat Americans.