British dietary habits over the last 30 years.

[NU_nutrition_TS]

Via Mark's Daily Apple:
What Britain eats: three decades of grocery shopping — Times Labs Blog

Look at the fats and oils - all of the so-called 'bad' fat's (butter, suet, lard, real dairy cream, etc.) have actually waned over the 30 year period in favour of fat free margarines, dressings and vegetable and seed oils.

Also look at the meats - natural meats like beef, veal, lamb and pork have either remained static or waned over the thirty year period in favour of 'healthy' white meat like chicken and turkey and also processed meats in ready meals, etc.

On the fruit side the high sugar fruits like grapes and bananas have risen as have fruit juices.

Now square that with the explosions of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer over the same period, which are so often laid at the door of red meat and saturated fat!

[Weaves]

People actually worked thirty years ago. They did intensive factory labour. That has practically been eradicated now.
I would say this has some but not all bearing on this perhaps?

[NU_nutrition_TS]

However, during the same period, gym and leisure centre use has gone up as well as pursuits like jogging, etc. People still have active jobs even today - up until being made redundant I worked in a factory in a physically active job. Similarly, people had sedentary office jobs then too. I remember in the mid-to late sixties one of my neighbours going off to work in his pinstripe suit and bowler hat carrying his briefcase and cane-handled black brolly - clearly not working in a factory and he wasn't overweight either!

[Weaves]

I wasn't trying to find an argument with you there, it was just a suggestion as I too am aware of this trend. It is also noticeable that people who grew up in that era or were working in that era are still in pretty good shape. Older people will likely still be eating the foods they were eating back then and this will be why they are not overweight?

With regards to the gym memberships - most people join and do an hours walk on the running machine. A walk!!! Walk up a hill, walk down a hill, just don't pay to walk indoors!

[NU_nutrition_TS]

Quote

Walk up a hill, walk down a hill, just don't pay to walk indoors!

I agree with you there!

Here's a smaller snapshot of 14 years between 1986/7 and 2000/1 - all figures from the National Diet & Nutrition Surveys via the National Statistics Online web site:

Between the years mentioned above the average daily energy intake FELL from 2460 kcals to 2322 kcals for men and from 1684 kcals to 1641 kcals for women.

Total energy intake from CHO ROSE from 44.7% to 47.7% in men and from 44.2% to 48.5% for women.

Protein intake ROSE from 15.2% to 16.5% for men and from 15.6% to 16.6% for women.

Total fat intake FELL from 40.4% to 35.8% for men and from 40.3% to 34.9% for women.

Saturated fat and trans fat intakes FELL between those two years for both men and women. Monounsaturated fat intake remained STABLE for both groups while polyunsaturated fat intakes ROSE slightly in men and women (mainly n-6; n-3 remained stable).

Square the above with the fact that:

Quote

Overweight and obesity are increasing. The percentage of adults who are obese has roughly doubled since the mid-1980's.

As for the more sedentary work excuse:

Quote

Obesity is more common in adults employed in manual occupations, particularly in women. A quarter of women working in unskilled manual occupations have a BMI of more than 30 kg/m2 compared to one in seven of those employed in a professional role. Both men and women working in unskilled manual occupations are over four times as likely as those in professional employment to be classified as morbidly obese.

UK Obesity Statistics

[taff-tastic]

I think you should have a sticky post that links to your articles and posts as most of the time you come out with some cracking stuff.

And also because we get to see you and RB chucking out banter everywhere

[greg]

Blame all the fast food chains, for conveniance food, thats why the US has such a high obesity problem. Everywhere you look theres a mcdonalds. Every day fast food chains are being built. How many mcdonalds, burger kings sites were there in the 70s compared to now? Not as many for sure.

Watch a big person shopping in a supermarket. Potnoodles, coca cola, ready burger meals etc etc. You know and I know, that spells disaster!

Common sense should prevail, and that sticks true with diet.

[NU_nutrition_TS]

While I take your point and agree to a degree, it is worth pointing out that according to the data the biggest jump in CHO consumption has been down to an increase in breads and cereals rather than burger buns and fries, etc. Also Tom Naughton in his film Fat Head showed it is possible to eat at fast food restaurants exclusively and not put on weight (he lost weight) and improve many health markers by choosing from the menu wisely.

However, I do think the 'fast food' and takeaway culture exemplified by McD's, etc. does influence people's overall food choices toward the more fattening, unhealthy non-nutritive items. The fattest people I see are invariably eating a pasty or flaky pastry slice from Greggs!