Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/08/16/why-were-people-thinner-in-the.html
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Cocaine.
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Why were people thinner in the 1970s?
Sugar + Fat + Access = Obesity
This is a modern day scourge / plague on all of humanity.
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Papasan, you have a good point about the combination of fat and sugar having an effect more than the sum of its parts. Also, the increase in consumption of Linoleic Acid (a common Omega 6 fatty acid found in many seed oils like Soybean oil) may play a significant role. If you have read any Michael Pollan, he talks about Omega 6/Omega 3 ratios. Also Michael Eades has a very in-depth lecture on Linoleic acid complete with “then vs now” photos for illustrative purposes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIRurLnQ8oo
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The emphasis on heavily processed foods over fresh ingredients likely plays a factor too.
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My rule about food oils is “If it’s not an oily food, don’t eat its oil.”
Hence:
- Olive oil? OK.
- Peanut oil? Ace
- Avocado oil? Sure!
And:
- Corn oil? No thanks.
- Canola oil? I’ve never eaten a canola.
- Soybean oil? Not really.
It’s not 100% but it sure seems to address a lot of the emerging questions about the role of different fatty acids in our health.
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Interesting. Although something like rapeseed oil is better nutritionally than extra virgin olive oil. But i’ve never eaten a rapeseed.
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I think there’s a lot we don’t know about what “better nutritionally” actually means with respect to fatty acids. (Fair warning: I’m not a nutritionist.)
I don’t mean to sound like a paleo apologist or anything, but really, the human body would never have received more than a token dose of polyunsaturated oil until the 19th century or so. I’m not sure we fully understand the endocrine effects of these sorts of novel foods (not to mention things like corn syrup).
Further disclaimer: I admit to knowing just enough to talk myself into a corner without being able to talk myself out of it, so.
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Olives aren’t really that oily, are they? Off the tree they are kind of like a bitter cherry. I think you have to do a lot of processing to extract the oils.
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To get olive oil, you literally smash them with a big rock and then wait for the oil to separate from the juice and pulp. (Or use a more thoughtfully shaped rock, similar to a grain mill.)
On the other hand, olives for eating do take a lot of processing with lye and water and the like.
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You don’t eat them often by themselves, do you?
They are very oily. Savory, pungent. That’s why they are so good in martinis, salads (preferably in that order).
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We should meet for lunch. I have to warn you though, I’m not a big salad person.
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If there’s olives, I’m there.
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I’m certainly not advocating that anyone take up smoking but there’s some evidence that the reduction in smoking rates might explain at least a small part of the change.
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Canola is an edible rapeseed oil. You’ve almost certainly consumed lots of it.
About 44% of a rapeseed is oil.
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Yes, but rapeseed isn’t food.
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Oops, I see we’re (I’m, on @heligo’s behalf?) arguing in circles. To clarify: I wouldn’t eat rapeseed as a (whole) food, so I avoid it as an oil. Likewise grapeseed and some other oddball seed oils.
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