From the beginning, to cook his food, man has used some type of fire. Seems foods taste better and digests better if the food is cooked.
Over the years, man’s diet has also changed. First, man ate grains and vegetables. Along the way meat was added. Then to make his food taste better and last longer, man started using salt, as well as drying and cooling processes.
Over the last hundred years, we have gone from simple gardening or raising stock to large-scale farms. From brutal slaughterhouses to more humane and inspected cuts of meat. Seems folks also have changed the ways we cook food, grow it, raise it, eat it, and buy it in just the last few decades.
To make growing our food more efficient and inexpensive — and to make more profits — large corporations pay farmers to build bigger grow-out houses and larger farms to be able to supply our needs for food. Large slaughterhouses and farms — owned in some cases by overseas companies — have ramped up their production. In the off seasons, refrigeration has allowed us to ship vegetables and fruits from all parts of the country and the world. Today roughly 94% of all animals, birds and eggs we consume are raised on massive corporate farms.
By World War II, along with the baby boom, food companies started using more additives like refined sugar, dyes, sodium preservatives, and other unpronounced ingredients in processed food. Today, almost 60% of what we eat consists of what scientists call ultra-processed foods. This doesn’t count all the antibiotics and steroids added to animal and bird feeds for years.
Where Americans eat has also changed. Instead of having prepared family meals at home to save time and labor, folks started going out to eat more. Fast food restaurants started arriving in the 1950s with drive-through or curb-side services. Over the years, fast food chains have exploded. Over the past 50 years, Americans have devoured epic amounts of cheap, delicious and unhealthy foods like hamburgers and fries, pizza or fried chicken.
“Yeah man, how about adding some more salt or gravy on them fries or make that an extra-large!”
Sugar consumption exploded from 25 pounds per person per year in the 1920s to 123 pounds in the 1970s to 152 poiunds today. Along with sugar, high-fructose corn syrup has been added, along with more sodium. A lot of our food is fried in oils that aren’t good for us. The average person in today’s world is overweight, and most do not get enough exercise, therefore our overall health declines.
Before the early 1900s, folks that lived in rural areas raised mostly what they ate, while folks living in large cities bought their food at local markets where the food was bought from local farmers or fisheries. But right after World War I, large supermarkets started appearing in cities and towns. These markets offered better selections of food and, because of buying in bulk, were able to lower their prices.
Another thing was that folks had started buying refrigerators and were able to keep food from spoiling as quickly. This type of food mart really put a hurting on small mom-and-pop stores, and most had to close their doors. Why, these new supermarkets and refrigerators even put the local milk deliveryman and iceman out of business. Buying in bulk also put a lot of small farmers out of business because they couldn’t supply such large orders. Thus, the bigger corporations soon took over as suppliers of our food.
In today’s world, we do see some farmers’ markets and food-to-table products are making a comeback. If you can afford it, organic foods — where no chemical pesticides or fertilizers are used — are also available. People are slowly trying ways to grow their own small gardens or having a few laying hens for their eggs.
Also, the way we prepare our food is changing. Instead of using fire (except on outdoor grills) folks have gas and electric stoves. Some of the new ways are by microwave or air fryers which cut down on the number of pots and pans we must wash.
It seems more folks are drinking more water and sports drinks these days. But sodas and cold drinks still flood the markets with their sugary and corn syrup additives. It’s hard to turn down a freshly opened soft drink poured over crushed ice.
To close out, it’s my meager opinion that some folks are starting to turn their eating habits into something that is healthier for their overall health and wellbeing. Another thing is to take the time to read the labels of what is in the food you eat. It would surprise you at what you are putting in your body.
J.A. Bolton is author of “Just Passing Time,” co-author of “Just Passing Time Together,” “Southern Fried: Down-Home Stories,” “Sit-A-Spell,” and “Early Years at Blewett Falls” all of which can be purchased on Amazon or bought locally. Contact him at ja@jabolton.com.
