" Were Americans in 1950s healthier than people today?"?

Question

please help.
diet...
exercise..
smoking..

Answer 1

I was born in 1950 and just talking with someone about this. Life has changed RADICALLY since then, because technology has really speeded up how quickly generations change. There weren't any gyms where you went to work out except for serious competitive body builders. Smoking was not even known to be bad at that point and sunbathing and sunburns were the norm. We didn't know it was bad. Even into the 60's. We didn't have fast food. On a special occassion, we went to Foster Freeze for a hamburger, but the cooked everything you ordered AFTER you ordered it. I think fast food has really crippled the American diet. We ate healthy in those days, there were more stay at home moms and they fed us well and healthy, that was the norm. Eating out was rare and sitting down to eat together every night was the total norm. It would seem odd not to do that. THe divorce rate, I'm sure was much much lower and that changes healthy living habits. People didn't start getting into being really skinny about until Tiny Tim sang the song "Tiptoe Thru the Tulips". It was good to be just a smidge pudgy incase you got sick. I'm sure the water and air was much much cleaner. ANd the biggest difference was in the 50's people cared, they cared about each other and helped neighbors and if they had a mom and pop business, which most were until Walmart, they actually cared about the customers and employees. They actually had customer service, what they call customer service today is totally lip service. I think 2 things had a huge effect on our lives, post world war 2, things started to "bloom" like plastics being used, and the 60's were the hippies who hated the establishment and kind of threw out all the old rules. I'd give ANYTHING to go back. The whole attitude of life was focused on your family and taking good care of them. We got natural excercise by being outdoors playing baseball, basketball, hide and seek, kick the can, We didn't want to be inside. We hated it. ANd I currently hate, yes HATE video games. I think if we eliminated the TV and all video games, our lives would immediately change towards a more healthy life. OK, off my 1950 soapbox.

Answer 2

Good question. I was born in 1940 so was a teener during those fabulous 50's (LONG LIVE ROCK AND ROLL).

I think our diet was better. There were hardly any "convenience food" such as frozen entre's and like that. Just about everything was cooked from scratch which meant fewer preservatives, etc.

Ours was not a meat-heavy diet unless one raised their own. Meat was relatively expensive so a lot of veggies, potatoes and stuff like that.

There was no "junk food". Not that chips and stuff didn't exist but was considered frivolous and not part of the grocery budget. If we wanted candy bars and soda, we kids had to earn the money ourselves. An easy way to do that was by collecting and trading in soda bottles. Believe me, Halloween was a real treat!!!

I think there was more hunger then; more people who didn't have enough to eat and we had less compassion for them.

While our diet may have been healthier, there are things that were a lot deadlier... Polio was a huge thing - kept us out of public swimming pools in the summer time...Measles, mumps, whooping cough were considered ordinary "childhood diseases". There were a few antibiotics around (not counting penicillin) but not everyone had access to them.

I hope this helps.

Answer 3

People were not healthier in 1950 than they
are today.
Life expectancy was shorter.
Secondary cigarette and cigar smoke was
everywhere.
The medical world was light years behind
where they are now.
Diet & exercise ?
Here's a reminder: One of the first things that
John Kennedy did after taking oath of office,
was to start an American Fitness Program.
Soon thereafter, everywhere you looked,
people were jogging.
Hope this has been helpful.

Answer 4

I believe we were healthier in the 50's though smoking was prevelant,fast foods were not. Movies back then and thru the 60's and on showed about every actor smoking, you just didn't hear about lung cancer to the extent we do today.

One has to figure in the per capita -not as many people so statistics on health would not loom as large as they do now with a greater population.

We had computers then but not in such volumn and therefore people didn't gain the weight they do now with all that sitting. Also not as many couch potatoes then possibly. I was married with young children and worked on our farm's huge garden. Without the conveniences then compared to today, we worked harder and didn't have to go in for all the exercize equipment and workout we have today. Yes-the 50's saw a healthier nation!

Answer 5

Well, this may seem at first glance to be an easy question, but it is far from it. We now have very good medicines to help with heart conditions and disease, as well as diabetes. Does this mean we eat better (healthier?) Definitely not. This one goes to the 50s. As for smoking, overall, we are better now. Exercise? I would call it a tie. Overall, who is healthier?
Life expectancy has gone up, but it doesn't mean we are healthier as a society. This goes for the U.S. AND the U.K....... It's a tie I say.

Answer 6

I think the 50's was the last of the great decades

We didn't have transfat McD's
We didn't have BT/GMO veggies
We didn't have BGH
We did have Joe Malboro (Bad)
Mom was there when you got home from school
Every Mom in the Neighborhood would paddle your butt if you were
bad and then tell your mom what happened So you got another paddle when you got home
might have an Uncle with a bunch of horses so you could ride 20 miles and spend a week or 2 living off the land, but you had to help him put up 40,000 bales of hay
A contract was a handshake not 2 ea lawyers at $10,000 each
If you were a bad kid and went mailbox smashing the local cop made you replace them, no court, no fines
Getting your job back after serving in the military was an honor
Raw milk, homemade bread, homemade butter is something a darn few will ever know the taste of.
3% income tax and taking care of your elders, we can no longer do
No TV, No computer, Did chores like feed and water chickens, hogs and cow No one was fat

just a few from someone that was there

Answer 7

More smoking but thinner on average. The big difference is the increase in medications used to treat the effects of obesity causing an increase in life expectancy.

Answer 8

Well, it's difficult to say.

The life expectancy has risen substantially since then, but that's mostly due to advances in medical technology. People are living longer, but not necessarily healthier lives.

It's the kind of question where it's probably impossible to get any kind of definitive answer.

Answer 9

in the 50s everything was cooked and fried in straight up fat, nowadays most of the food we eat is still bad. What we know now can make us healthier, but we are also lazier about applying it to our lives.

Answer 10

Yes. They didnt have the foods that we have today. Also cars werent popular and therewere no TV's and computers so all they had to doo was walkand play. That means that they burn more fat.