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My 93-year old ancestor is in great shape too. He exercises most days, but says "if I even have a hint I'm going to perspire, I back way off". Some of that age

My 93-year old ancestor is in great shape too. He exercises most days, but says "if I even have a hint I'm going to perspire, I back way off". Some of that age group grew up in a magically nutritious time: the first decade was during the depression and so there was probably no overabundance, but all they ate until their mid 20s was real food.

giantg2 3y ago
It depends on how you're measuring nutrition. They also used lard, butter, etc. They ate cured and canned foods. You should look up some of the old depression and war time ration recipes. Many are loaded with fat and sugar because you needed the calories. But you are right that it wasn't an overabundance, but in some cases it ended up essentially as malnutrition. They also were much more physical since this is the time before machines that did everything for us and people walked most places. Many of the weak died young with the state od medicine at the time. So there are many potential changes.
- nradov 3y ago
  Lard, butter, cured, and canned foods are fine from a nutritional standpoint. There is some weak evidence that certain cured meats might increase the risk of some cancers but that hasn't been rigorously proven.
- readthenotes1 3y ago
  From my talks, there was very little canned food and not much sugar -- at least some because it wasn't added to everything like it is now, and none of it was high fructose corn syrup. They lived in a small town in the countryside, so the food was typically fresh.
  - giantg2 3y ago
    What did they eat during the winter if they didn't have canned food?
    - readthenotes1 3y ago
      I will ask next time I get a chance but it will be after this comment thread closes. If I recall correctly canning is a relatively recent invention anyway (Napoleonic wars) so there is a way other than that. Plus modern canned foods have so much salt in it but it's not really the equivalent...
      - giantg2 3y ago
        That's really curious. The other main way to preserve things other than canning is by salting or curing, which would have way more salt than the canned foods.

giantg2 3y ago

It depends on how you're measuring nutrition. They also used lard, butter, etc. They ate cured and canned foods. You should look up some of the old depression and war time ration recipes. Many are loaded with fat and sugar because you needed the calories. But you are right that it wasn't an overabundance, but in some cases it ended up essentially as malnutrition. They also were much more physical since this is the time before machines that did everything for us and people walked most places. Many of the weak died young with the state od medicine at the time. So there are many potential changes.

nradov 3y ago
Lard, butter, cured, and canned foods are fine from a nutritional standpoint. There is some weak evidence that certain cured meats might increase the risk of some cancers but that hasn't been rigorously proven.
readthenotes1 3y ago
From my talks, there was very little canned food and not much sugar -- at least some because it wasn't added to everything like it is now, and none of it was high fructose corn syrup. They lived in a small town in the countryside, so the food was typically fresh.
- giantg2 3y ago
  What did they eat during the winter if they didn't have canned food?
  - readthenotes1 3y ago
    I will ask next time I get a chance but it will be after this comment thread closes. If I recall correctly canning is a relatively recent invention anyway (Napoleonic wars) so there is a way other than that. Plus modern canned foods have so much salt in it but it's not really the equivalent...
    - giantg2 3y ago
      That's really curious. The other main way to preserve things other than canning is by salting or curing, which would have way more salt than the canned foods.