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Erin Cassidy
Ms. Green
Amstud
5/11/12
The Need for Convenience in the American Diet
Throughout America’s history, its’ citizens nutrition has always revolved around
convenience for the individual. Traveling through the 1920s, 1950s, and modern day, Americans
have been choosing food that fit into the busy American schedule. America is known for having
citizens that live a very busy and hectic lifestyle, and for many Americans meals are always on
the go. Due to the lifestyle, individuals are forced to look for the most convenient meal. In the
1950s America was known as a “disposable society” partially because of the nutrition that many
citizens chose to follow. Throughout history, Americans have been known for the high rate of
obesity. This is caused by poor dietary choices which lead to obesity. Most Americans search to
find the easy way out and choose foods that are already prepared or go to fast food restaurants.
People are now realizing that this does not promote healthy lifestyle. In ones American Dream,
many aim to live a healthy and active lifestyle, but many people do not have access to a healthy
lifestyle today and this is an obstacle in many citizens desires. Americans are many times known
for their close relationship with food in the American daily lifestyle. The American culture
forces Americans to strive to find the most convenient meals instead of being focused on a
healthy lifestyle. Americans have discovered convenient ways to find nutritional values using
technology, work habits, and societies values throughout these years.
The 1920’s was a turning point for American technology. Technology allows Americans
to discover the resources they needed to fulfill their goals in living a convenient lifestyle. The
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creation of the refrigerator allowed Americans to store more perishable foods because they were
less likely to spoil using this new invention, and were able survive the long travels in trucks. This
product also allowed the American diet to expand in the sense that people could purchase more
pre-made food, as families now had some where to store the products. Many times, “Suppliers
shipped perishable foods over long distance in refrigerated trucks and train cars. The American
diet became increasingly varied, with spinach, lettuce, oranges, and carrots arriving year- round
from sunny climes”(Lindop,Golstein “1920s” 46). The advances in American technology made
storing food much easier and convenient for the average American family. This is because the
refrigerator was much more efficient than the ice box, and food stayed fresh for longer amounts
of time, allowing families to stock up on key meals: “...manufacturers sold more and more
brand-name foods, packaged in standardized boxes, bottles, cans, and wrappers. Wheaties
cereal..., popsicles, Gerber’s baby foods, Peter Pan peanut butter, Fleer’s bubble gum.... were just
a few of the thousands of new packaged food products in the 1920s”(47). It is interesting that
even with the refrigerator, people were still looking for the most convenient option and would
purchase products that were pre-packaged. In the 1920s, “In part because of a more varied diet,
Americans became healthier...”(47). The life expectancy rose significantly in the 1920s due to
the healthier diets people were following as a result of the new variety of food. Another big
advance in technology during the 1920s was vitamin A. It was suppose to protect citizens from
serious diseases. Americans believed throughout this time period “... vitamin A—usually
supplied in the form of cod-liver oil—could reduce the morbidity and mortality of respiratory
disease, measles, puerperal sepsis, and other infections”(Semba). The advances in vitamins
helped people live healthier lifestyles. Technology played a major role in the American diet of
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citizens throughout the 1920s, but continued improving and leading to advances in the 1950s as
well.
The 1950s were no different, technology was expanding and allowing the Americans to
discover more convenient dietary styles. Americans discovered a new and convenient way to pay
for meals: the credit card. The inventor, Frank McNamara, thought of this brilliant idea when he
did not have enough cash on him one night when he went to pay for his dinner. This gave
McNamara the idea, “...to set up a system called the Diners Club, in which people could pay for
meals with a card instead of cash; his company would pay restaurant owners while charging
users of the Diners Club card the rest of their meal and fee”(Wills, “1950” 38). The credit card
encouraged people to eat out and made life easier for people on the go. This advance also made
paying for meals much more convenient as Americans did not always have to have cash on them
in order to go out to eat. Televisions were another part of technology that bloomed throughout
the 1950s. This later lead to the inventions of the TV dinner and 3-D movies, which furthered
convenience of the American diet: “Frozen foods(including Swason’s own pot pies) had been
around for years, but the TV dinner marked the first time that a company offered the busy
homemaker a complete frozen individual meal that only had to be heated before serving”(40).
These meals included roast beef, ham, or fried chicken. They were very convenient and fit
perfectly into the busy American lifestyle. The meals usually consisted of a large portion of some
sort of meat and then had peas and corn that were loaded with sodium and butter. According to
and article, children’s diets “had more fat in their diet,”(“Children's Diet Better in 1950s")
throughout the 1950s. The 1950’s found many advantages in the food industry with the help of
technology.
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Modern day technology improves daily, and continues to lead Americans to discover
more and more convenient ways of eating as opposed to healthy options. Americans have found
a way to improve the television by adding HD-TV, Tivo, and On demand. This causes
adolescents to spend at least three more hours watching TV than expected. Watching more TV
causes children to eat more, and many times the foods that they are snacking on are not healthy.
It is proved that, “Decades ago, children only had access to cartoons for a few hours every
Saturday morning. There weren't entire channels dedicated to cartoons and you couldn't catch a
show On Demand or Tivo it for later. Today's kids are able to watch cartoons 24 hours a day.
Most kids watch and average of 4.5 hours of TV per day”(Rose). Many times when watching
TV, children are snacking instead of exercising, which leads to the epidemic of obesity. Staying
in, watching television, and snacking is many times more convenient than participating in some
activity. The exposure to television also leads children to see advertisements which are geared to
attract kids to many unhealthy and processed food: “According to the American Psychological
Association, ‘Children's exposure to TV ads for unhealthy food products are a significant risk
factor for obesity.’ Kids food choices are affected by the constant messages they see. These ads
create cravings. Kids sit for long periods of time watching TV and playing games, only to come
away craving junk food”(Rose). Many children are attracted to items due to technology. This
meaning that children see something on television and then convince their parents to buy it for
them. Parents many times do buy their children what they ask for because they do not realize
how bad the product is for their children, and they just assume that it is a snack on the go. Today,
Americans are becoming more and more lazy because of the advances in technology, and eating
right is not always on everyones mind.
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Technology has always seemed to have a effect on the American diet, but work habits
also play a role. Throughout the 1920s, 1950s, and today work habits seem to influence peoples
decisions of what to eat. Americans live very hectic lives, which force people to eat the more
convenient food instead of the healthy food.
In the 1920s, it appears that many American citizens were choosing food that fit into their
emotionally intense work and their busy schedules. During this time period, it was common for
families to have many children and sometimes caused parents to be emotionally stressed when it
came to cooking dinner for a large family:
... a new kind of urban middle-class family, much more emotionally intense than
in the past, was emerging. These families were much smaller than their colonial
counterparts, as parents rapidly reduced the birth rate from an average seven to
ten. These families were also more sharply divided along generational lines, as
child rearing was increasingly concentrated in the early years of marriage. They
were also more mother-centered, as fathers left home to go to work and mothers
assumed nearly exclusive responsibility for child rearing.(Mintz)
By having many children all under the same roof, parents were always looking for the most
convenient and easy way to feed a large family. When families did put in a lot of effort into one
meal, it usually took the mother of the house a couple of days to prepare. Researchers say that,
“Data from 1920 reveals that 44 hours were spent on preparing meals and cleaning up after them
each week”(“1920s Food”). Forty- four hours is a long time for a family to spend preparing one
meal. This is just another reason why families chose to find the more convenient meals,
especially since the women also had many chores to do throughout the day in addition to then
preparing dinner. The 1920s consisted of spending a lot of time with family and enjoying one
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another’s company. Many Americans found it hard to find enough time in their schedules to
prepare a homemade meal.
Work habits continued to revolve around busy schedules in the 1950s, causing Americans
to continue to look for the easy, which ended up being unhealthy food. Fast food restaurants
became popular during this time period, and fit perfectly into many citizens busy lifestyles.
McDonalds owners, “Dick and Mac McDonald opened their first quick service restaurant in
1948. Seven years later, salesman Roy Kroc convinced the brothers to let him expand the small
chain through a system of franchises”(“1950s” 28). These fast food services soon became a hit.
Americans were and still are always on the go and when they need a snack or quick meal, fast
food restaurants are a quick spot to stop. Frozen food were also very common. They helped
Americans save money and made it easy for a family to stock up on perishable food and items
that were on sale: “A typical American family of the 1950s is shown with the food they will
consume over the course of a year- much of it canned, frozen, and pre- packaged”(90). Many
Americans always chose the convenient and easy meals to feed to their family because of work
habits. Food which was is pre- packaged did not take much time to prepare and it is also throw
away, meaning that it does not require dish washing. The 1950s were no different than the 1920s
with the strong work habit that interfered with eating habits, but since these times periods the
habits have only got worse.
Today the work habits have changed in the sense that women are not always preparing
the meals, and many times it is now the man who cooks or the two genders switch off nightly.
People today though have only started to eat more and more unhealthy food and blame this on
their busy schedules. Americans many times resort to fast food or processed meals because of
their fully booked schedules: “Fast food has proven to be a revolutionary force in American
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life...”(Schlosser). Even though fast food is easy to access, people do not always realize how
harmful it is to their body. Obesity is a huge epidemic in America and peoples busy lifestyles
could be the cause. This is because we are always focusing on getting to our next activity instead
of thinking deeply about what we are eating on the way. It is believed that, “During a relatively
brief period of time, the fast food industry had helped to transform not only the American diet,
but also our landscape, economy, workforce, and popular culture. Fast food and its consequences
have become inescapable, regardless of whether you eat twice a day, try to avoid it, or have
never taken a single bite”(Schlosser). Fast food seems to be a part of every Americans life,
whether they can not stand the smell or can not go a week without it. Many Americans do have
busy lives, but that can no longer be an excuse for eating unhealthy, people must take matters
into their own hands and realize what will happen if they continue to eat processed food.
Work habits have changed over time and the average American usually spends their day
traveling due to the individual’s busy schedule. Woman and men’s role in the household have
changed as well. Women now are not always relied on to do the cooking for the family, both
sexes now share that role. Men and women need to start focusing more on nutrition instead of
only worrying about what will fit into one’s schedule. Society’s value also pays a major role in
societies nutrition. Throughout all three time periods, advertisements and prices of food often
relate to the products that Americans buy.
In the 1920s, people relied on society to know what was right and wrong in the American
diet. A new improvement during this time was colorful advertisements in magazines, which
helped Americans realize what was popular. Americans would fall into the trap of these
advertisements and suddenly crave the product. The food industry many times used advertising
to attract customers. “…that advertising needed to ‘arouse desires and stimulate wants, to make
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people dissatisfied with the old and out-of-date and by constant iteration[repetition] to send them
to work harder to get the latest…”(“1920s” 45). This many times lead customers to purchase the
advertised foods because of how appetizing they looked, not because of how good they were for
someone. The products many times were not fresh, they were usually pre- packed for
convenience. A chart that is in the novel America in the 1920s says that the average income of a
U.S. worker’s income was one thousand four hundred dollars. The chart says that a chocolate bar
cost five cents, a bottle of soda was also five cents, and a loaf of bread was ten cents. The 1920s
was a period where many people were low on money due to the Great Depression, and people
struggled to afford enough food to feed their large families. During this time stocking up on
perishable food and pre- packaged food were very common because these items would last
longer than food that was fresh. Society in this time period was hard to fit into because of the
Great Depression. People were forced to eat what they could afford, nutrition was not a factor.
By the 1950s the economy was back on track and people were listening to advertisements
for food and other items, along with aiding other countries with food. Television made it easy for
people to pick up on the new food products: “In other words, businesses paid the networks to tie
their brand names to particular shows”(“1950s” 41). Companies figured that if their product was
being discussed during prime television shows, then people would be more likely to go out and
buy it. An example of an advertisement is “A suburban housewife appear thrilled to have a TV n
the kitchen in this advertisement”(41). This kind of advertisement would attract people to go out
and buy another TV and put it in their kitchen after seeing how convenient it was for the
housewife. The American society also helped aid many countries with food during this time
period. “Hungry Polish children line up to receive food aid from the United States in the
aftermath of World War II”(12). American society was aiding other countries with the diets of
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their citizens. There was a surplus of food items and the United States exported goods to other
countries that were considered over stock. Americans are always looking for the quickest product
and that is how our society is built.
Today, American society is struggling with the obesity epidemic, which is partially due
to the fact that all advertisements are usually foods that are unhealthy. Mary Story and Simone
French said that, “Foods marketed to children are predominantly high in sugar and fat, and as
such are inconsistent with national dietary recommendations”. Companies advertise food usually
during shows that children are addicted to. It is believed that:
Food marketers are interested in youth as consumers because of their spending
power, their purchasing influence, and as future adult consumers. Multiple
techniques and channels are used to reach youth, beginning when they are
toddlers, to foster brand-building and influence food product purchase behavior.
These food marketing channels include television advertising, in-school
marketing, product placements, kids clubs, the Internet, toys and products with
brand logos, and youth-targeted promotions, such as cross-selling and tieins.(Story, French)
Advertising today is an essential for any company that is looking to succeed. Many companies
start to attract young children to their products especially food. Skittles is an example of a food
product that advertises to attract children. This company came up with a catchy saying, “skittles
taste the rainbow”, which helps attract people to buying this product. Is it because of all the
success that food corporations have with advertising the reason America is having problems with
obesity? This could very well be true because the quote above mentions how food marketers are
interested in youth as consumers. This is because companies feel as if the children control what
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their parents buy at the super market. Most products that are advertised are not very nutritious.
Statistics say, “Currently 15% of US youth are overweight, a prevalence nearly twice as high in
children and three times as high in adolescents compared to 1980 prevalence rates”(Story,
French). This is concerning because if the American diet is unable to change from the necessity
to be convenient, more and more children will be obese. Also, “Numerous studies have
consistently documented that dietary intake patterns of American children and adolescents are
poor and do not meet national dietary goals...Children and adolescents are eating more food
away from home, drinking more soft drinks, and snacking more frequently”(Story, French).
Advertising has convinced people what to eat no matter the nutritional facts. The American diet
today is much different than it use to be. Americans are always looking for the newest, fastest,
and easiest item to fit into their diet which fits into their hectic schedule. Society relies greatly on
what is advertised today in the American diet, but things need to change soon before the obesity
epidemic grows even larger.
The American diet has changed significantly over time throughout the 1920s, 1950s, and
modern day. Technology is one reason that the diet has changed so much. The advances in all
technology help Americans store food and find the hot products had by everyone. Work habits
also have to do with changes in the American diet because Americans live very hectic life styles
and always are looking for the most convenient way to fit a meal into their schedule. Also,
women are now not alone like they were in the 1920s for preparing meals. Men many times help
their wives prepare dinner for their families so that it is not a one person job. Society plays a role
in the American diet. Everyone is looking for a quick and easy way to eat and if fast food or
processed meals are the only option, then people have these items for dinner. In this country
people are always looking for the quickest and easiest meal and that is just how our society is
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built. The American dream has to do with every individual living a healthy and active lifestyle,
but the American diet these days, is going down the tubes. People are not eating the right foods
or getting enough exercise. Obesity is becoming a huge epidemic in the American society.
Americans need to start to realize that eating healthy food and getting enough daily exercise is
essential to living a long happy life. The American diet revolves around convenience for the
individual and throughout all three of these time periods, most people choose the foods which
fits into their schedules.
Bibliography
"1920's Food." 1920's Food. 1920-30.com, 2005. Web. 10 May 2012.
"Children's Diet Better in 1950s." BBC News. BBC, 30 Nov. 1999. Web. 10 May 2012.
"Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010." Your Portal to Health Information from the U.S.
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"The Food Timeline: Popular American Decade Foods, Menus, Products & Party Planning
Tips." Food Timeline: Food History & Vintage Recipes. Lynne Olver 2000, 22 Sept. 2011.
Web. 08 Mar. 2012.
Kluger, Jeffrey. "How America's Children Packed On the Pounds." EBSCOhost. 2008. Web. 6
Mar. 2012.
Lindop, Edmund, and Margaret J. Goldstein. America in the 1920s. Minneapolis, MN:
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Twenty-First Century, 2010. Print.
Magdoff, Fred. "Food as a Commodity." EBSCOhost. Jan. 2012. Web. 07 Mar. 2012.
"Nutrition and Fitness." KidsHealth. Nemours, 1995-2012. Web. 06 Mar. 2012.
Mintz, Steven. "Parenting." Shifting Assumptions about , Childhood in Colonial America,
Eighteenth-Century Ferment. The Gale Group, Inc., 2008. Web. 01 Apr. 2012.
Philpott, Tom. "The American Diet in One Chart, with Lots of Fats And sugars." Grist. 6 Apr.
2011. Web. 08 Mar. 2012.
Rose, Tracy. "The Media's Influence on Childhood Obesity." Suite101.com. 4 Oct. 2011. Web.
02
Apr. 2012.
Schlosser, Eric. "Fast Food Nation." The New York Times on the Web. The New York Times,
2000. Web. 8 Mar. 2012.
Semba, Richard D. "Journal of Nutrition." Vitamin A as "Anti-Infective" Therapy.
American
The
Society for Nutritional Sciences, 1999. Web. 8 May 2012.
Story, Mary, and Simone French. "Food Advertising and Marketing Directed at Children and
Adolescents in the US." Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. BioMed Central Ltd, 2004. Web. 08
May 2012.
Trivedi, Bijal. "The Calorie Delusion." EBSCOhost. 2009. Web. 6 Mar. 2012.
Wills, Charles. America in the 1950s. New York: Facts On File, 2006. Print.
"Who "invented" the TV Dinner?" Everyday Mysteries. The Library of Congress, 23 Aug. 2010.
Web. 8 May 2012.
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Work Cited
Primary:
Lindop, Edmund, and Margaret J. Goldstein. America in the 1920s. Minneapolis, MN:
Twenty-First Century, 2010. Print. (chart from page 57)
Magdoff, Fred. "Food as a Commodity." EBSCOhost. Jan. 2012. Web. 07 Mar. 2012.(newspaper
article)
Wills, Charles. America in the 1950s. New York: Facts On File, 2006. Print.
(picture from page 41)
Secondary:
Lindop, Edmund, and Margaret J. Goldstein. America in the 1920s. Minneapolis, MN:
Twenty-First Century, 2010. Print.
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Mintz, Steven. "Parenting." Shifting Assumptions about , Childhood in Colonial America,
Eighteenth-Century Ferment. The Gale Group, Inc., 2008. Web. 01 Apr. 2012. Rose,
Tracy. "The Media's Influence on Childhood Obesity." Suite101.com. 4 Oct. 2011. Web. 02
Apr. 2012.
Schlosser, Eric. "Fast Food Nation." The New York Times on the Web. The New York Times,
2000. Web. 8 Mar. 2012.
Semba, Richard D. "Journal of Nutrition." Vitamin A as "Anti-Infective" Therapy.
American
The
Society for Nutritional Sciences, 1999. Web. 8 May 2012.
Story, Mary, and Simone French. "Food Advertising and Marketing Directed at Children and
Adolescents in the US." Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. BioMed Central Ltd, 2004. Web. 08
May 2012.
Wills, Charles. America in the 1950s. New York: Facts On File, 2006. Print.