I want to thank everyone for their kind words and support since the death of my grandfather. Since he was in the process of moving to an assisted care facility, his apartment lease was up (and you know the waiting list for his retirement community apartment was rather long) and we spent the weekend clearing out the apartment and taking care of other arrangements. His service is on Saturday.
Before my life was put on hold because of my winter term class, we were exploring meal planning from the mid-20th century. During my research on the topic, I came across an article from Boston College’s Spring, 2007, issue of Elements written by Jessica J. Flinn. In World War II Cookbooks: Rationing, Nutrition, Patriotism, and the Citizen Consumer in the United States and Great Britain, Ms. Flinn points out that cookbooks produced during The War equated healthy eating with patriotism. She continues by pointing out that the Office of Defense Health and Welfare Services encouraged citizens to follow “Uncle Sam’s Rules–Every day, eat this way.” Joanne Lamb Hayes, in her book Grandma’s Wartime Kitchen: World War II and the Way We Cooked, notes that there were eight food groups at the start of the war–eggs being their own category–but it was pared down to the Basic Seven by 1943.
What was most interesting to me as I explored this topic was that, even though food was rationed, overall health improved because everyone had “their fare share” of nutritious foods. Looking over the list, of rationed foods–sugar, coffee, processed foods, meats, canned fish, cheese, canned milk, and fats (such as bacon)–it is easy to see why overall health improved. Sugar–now linked with all sorts of health issues including heart disease–was the first food to be rationed. Victory Gardens provided anywhere from 30-40% of a family’s food. Soy beans, peanut butter, and evaporated milk were used as protein and meal extenders. White flour was replaced with whole grains.
In 2004, The Guardian reported on the results of a study led by nutritionist Amanda Ursell and home economist/food writer Marguerite Patten for a television show. In the study, children were fed a diet similar to a ration diet that Ms. Patten had helped create when she was an adviser to the Ministry of Food during The War. The results were amazing–children grew taller without gaining weight, they were less hungry, and they were able to concentrate on their schoolwork. Although most people interviewed for the various iterations of the story said it was unlikely that we could go back to that kind of diet, they did note that we could probably learn a lesson or two from it–consume less sugar and processed foods and eat more homegrown produce.
Interesting (to me) tidbit: Since starting this series, I’ve reduced the amount of sugar and white flour that we(I) eat. There was a time when “the whites” were like a drug to me and I’d go through about 5 pounds of sugar per month. Since trying to eat The Basic Seven every day, my cravings for sugar and processed foods in general (alas…not chocolate, though) has gone way down.
Great post as always! I really find this topic to be quite interesting. Thanks so much for sharing. Glad to have you back.
Great article. It’s the sugar. And, highly processed carbos are nearly sugar as they quickly convert to sugar in your system – overwhelming it. That extra sugar goes to storage [fat] which is not made of “fat” but stored sugars.
I had noticed the patriotic tone of the WWII food brochures and pondered that a bit. It seems like there was genuine interest in providing nutritious recipes and nutrition information. Well, I just wonder about the motivation. Of course, they didn’t know how long the war would last. I wonder if the unspoken concern was for the health and strength of the young sons that were eating at their mother’s table, some of whom would soon be called upon to be soldiers. And if the war came to our shores, anyone might be fighting, especially the older men. Or was it just an avenue through which to appeal to people?