As Century Turns, Nutritionists Review 100 Years of Change

American Institute for Cancer Research
Wednesday, 1 December 1999

Expanding Knowledge, Societal Shifts Usher in Current "Golden Age of Nutrition"

According to experts at the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), 100 years of nutritional research and sweeping societal change have reshaped the American diet. Over the past century, they said, three important trends have converged: the growth of nutrition as a science, an increased public demand for convenience, and a nationwide focus on fitness and health.

Melanie Polk, M.M.Sc., R.D., Director of Nutrition Education at the Institute, described the average American's approach to diet at the turn of the century - a time when the field of nutrition was still in its infancy. "One hundred years ago, people sitting down to a meal were simply looking for something hot, filling and, in most cases, inexpensive. The notion of a 'balanced' diet was still quite abstract.

"The average family may have had some vague ideas about getting enough protein and 'roughage,'" Polk said. "They very likely knew that eating fruits and vegetables could keep you from getting sick, but that was probably about it."

As the century progressed, she said, this approach to diet underwent a series of dramatic and permanent changes.

Nutrition Becomes a Science

In 1914 a chemist from Poland named Casimir Funk coined the term vitamin. For the next 50 years, experts around the world went to work identifying, isolating and synthesizing these newly discovered nutrients. Armed with a wealth of new information on the essential physiological role of vitamins and minerals, scientists began to understand and correct a wide variety of deficiency diseases like scurvy, anemia and rickets.

This surge in nutritional research saw many related concepts explored and popularized, including a system of "food groups" (which was continuously revised to adapt to new information, until finally being supplanted by the "Food Pyramid" in 1993), a list of Recommended Daily Allowances (similarly updated every 5 years since its 1941 introduction), and the identification of a clear link between cholesterol and heart disease.

In the 1980's, researchers began to investigate how certain natural substances within fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans seem to actively fight cancer and other chronic diseases. These substances, called phytochemicals, will likely be the focus of considerable study for some time to come.

Soyfoods expert Dr. Mark Messina, outlining possible preventive and therapeutic applications for phytochemicals, has referred to them as the "vitamins of the 21st century."

"Five years ago we didn't know about half the phytochemicals we know of today; five years from now we'll know about that many more," he said. "We are now experiencing a second 'Golden Age of Nutrition.'"

Convenience Becomes a Commodity

While nutritional research was revealing new information about everyday foods, the American household underwent an important structural shift. In the 1940's and 50's women began to enter the workplace in large numbers. Time for food preparation became more limited, and the industry responded with a wide variety of pre-packaged foods.

Products like Bisquick, Spam, instant oatmeal, canned tomato sauce and pre-sliced American cheese began to appear. Frozen dinners and fast food chains arose.

"The focus was on quick, simple meals," said Polk. "At mid-century, ease of preparation was still paramount. It wasn't until the 60's and 70's, when nutritional research really began to gain the nation's attention, that food manufacturers started to offer options that were both quick and health-conscious."

Instant orange juice, instant breakfast drinks, and vitamin-fortified cereals appeared. The 70's also saw the introduction of salad bars and rice cakes. Nouvelle cuisine emphasized lighter, simpler meals made with fresh ingredients. Microwave ovens promised "meals in minutes."

"As the 70's came to a close, the trend toward convenience was going strong, and healthy options were certainly available," said Polk. "But something was about to happen that would transform the marketplace."

Fitness, Health Become Nationwide Obsessions

"It began with a few joggers in Southern California," said Polk. "Before long, there were aerobics studios, racquetball clubs, fitness centers, exercise books, and workout videos. The number of diet books and weight-management clinics grew. The media, which had long offered up unrealistic ideals for women's bodies, started doing the same thing for men's bodies. Now everyone could feel inadequate."

In reality, Polk said, a national interest in health had been building for some time. Throughout the century, Americans had flirted with various "reducing" diets. In the 50's, Adele Davis published a cookbook exploring a healthy approach to food. The 60's saw a "back to the earth" movement marked by an interest in unprocessed food, natural ingredients and macrobiotic cooking. It wasn't until the late 70's and early 80's, however, that concern for fitness and health became a national craze.

To respond to the new national passion, food manufacturers introduced more "diet" products than ever before. Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice offered frozen, low-calorie meals. Supermarkets introduced skinless, boneless chicken breasts, which began to nudge red meat off of some American plates. (Since 1970, per capita chicken consumption has seen a 39% increase, while beef consumption is down 19%.)

At Century's End, Responsibility Lies With the Consumer

"For the first time in our history," said Polk, "three things are simultaneously true: Fitness and diet enjoy an unprecedented place in the national spotlight, researchers have amassed decades of important nutritional data, and a wide variety of food products, educational programs and new technologies make it easier than ever to take advantage of this growing knowledge."

In the 1997 report, Food, Nutrition, and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective, AICR experts reviewed over 4,500 studies on the link between diet and cancer. Their analysis of these data produced a series of dietary and lifestyle recommendations for lower cancer risk.

Chief among these recommendations is the consumption of a predominantly plant-based diet rich in a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans. An AICR expert panel stated that such a diet, matched with regular physical exercise, maintenance of a healthy weight, and the avoidance of tobacco could decrease worldwide cancer rates by as much as 70%.

"The AICR recommendations represent the very latest advice on a healthy lifestyle that lowers the risk for cancer as well as other chronic diseases," said Polk. "Fortunately, it's easier than ever to adopt such a diet without spending a lot of time in the kitchen. The movement toward convenience has finally caught up with movement toward healthy eating."

For more information, or to contact American Institute for Cancer Research, see their website at: www.aicr.org