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While we were twiddling our thumbs, waiting for US Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to announce the new 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, our managing editor opted to ransack her vintage cookbook stash for tidbits of health advice. The purported benefits of a gelatin, milk and bacon-based diet abound in the gallery above. If you dig what you see, let us know and we'll dive into the collection on the regular. By the way, the USDA sez you should halt the salt |
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Most often the things we never see are in front of us all the time. Health Secrets from the Seventh Heaven by Moshe Sharon does a great job of revealing a part of ourselves that is always there within us and always escaping our attention. Once you read this book you realize that the solutions to your existing or potential health problems are so close to you that all you need to do is to become aware of them. More at http://moshesharon.wordpress.com
Most of the information in the cookbooks listed above is correct and accurate in its health evaluations. Most of this information is available today through the Weston Price Foundation. Saturated fat IS healthy for you. All your hormones, most of your cell walls and most of your brain and nervous tissue is made up of saturated fat, like the bacon indicated above. Without EATING saturated fat how to you make healthy tissue? you dont? and your fertility and cells are greatly compromised, along with your heart and your brain in later life. It is a statistically proven fact that the current health and diet advice is BAD for your health. Eating fat is good for you. Gelatin, an easily digested protein is good for you-jello, a combination of sugar and foood coloring is not. WHOLE foods that have not been processed are good for you-foods that have been concentrated and processed are not. If you look at your own grandmother's cookbooks and ate from them, you would be healthy wealthy and wise. I would love to see this feature on a regular basis and will be sharing it with my readers on my thoughts on friday at a moderate life because they all know this stuff is good for you. All the best. Alex
Hi! I collect antique and vintage cookbooks, recipe booklets, and related ephemera. I absolutely MUST get anything that contains interesting archaic advice on nutrition, so I found these tidbits to be delightful. I concur with the others who would like to see this become a regular offering.
useful on this site
Hilarious! Keep 'em coming. Old Southern Living and Cordon Bleu Gran Diplome cookbooks also have some great throwback recipes with interesting if not outdated advice.
You spelled says wrong
This is fantastaic, I would love to see moreof these. I suppose i need to eat more Star Bacon now because according to this i am malnourished.
agreed- great little glimpses into past american homemaking
Really cool stuff from long ago. Aren't we suppose to be learning from our elders? from the past? And when it comes to nutrition are we truly more scientifically advanced than some of our ancestors? I think they had it right since way back..."In the beginning".
That's what I enjoyed most from this article...not so much about the jello b/c I never really cared for it.
Look forward to seeing more!
Interesting. But bringing them back will help recycle old myths.
Yes, please make this a regular article.
LOVE IT PRINT ENTIRE BOOK
Did the authors of this article read books that were commented on? I don't have access to the source material, but the excerpts that were displayed were often contrary to what the author commented on. Like the "brain people should lay off the meat", when the excerpt says that the protein should be easily digestible. Sounds like the except recommends getting as much meat as possible in the bloodstream as efficiently as possible.
Yeah, I noticed that too.
But I'm trying to filter through it all. Like they say "everything in moderation" and "BALANCED diet"...etc.
Wonderful idea.
Sez me!
like seriously, I'm not reading this like "oh man...they didn't know anything back then".... There's probably some wisdom to their cookbooks.
Real food is a hard thing to find these days... I envy the diets of those who grew up in the 40's and 50's, having homecooked stews and potroasts and down-homey stuff... I could just be making up this idealistic view of it in my mind, but, everything just seems so plastic and fake these days.
More, more!
Too funny. I have some of these old cook books too-my grandmas. She just goes on memory now-glad she doesn't cook this way too much!! They really did believe that bacon fat is good or OK for you! Also now I can understand why she thinks that jello (with fruit in it, or plain with whip cream) is the best dessert! :) 92 years old-They used it all the time....I never have liked it...Ha
That food sounds so much better than the stuff I wind up eating now....... sounds a lot better than the rice noodles and tofu I'm stuck with :(
I want a big ole' cheeseburger
This is a definite keeper. We need a guaranteed laugh after reading the news! I would write more but I need to get back to drinking my quart of milk and eating my 2 lbs of fruit and vegetables.....and my creamed chicken salad is almost set and ready to un-mold.
Reminds me of the Family Guy skit where those two old-timey weightlifters recommended steak and eggs for breakfast everyday.
I wonder if we'll look back and laugh at the current conventional wisdom in 100 years. "Soymilk??? What were they thinking!!"
I would not trust anything the US Department of Agriculture or US Department of Health and Human Services claim. They are run by and funded by the very same corporations that endorse these poisonous foods. That they also contradict themselves every few years as to what is "healthy" to eat is outrageous.
The genetically altered corn, soy and wheat are the cause of most of our health problems (not to mention that they are also being fed to our livestock). Most Americans do not know what food really should taste like because it is picked before being ripe for long-distance shipments and chemically induced to be ripe by gas. I guarantee that the first time you taste a truly fresh piece of fruit–ripened by nature and picked off the tree shortly before you put it in your mouth, you will not go back to the supermarket produce. The same is true for the corn-fed beef, chicken and pork– taste it after it has been fed the diet nature intended and you will find true flavor. It's time to end the super supermarkets and support local farmers, grocers, bakeries and butchers.
If you are interested in learning more about the American food industry, please watch "Food, Inc.", available as an instant download on netflix.
I grew cucumbers in my garden this last summer..... It's like I'd never tasted a cucumber before.
I love this! This was the time when companies started marketing new food products through cookbooks (as with the Knox gelatin example). While those aren't the best examples of how to eat healthy, I think we should all eat more like our ancestors – fresh veggies, fruit, meat, dairy, grains. No more of this processed, packaged, bagged stuff with ingredient lists that go on for miles and have words in it no average person can pronounce – what is guar gum anyways? We'd all be a little healthier if we took the time to cook our own meal (from scratch) every once in a while.
haha awesome! love it!!
The "USDA SEZ"??? SEZ, really? Not "says"? CNN is a mainstream media outlet. Try to have some journalistic integrity.
I think that was meant to be "tongue- in- cheek."
I was often given Scotch Broth soup for breakfast and loved it. I always thought it was because my mother was a little eccentric, but now I see that she might have gotten the idea from a magazine. Still – not a bad way to start the day!
you know, come to think of it...I have a bacon, egg and cheese toasted bagel every saturday and sunday at 9:30 AM.
I'm not hungry and don't think about eating again until 2PM sometimes 3PM. There are some benefits to fats.
I found an old cookbook my grandmother gave to my mother...a jewish (a/k/a kosher) cookbook from the 50's. Chicken fat (schmaltz) and salt abound. No wonder heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure and diabetes became so common! And I don't think the phrase "lean cut" in that book has anywhere near the meaning it does in today's tomes.
Have to admit though, it brought back some fond memories of my grandmother's cooking! I can just taste her Kashe Varnishkes (with loads of schmaltz)!
I LOVE vintage recipes! I actually looked up recipes from the early 1900's out of curiosity- there were some interesing findings. A column based os food history would be wonderful to read!
I love old cookbooks. They're so hit or miss. Some of the dishes are just the most fantastic things I've ever eaten, and some are, well, gelatin chicken salad or garbage soup. Anyway, I agree with others – please make this a regular column! Maybe you could split the good and bad recipes half and half after you try them out? Maybe we can find some long-forgotten yummy food! And of course continue to laugh at the historical flops.
The band Lard used an old "You need Lard" advertisement touting the health benefits of lard - http://www.proteinpower.com/drmd_blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/theyre-happy-because-they-eat-lard.jpg - I should change my band's name from the Deathbillies to Gelatine: free album cover! We are also a plain, straight product.
-Basil White
the Deathbillies
i had 8 vodka jellos and 6 tequila shots on sat night....house party....yada yada yada...I just got home from jail. ...what is the yada yada yada? $10 will be sent to the person who guesses right.
Public urination?
Driving while under the influence?
Murder?
I love this article. It is interesting how even back then, people were concerned about their well being and how much they already knew! Except for the bacon part, unfortunately!! Keep the articles coming!
Who's Gary Cooper?
A vintage hottie, apparently!
Who is Gary Cooper?
That's just sad.
The difference between then and now, is that now we eat shmeat. Here:
NOSHMEAT.COM
I like some of the points, but I do not think labeling Bacon and 2000 calorie "Star Ham" as health foods should be done. Too many of us would take that as a green light to overindulge in the above food. I do love the whole "eat 1 to 2 lbs of fruit and vegetables" a day. That is awesome. Claiming fish is not as nutritious and healthy as meat....that is a little backwards.
My mother purchased an antique cookbook a few weeks ago, and I had the opportunity to read it. It was kind of interesting in a way, and just awkward in others. Part of this cookbook in particular spouted young women should not “waste their time in stationary activities such as reading; rather they should learn to cook and tend house for their future husbands”. Blha… I had to put the book down then because I was bout to burn it…lol
I think this is a great example of how much information in cookbooks and healthbooks is really just opinion and overt advertising! It's easy to attribute it to people not knowing any better because it was a long time ago, but I bet our grandchildren will look at our cookbooks the same way. It also shows how our definition of "healthy" has changed radically over time, influence by how readily available certain foods have been. In a time of malnourishment, ham *is* healthy if you're not otherwise getting enough calories or protein. And people were often so poor, it wasn't possible to overindulge. Flip to today though – we all take in so many extra calories as it is, we probably shouldn't go anywhere near fatty meats like beef and pork :P
This is awesome. But I have to say that just as in years past, we're still confusing advertising and marketing from companies with "health advice." I'd personally find something else to call it, but the wording didn't ruin the article. =)
I find it ironic that the story is bemused by the dietary advice from the past, while obesity is currently at epidemic proportions today, and continues to rise.
I think your ignoring the fact that physical labor has plummeted as well. No exercise combined with large quantities of sugar and fat is a solid recipe for obesity. The body isn't geared to get so much so easily, it doesn't want to be feed it wants to hunt.
I love the Bacon advice and it's completely correct. Bacon stays with my kids until lunch where (when we used to eat cereals) cereals and sugary juices would just pump them up with a sugar rush and then have them hunting for snacks before it's even 10AM. Long live Bacon, greatest of the worlds foods!
Protein in general is the best thing you can eat for breakfast! If you don't like meat, you can also go for eggs :)
Kat: I like it – please make this a regular. Any idea what the obseity rates were then compared to today?
Guess they didn't know about jell-o shooters back then . . .
Great column. It echos so many things my mother taught and she was raised in the 20s and 30s. She was a great proponent of fish for "brain food" and fresh vegetables and salads.
Hmm.. Some of this could be down right unhealthy by todays standards. But 50 years from now people will probably be looking at today's health recommendations and saying, "What were they thinking??".
"Women require less food than men". To bad the author couldn't see 21st Century Wal-Mart. lotstoclick.blogspot.com
If you want health information from back in the day that still stands the test of time check out the books from Dr. Norman Walker on Amazon.
Norman Walker founded one of the first wellness centers back in 1910 and lived to be well over 100 years old. His juicer, the NorWalk is one of the finest juicers ever made. To this day it is used as a foundation of the Gerson Therapy to treat cancer and degenerative diseases.
His advice is based on information that is centuries old and is not influenced by corporate greed like some of the entries above. Yes, some of the information is outdated but you will find amazing information about nourishing foods and how the body works.
This is incorrect, a quick check of wikipedia confirms he lived to be 99.
Oh well.
Perhaps they adjusted for inflation.
I have to agree with the guy in frame 12. "Nobody with any gastronomic sanity" wants to eat Jello with miscellaneous nuts, fruit, and other random weirdness embedded in it. Next time my mom in law serves us this "salad" I'll know she was influenced by sweetened gelatin makers and women's magazines.
Fantastic! Especially Phylllis Diller's "Garbage Soup."
The Vintage Cookbook Vault should indeed be a regular!
What a pleasant way to take a short break from the news. Thank you!
I really enjoyed this article. Thanks! hahaha.
I have been collecting these little Knox Gelatin and Jello recipe books for decades. In fact, some of the old Jello holiday salad recipes are fantastic! You can often find these little books in thrift, vintage, or antique shops. Best yet, look through grandma or great-grandma's recipe books, most likely she still has hers.
I like to collect really old cookbooks for just this reason. It amazes me that such wisdom is 180 deg. off from todays diet fads. In another 100 years, we'll be laughing at these fads, too. Bacon, eggs, and whole milk? Cholesterol? What cholesterol? It will be some other evil in the year 2111. For all we know, chocolate causes cancer and fresh veggies cause alzheimers. Anyone's guess.
i think a lot was known then about what was healthy, there wasnt much regulation to prevent from printing whatever was good for the companies....while some little things will change the basics have been around for a while
I try to serve my son bacon and eggs on test days. He seems to do a lot better on bacon than he does on a bowl of puffy, sweet cereal.
Sparkling gelatin actually sounds good, and I'm not a fan of Jello.
It is good! I've tried it, and I'm not a huge jello fan either.
Fannie Farmer made sense then, and still does.
Ignore the newer versions of "her" book – they're claptrap. The oldest editions have culinary gold. (In fact, when Julia Childs was asked what two cookbooks she would choose, if she had no others, she said Escoffier and Fannie Farmer).
If the population had followed the advice of the Fannie Farmer 1929 cookbook, we'd be a much healthier nation. Don't overdo the calorie intake and eat a diverse diet including plenty of fruits and vegetables.
wine jelly? I could totally get down with that.
Isn't that like an early version of the jello shooter??? :)
Even Jello-shots go back a long ways (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin_dessert):
The earliest published recipe dates from 1862, found in How to Mix Drinks, or The Bon Vivant's Companion by Jerry Thomas: the recipe calls for gelatin, cognac, rum, and lemon juice.
Please keep this as a regular feature – this is fun and interesting!
I've been a fan of old cookbooks for a long time. I have a bunch of pamthets from my family that go back into the 1920s or so, and I'm always on the lookout at garage sales.
Online- One can go way back to the middle ages for recipes- when health was based on balancing the body's "humors" and everything from color to spice was taken into account.
Pamphlets
"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint." – Mark Twain
Love it! I'll have to keep a lookout for old cookbooks on my thrifting adventures. Please keep em coming!
love it! please make this a regular!
I agree! This could make a wonderful column. Especially with the interest in vintage recipes resulting from shows like Mad Men. Those gelatin based dishes... very popular in the 50s & 60s IIRC.