Better Nutrition in the 1970s
2018 marks Better Nutrition’s 80th year in print. Travel through time with us as we highlight popular diet and food trends by decade. In the spotlight this month: Adelle Davis.
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Known as “the first lady of nutrition,” pioneering nutritionist Adelle Davis shaped the way Americans viewed food and natural health. Davis, who reached her height of popularity in the 1970s, wrote several books on health, cooking, and exercise. But it was her groundbreaking book Let’s Get Well that put Davis on the map. The encyclopedic tome contains detailed diet advice for a range of conditions, including stress, digestive problems, diabetes, and infections. She was way ahead of her time, advocating unprocessed foods and vitamin supplements, and eschewing trans fats and sugar. “Your health is in your hands,” says Davis in Let’s Get Well. “Few diseases become a problem when the nutrition is improved the minute the first symptom is noticed; and an amazing degree of vitality, stamina, and youthfulness can be maintained if an adequate diet is adhered to thereafter.”
6 diets that were popular in the ’70s
- Weight Watchers
- The Cookie Diet
- Slim Fast
- AYDS “candies”
- The Scarsdale Diet
- The Atkins Diet
Try our Mandarin Main Dish Salad recipe.
The Story of Better Nutrition
Better Nutrition was founded by Jack Schwartz in 1938. Schwartz returned from the military with a business idea—start a magazine about nutrition. He loved helping friends and family find natural solutions to health problems, and he figured others would be interested in this too. He saw an opportunity to fill a niche and, at the same time, satisfy his passion for health and nutrition. And just like that, Better Nutrition magazine was born. Fall back in time with us this year as we revisit popular trends in nutrition, vitamins, recipes, and more with this limited-edition section.
80 Years of Better Nutrition:
- Better Nutrition in the 1930s – The Grapefruit Diet
- Better Nutrition in the 1940s – The Original Master Cleanse
- Better Nutrition in the 1950s, Part 1 – Gelatin Molds
- Better Nutrition in the 1950s, Part 2 – Wheat Germ
- Better Nutrition in the 1960s, Part 1 – Granola
- Better Nutrition in the 1960s, Part 2 – Fondue
- Better Nutrition in the 1970s, Adelle Davis
- Better Nutrition in the 1980s, Part 1 – Fit for Life
- Better Nutrition in the 1980s, Part 2 – Bran
- Better Nutrition in the 1990s, Part 1 – Low-Fat Diets
- Better Nutrition in the 1990s, Part 2 – Low-Carb Diets