Food fads, eating habits and diet trends that have shaped us since 60s

Every generation believes it’s cracked the code to good health – yet obesity, diabetes and high cholesterol keep climbing, according to nutritionist Rob Hobson. “Somewhere, we lost the middle ground, and our collective confusion around food has never been greater,” he sighs. Rob, whose new book, The Low Appetite Cookbook, is out now, adds: “I grew up in the 70s and 80s, when dinner came from the oven or a tin and ‘healthy eating’ simply meant clearing your plate. Margarine was a miracle food, microwave meals felt futuristic, and dessert was tinned fruit with Carnation milk.”

Registered dietitian Clementine Vaughan believes confusion has often centred around vilifying a single food or food group, largely because simple messaging usually cuts through more easily than a nuanced approach of moderation and variety. Sadly, one constant that has been observed through the decades is an increase in overall stress and anxiety over the food on our plates – type, amount, origin – leading to a rise in the use of food as a coping mechanism.

From meat-and-two-veg to TikTok hacks, here’s how we got here, and the one nutrient that might help put things right.

1960s: MEAT, TWO VEG AND FULL-FAT EVERYTHING

The British diet was simple in the 60s – hearty and home-cooked. Most people ate meat and two veg, usually red meat, potatoes and a boiled vegetable, with bread and dripping, full-fat milk and a pudding to finish. Processed foods like tinned soups, Spam and custard were creeping in, but meals were still largely cooked from scratch, shaped by post-war habits of thrift and structure. Eating out was a rarity and, fish suppers aside, few takeaways existed.

Despite higher calorie intakes than today, obesity was rare because people moved more and snacked less. The diet offered balance and routine but little diversity – so fruit and vegetables were limited to basics such as cabbage, peas and apples. Olive oil and lentils were virtually unknown. National surveys suggest people averaged just two to three portions of fruit and veg daily and this was mostly potatoes so, true plant variety was poor, though fibre intake was decent thanks to home cooking.

VERDICT: The framework was sound – proper meals, family eating, less grazing – but it lacked colour, fibre and the healthy fats that protect the heart.

1970s: BUTTER Vs MARGARINE

Butter was suddenly branded bad, and margarine became the modern, heart-healthy alternative. What customers didn’t know was that early margarines were hydrogenated and packed with trans fats that actually raised LDL or “bad” cholesterol.

VERDICT: The anti-fat crusade was well-intentioned but misguided. Not all fats are equal, and the irony was that many swapped butter for something worse. It took decades to unpick the damage and discover proven, natural ways to lower cholesterol. One of the biggest breakthroughs since has been plant sterols which are compounds found in fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds that block cholesterol absorption in the gut. Used daily, sterols can lower LDL by up to 7-10%.

1980s: FAT-FREE FRENZY

The decade of leotards, low-fat yogurts and jacket potatoes with cottage cheese. Fat was out, and “99% fat-free” was in as a marketing device. We stripped fat out of food and replaced it with sugar and starch. The first UK nutrition guidelines told us to eat less fat, but the message got lost. People feared fat altogether, and ultra-processed “diet” foods filled supermarket shelves.

VERDICT: Cutting fat cut flavour and left us hungry. Fat is vital for hormones, fullness and absorbing vitamins. The answer is not removing fat but choosing the right ones, such as olive oil, nuts and foods or supplements with added plant sterols to actively protect the heart.

1990s: CARBS ARE KING

Suddenly carbohydrates were crowned as the cornerstone of a healthy diet. If fat was bad, carbs were good and Britain embraced them with enthusiasm. Bread, pasta and cereals filled supermarket shelves, backed by the new mantra to “base your meals on starchy foods”. Food brands jumped on board, fortifying products with vitamins and complex carbs to look healthy. Low-fat ruled so carbs seemed saintly. Portion sizes ballooned and blood sugars spiked.

VERDICT: This was also when food and body image fully collided as we ate to be smaller, not stronger. The Government’s intentions were sound as it laid the foundation for modern nutrition policy but it oversimplified the science. By blurring the line between refined and complex carbs, the 1990s set the stage for the carb confusion that still lingers today. The idea of fibre-rich carbs was right, but we reached for refined versions. Heart-health advice focused on cutting fat instead of balancing nutrients, overlooking proven options like sterols that tackle cholesterol itself.

2000s: PROTEIN BARS, SUPERFOODS AND DETOXES

Suddenly bacon was back thanks to the Atkins Diet, while avocados, quinoa and kale took over our kitchens. “Clean eating” promised purity but often meant restriction. The good news was that the Mediterranean way of eating – rich in olive oil, fish, nuts and naturally occurring sterols – was finally recognised as genuinely heart-protective. Around this time, scientists began enriching foods and developing plant-sterol supplements, giving people an easy, evidence-based tool to help lower cholesterol naturally.

VERDICT: Food became fashionable – sometimes too fashionable – but nutrition began to return to evidence rather than hype.

2020s: FAT JABS, FOOD CONFUSION AND THE GREAT RETHINK

Today sadly we have never been more confused – and we’ve never had more choice: food, diets, procedures… it’s utterly baffling. TikTok tells us seed oils are toxic, while GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic suppress appetites altogether. We’ve gone from fearing fat to fearing food itself. Ultra-processed foods still dominate, yet we crave balance. We talk about gut health, hormones and blood sugar, but many of us still don’t eat enough real food to support any of them.

VERDICT: After decades of over-engineering our diets, we’re left trying to fill nutritional gaps with functional foods and supplements. That isn’t bad news when it’s grounded in science.

Rob says: “We’ve created a food system that’s quick, cheap and convenient but stripped of the nutrients our grandparents took for granted. Supplements like plant sterols aren’t a shortcut, they’re a way of buffering the modern diet and supporting heart health in a world where even a ‘balanced’ diet often isn’t enough.”

Clementine, of thirdsister.co.uk, adds: “We are seeing extremes in people’s dietary intake, when everything is going well and stress levels are low, we are able to stick to a strict, healthy/balanced diet. When something suddenly goes wrong, all the well-intentioned ‘rules’ we’ve put in place fall apart, and food becomes the coping mechanism and crutch.

“Our stress levels and eating behaviours are intrinsically tied to our health, and too much attention has been put on singular foods or food groups and not enough on our habits.”

Looking ahead, Rob believes there are two paths: one ruled by apps, trackers and injections, and another that brings us back to home cooking, shared meals and trust in real food – with the help of well-researched tools like plant sterols to keep things in check.

FIVE QUICK FIXES THAT REALLY WORK!

PRE-DIABETES: Eat more soluble fibre such as oats, beans, lentils and apples; swap white carbs for whole grains; walk for
10-15 minutes after meals to steady blood sugar. TIP: Real food beats refined.

CHOLESTEROL: Plant sterols block cholesterol absorption, lowering LDL by up to 12% when taken daily in fortified foods or supplements; eat 30g of fibre a day from beans, oats, fruit, veg and seeds; pick heart-healthy fats such as olive oil and avocado; cut back on ultra-processed foods. TIP: Focus on better fats, not less fat and include Healthspan Plant Sterols (90 tablets, £20.99), three times a day.

OBESITY: Eat real food, not diet products; prioritise protein and fibre; don’t skip meals; sleep and stress matter as much as calories. TIP: Consistency beats crash diets.

BLOOD PRESSURE: Cut hidden salt in processed foods; eat potassium-rich foods like bananas and beans; stay hydrated and include beetroot for natural nitrates. TIP: A DASH-style diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) focusing on fruit, veg, wholegrains, low-fat dairy and lean protein and limiting salt, saturated fat and sugars, can help in weeks.

SUGAR CRAVINGS: Pair sweet foods with protein or fat; sleep well – tired brains crave sugar; manage stress, don’t ban treats completely. TIP: Cravings are not weakness – they’re signals.