Obesity is everywhere today. It is so normalized that seeing someone with a healthy body composition is almost rare. But rewind to the 1970s, and things were drastically different. Being overweight was uncommon, and morbid obesity was almost unheard of. So, what happened? What changed between then and now? The answer isn’t as simple as “people just eat too much.” It involves corporate greed, government intervention, and a total shift in how we view food, health, and lifestyle.

The Numbers Don’t Lie: Obesity Was Rare

In the 1970s, the obesity rate in the U.S. was around 13%. Today, that number has skyrocketed to over 40%. Childhood obesity, which was nearly nonexistent in the 70s, is now at 20% and rising. This isn’t just a statistical fluke—it’s a public health catastrophe. The real question is: Why did this happen, and who is responsible?

The Death of Real Food

One of the biggest culprits is the destruction of real food. In the 1970s, people ate home-cooked meals, not ultra-processed, chemically-altered junk. Fast food existed, but it was an occasional indulgence, not a daily staple. Families ate real butter, whole milk, eggs, and fresh meat without fear-mongering about cholesterol or saturated fats.

Then came the low-fat craze and the rise of ultra-processed foods. The government, backed by questionable science, launched dietary guidelines that demonized fat and promoted carbohydrate-heavy diets. Suddenly, whole foods were replaced with artificial, processed alternatives. Butter was replaced with margarine, natural fats with seed oils, and fresh meals with pre-packaged “health foods” laden with sugar.

The Sugar Invasion

Before the 1980s, sugar consumption was nowhere near today’s levels. But with the low-fat movement in full swing, food manufacturers needed something to make their products palatable. Enter high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a cheap, highly addictive sweetener that flooded the food supply.

✔ Soda became a household staple.
✔ Sugary cereals were marketed as “part of a balanced breakfast.”
✔ Even “healthy” foods like yogurt and granola bars were packed with hidden sugars.

Today, the average American consumes over 150 pounds of sugar per year. In the 1970s, that number was nearly half. This explosion of sugar consumption correlates almost perfectly with the rise in obesity, diabetes, and metabolic disorders. Coincidence? Hardly.

The War on Movement

Another major shift is the decline in physical activity. In the 1970s:

✔ Kids played outside.
✔ Adults worked more physically demanding jobs.
✔ Screen time was virtually nonexistent.

Today, we live in a world of sedentary entertainment, where children are glued to screens and adults sit for 8+ hours a day before coming home to sit some more.

✔ Schools have also contributed to the problem. Recess and physical education have been cut, replaced with more screen-based learning.
✔ Children are being conditioned to move less and sit more, a habit that carries into adulthood.
✔ When you combine this lack of movement with a highly processed, sugar-laden diet, the results are inevitable: skyrocketing obesity rates and a sick, unhealthy population.

The Pharmaceutical Profit Machine

Here’s a controversial take: The obesity epidemic is incredibly profitable for the pharmaceutical industry.

✔ In the 1970s, there were no billion-dollar weight loss drugs or medications for “obesity management.”
✔ Today, companies like Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are making billions from drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, which don’t cure obesity but make people dependent on them for life.

Instead of promoting **real solutions—like eating whole foods and exercising—**the healthcare industry pushes pills, injections, and surgeries. Why cure the problem when you can profit from managing it indefinitely?

The Mindset Shift: Fat Acceptance vs. Personal Responsibility

In the 1970s, being overweight was not the norm, and people took responsibility for their health. Today, we have movements that encourage “body positivity” to the point where obesity is being celebrated rather than addressed as a health crisis.

✔ While self-love is important, glorifying an unhealthy lifestyle is dangerous.
✔ Instead of encouraging people to make better choices, society now tells them that their weight is “genetic,” “uncontrollable,” or “healthy at any size.”
✔ This shift in mindset is keeping people sick, dependent on medications, and fueling a never-ending cycle of weight gain and disease.

The Corporate Takeover of Food and Health

Let’s not ignore the corporate forces that have manipulated the food industry over the past 50 years.

✔ Agricultural subsidies have made processed grains and sugars artificially cheap, while fresh produce and high-quality meats remain expensive.
✔ Fast food chains have exploded in number, making ultra-processed, calorie-dense meals more accessible than ever.
✔ Food corporations spend billions on marketing unhealthy products, often targeting children.
✔ Diet and weight loss industries thrive on failure, pushing unsustainable fad diets that keep people in a cycle of yo-yo dieting and weight regain.

Meanwhile, traditional food wisdom—like eating whole, unprocessed foods and avoiding excessive sugar—has been buried under layers of misinformation.

Can We Reverse the Damage?

Reversing this trend won’t be easy, but it’s possible if people wake up to the truth. Here are some steps we can take:

✔ Eat like it’s the 1970s: Cook meals at home, use real butter, eat whole foods, and ditch ultra-processed junk.
✔ Cut out added sugar: Avoid sodas, sugary snacks, and anything with high-fructose corn syrup.
✔ Move more: Ditch the sedentary lifestyle. Walk, lift weights, play outside, and encourage kids to do the same.
✔ Reject diet propaganda: Ignore mainstream dietary guidelines that push processed “low-fat” garbage and embrace ancestral nutrition.
✔ Hold corporations accountable: Demand transparency from food manufacturers and stop supporting companies that push unhealthy products.
✔ Push back against obesity normalization: Encourage a culture of health, not complacency.

Conclusion: It’s Time to Wake Up

Obesity was uncommon in the 1970s because people ate real food, moved their bodies, and took personal responsibility for their health. Over the last five decades, the food industry, government policies, and Big Pharma have manipulated society into accepting obesity as an inevitability.

But it’s not.

The good news? We don’t have to accept this fate. We can choose to break free from the cycle, reject processed garbage, move our bodies, and reclaim our health.

The question is: Will we?