Our parents' diets were drastically different from ours.
For one thing, their portion sizes were likely far smaller. For another, they were eating way more red meat.
Things like beef and lamb surged in popularity in the mid 1970s, but they are less common in today's restaurants and grocery stores, thanks to a hefty amount of research, which first emerged in the 1980s and '90s, connecting those products to unhealthy outcomes, such as cancer and heart disease.
We've also started eating more dark green, leafy vegetables, as scientists have begun learning about their protective benefits against chronic disease — something that's earned many of these veggies nicknames like "superfood" or "powerhouse food."
Changes in our understanding of fat and dairy are also reflected in our eating habits, as the consumption of things like whole milk plummeted in the 1990s to be replaced by low-fat or nonfat alternatives. Take a look at the rest of the ways Americans' eating habits have changed.
