The 1890s diet, life

sabrajanebrown

I've been reading about the diet of the 1800s (particularly the Victorian Era of the 1890s). And I think they have something there. The way these Victorian women ate, exercised and lived is remarkable. Did you know they used their hand as a measurement for their portion sizes? For example, a bowl of oatmeal to them was no bigger than their hand when cupped (that is about 1/2 a cup). And they practically walked everywhere, no elevators, escalators or the like. Their meals were well spaced apart and ample (I use the word AMPLE, meaning just enough). The food was freshly prepared and contained none of the preservatives and chemicals that ours do today. They didn't hit the gym and run 5Ks and yest they still had 20 inch waists. They drank alcohol and ate sweets but yet stayed slim and healthy. So, my question is this -- do you think is it possible to live and eat this way in 2012 and beyond? I do!

fittocycle

I think you can adapt many of those habits and practices. And eating clean has never hurt anyone!

head_in_rainbows

They might have had 20 inch waists but they were probably 5 inches shorter than contemporary women. I highly doubt they drank alcohol. Just jusging by my grandmoms, they are scandalized when I drink wine to diner. My bros can have a bear but drinking alcohol is not "lady like" ... apart from that, I think it is a good idea to look at how our grandparents generation was eating. Sweets were a once a week thing and people did not eat meat more than 2 times a week. They did not eat fancy foreign stuff. They ate locally and didn't overindulge.

swarla

Did this apply to everyone or just the people who were affluent enough to eat this way?

rhymeswithfox

They also wore corsets (hence the 20inch waists... maybe even smaller). But I agree that eating no processed food or microwave meals, using one's hand as a measuring guide, and going on long walks while never using elevators/escalators would allow someone a much thinner look. Problem is that when people live in small places with no stair cases and are demanded at work very quickly and have to pop a meal in a microwave once in awhile being thinner involves more planning and work. I gained weight when I didn't have to go up stairs to get to my bed room, small things like that make a small difference. Enough small details add up.

grrrlface

They might have had 20 inch waists but they were probably 5 inches shorter than contemporary women. I highly doubt they drank alcohol. Just jusging by my grandmoms, they are scandalized when I drink wine to diner. My bros can have a bear but drinking alcohol is not "lady like" ... apart from that, I think it is a good idea to look at how our grandparents generation was eating. Sweets were a once a week thing and people did not eat meat more than 2 times a week. They did not eat fancy foreign stuff. They ate locally and didn't overindulge.

Alcohol was common especially in Victorian England where gin was especially, it was prescribed as a medication (as was cocaine and other, now illegal, hard substances.), they gave it to children in workhouses to send them to sleep. Things weren't taboo as they were now, the Victorians were obsessed with these substances and believed they were medicinal or even healthy.

I believe their diet, if you were wealthy, would have been better for us in that less food was processed and their portion sizes were probably better suited for our bodies (and wearing a corset would certainly help!). I wouldn't have like to live with no money though, nothing but bread, gruel and water would be a bit too grim.

AlabasterVerve

I think this website is fascinating:

http://www.foodtimeline.org/index.html

sabrajanebrown

Thanks for the site! Very cool!!!

RealWomenLovePitbulls

i think unprocessed foods were a lot easier to find back then, now everything is packed with artificial flavors and such

LorinaLynn

If I wore a corset since before I hit puberty, I'm sure I'd have a 20 inch waist, too. Just make sure I have a fainting couch nearby in case I swoon.

I don't consider running a 5k or lifting weights to be some horrible punishment I have to endure. I love being physically (and socially) able to do those things. Especially since it allows me to eat lots of pizza!

kschmi24

Don't forget, no refrigeration or modern ways to get fresh fruits and vegetables in the winter. I'm just saying, if you want to be authentic, its local and canned foods vegetables and cured smoked/salted meats for everyone!

I do get your point, and I suppose it is realistic, but I think there are more things like what I mentioned to consider when we question whether people were "healthier".

znm100

not to be a debbie downer, and i know there are other factors, but the average life expectancy in 1890 was something like 45 years old as well... just something else to think about.

BarbaraC47

I am just approaching 65 and cannot really remember but sweet rationing was still in place after the war. I can remember days when we didn't eat meat, and portions were smaller than now, we never ate snack foods and processed foods were now and again rather than weekly/daily. My mother worked but always cooked fresh and nutritious meals and shopped every couple of days to get the freshest food she could. My weight problem came later in life, ill health and giving up smoking along with other issues - but I have to admit that its sooo easy to slip into bad habits with food... thats not an excuse, I'm just saying

alerica1

not to be a debbie downer, and i know there are other factors, but the average life expectancy in 1890 was something like 45 years old as well... just something else to think about.

^^This^^

denvervegan

i think unprocessed foods were a lot easier to find back then, now everything is packed with artificial flavors and such

I think unprocessed foods were a lot harder to find. It is so easy now to find imported vegetables, fruits and grains that would have been difficult, if not impossible, to find at that time. If you stick to the produce and bulk sections of the grocery store, it is incredibly easy to stay away from artificial flavors, preservatives, etc. Unfortunately, most people are just too lazy to cook.

meshashesha2012

yes being poor and not having enough food to eat and working 16+hours a day 6-7 days a week really does help you stay slim.

most of the women in victorian times weren't living a life of leisure. and as others have pointed out they have 20 inch waists because of corsets many of which they started wearing once they reached puberty and ended up changing their bone structure.

i really dont see the point in trying to adhere to a diet and lifestyle to people who werent healthy and didnt have anywhere near the life expectancy that we have now. yeah they might have been thin, but the quality of life was pretty bad

checkmatekingtwo

"But to enter the world of the Victorian working man's diet is to enter the world of the savage — it was uncertain in supply, primitive in content, and unhealthy in effect. Few of the poor had ovens and had to rely either on open-fire pan cooking, buy their hot food out, or make do with cold meals ... If the rural poor ate birds then the urban poor ate pairings of tripe, slink (prematurely born calves), or broxy (diseased sheep). Edgar Wallace recollects working-class families along the Old Kent Road shopping for 'tainted' pieces of meat and 'those odds and ends of meat, the by-products of the butchering business." From the webpage What the Poor Ate http://www.victorianweb.org/science/health/health8.html

The other end of the economic spectrum of the Victorian age didn't have a healthier lifestyle: "Dinner was the largest meal of the day for the rich. If they dined alone, it could average five courses but if entertaining could be a dozen or up to as many as twenty courses! This was a chance to boast of one’s wealth with displays of china, cutlery and servants. Cheeses, savory soups, vegetable side dishes, fish, meats like roast beef, turkey or pork were followed by citrus ice, fresh rolls with sweet cream, butter or jams, sweet pickles, cake and fruit preserves, coffee and punch. Consequently, obesity was more prevalent in the rich!" from http://beekman1802.com/general/eat-this-not-that.html

beattie1

Thanks for fascinating links

fittocycle

You do raise an interesting point. Have you ever noticed that people in the photographs right after WWII were very lean looking? Not necessarily thin to the point of being unhealthy but lean in a good way!

MrsBully4

People looked so hot during the Great Depression

SoDamnHungry

People looked so hot during the Great Depression

They hadn't invented air conditioning yet.

curvymomo3

oh dont forget the corsets!!!! I have a nice steel boned corset..........I dont know how they wore those things!!!! lol but When I did I ate like a bird!

BodyByButter

I think this website is fascinating:

http://www.foodtimeline.org/index.html

I just lost myself in that site and its links for about two hours. Enjoyed it thoroughly!

Crochetluvr

People looked so hot during the Great Depression

They hadn't invented air conditioning yet.

A/C was used in movie theaters in the 20's. Tha'ts one of the reasons people went to the movies during the depression....just to cool off for a couple hours.

Keiko385

I think this website is fascinating:

http://www.foodtimeline.org/index.html

thanks for the link, interesting reading and may of found a few recipes to try

Ruthe8

They might have had 20 inch waists but they were probably 5 inches shorter than contemporary women. I highly doubt they drank alcohol. Just jusging by my grandmoms, they are scandalized when I drink wine to diner. My bros can have a bear but drinking alcohol is not "lady like" ... apart from that, I think it is a good idea to look at how our grandparents generation was eating. Sweets were a once a week thing and people did not eat meat more than 2 times a week. They did not eat fancy foreign stuff. They ate locally and didn't overindulge.

You're 28 years old, I doubt your grandmother lived in the 1890's. Don't make the mistake of thinking that everything before your time was the same in every generation. It's very well-known that men and women drank quite a bit of alcohol at that time.

Also, your grandmothers aren't a good representation of their entire generation.

BodyByButter

They might have had 20 inch waists but they were probably 5 inches shorter than contemporary women. I highly doubt they drank alcohol. Just jusging by my grandmoms, they are scandalized when I drink wine to diner. My bros can have a bear but drinking alcohol is not "lady like" ... apart from that, I think it is a good idea to look at how our grandparents generation was eating. Sweets were a once a week thing and people did not eat meat more than 2 times a week. They did not eat fancy foreign stuff. They ate locally and didn't overindulge.

You're 28 years old, I doubt your grandmother lived in the 1890's. Don't make the mistake of thinking that everything before your time was the same in every generation. It's very well-known that men and women drank quite a bit of alcohol at that time.

Also, your grandmothers aren't a good representation of their entire generation.

Bingo. Prohibition started in 1920. Even then people drank. Roaring 20s anyone? Attitudes about alcohol are and we're also impacted by geographical areas. I live in the Bible belt and just last week a neighboring county went wet.

BodyByButter

PS I am 43 and my grandma wasn't born until 1917.

hmparkin23

Remember they didn't have central heating either - you would have used a lot more energy just staying warm sometimes...

tragicpixie

Being "thick" or bigger in Victorian times was a mark of wealth and was considered desirable. There weren't diets to ensure women stayed slim, those diets were probably to ensure that food was rationed enough so they could eat through winter. Even for the wealthy, food was still seasonal and short in supply - all the money in the world isn't going to help you if drought wiped out all the farms around and your garden. Slimming diets didn't come around until beauty standards changed in the 1910's and '20s.

Definitely some good habits practiced in that time period would have been lack of processed foods, fresh foods, if you were affluent enough, you would keep a garden for fresh fruits and veg. Also likely you would keep chickens, your meat and dairy wouldn't be loaded with hormones and chemicals....
Bread was a dietary staple, but it was a whole wheat heartier bread than what most find in supermarkets today.
People got more activity because things were harder: had to walk, take the stairs, possibly pump water, haul things like coal, etc.

I mean, I would say being more active is always a good habit and eating whole foods. But in general, Victorians were kind of crazy in their ideas of health. (Though you know, I've always wondered about opium cough syrup.)