Post by Bonobo on Jul 5, 2011 13:54:22 GMT 1
A poster called pip in the Polishforums proposed such a topic:
And here is my answer:
Nope. Poles didn`t eat healthier food during communism.
It is true that nowadays fast food has become very popular. But it is still not an everyday life style due to prices and people`s awareness of its harmfulness.
I can tell you how we ate in 1980s:
1. We stuck to traditional Polish food, rich in meat, sausage and gravy sauces. Cuisines like the Mediteranean one were unknown. Poles didn`t worry about fat or cholesterol. My uncle used to devour fatty scrambled eggs made of 6 eggs and fried lard chunks. But, eventually, he had to pay a lot of money to obtain bypasses after a disastrous heart attack.
2. Olive oil was unavailabe - we had to consume rapeseed oil, bad for health.
3. Fruit like apples or pears was cheap and available. But nobody wanted to eat that shit. However, oranges and other exotic fruit were scarce and green (from Cuba). Not to mention litchi plums or coconuts. I never saw them on sale in 1980s.
4. Fruit and vegetables were seasonal products - in winter or early spring very few were available due to lack of import from warmer countries.
A result?
Today, the average life expectancy in Poland is a few years longer than in communism. It is partly due to healthier eating habits.
In 1988 - 67 years.
2011 - 76.
And what do you think?
This is an obsession of mine, I am interested in what others think.
As a Canadian, I have watched my country get fatter and fatter -catching up to our American cousins. Living in Poland for the past 7 years I have noticed that Polish people have caught up to the American fat at an alarming rate. Seems that when Poland joined the EU- this point was the beginning of it all.
Kids are fat and often with black teeth. Men have now got the North American gut. Are Poles not aware of what happens when you eat over processed heavily refined garbage like McDonalds, KFC etc etc?. Every time I go to a shopping centre there is a massive line up to any of these garbage restaurants.
I haven't eaten fast food in over 7 years, maybe this is why I notice it more, but I think that Poles ate healthier during communism. Everything was home made and grown locally. Now, supper comes in a box and over farmed fruits that come from Spain are available all year round.
As a Canadian, I have watched my country get fatter and fatter -catching up to our American cousins. Living in Poland for the past 7 years I have noticed that Polish people have caught up to the American fat at an alarming rate. Seems that when Poland joined the EU- this point was the beginning of it all.
Kids are fat and often with black teeth. Men have now got the North American gut. Are Poles not aware of what happens when you eat over processed heavily refined garbage like McDonalds, KFC etc etc?. Every time I go to a shopping centre there is a massive line up to any of these garbage restaurants.
I haven't eaten fast food in over 7 years, maybe this is why I notice it more, but I think that Poles ate healthier during communism. Everything was home made and grown locally. Now, supper comes in a box and over farmed fruits that come from Spain are available all year round.
And here is my answer:
Nope. Poles didn`t eat healthier food during communism.
It is true that nowadays fast food has become very popular. But it is still not an everyday life style due to prices and people`s awareness of its harmfulness.
I can tell you how we ate in 1980s:
1. We stuck to traditional Polish food, rich in meat, sausage and gravy sauces. Cuisines like the Mediteranean one were unknown. Poles didn`t worry about fat or cholesterol. My uncle used to devour fatty scrambled eggs made of 6 eggs and fried lard chunks. But, eventually, he had to pay a lot of money to obtain bypasses after a disastrous heart attack.
2. Olive oil was unavailabe - we had to consume rapeseed oil, bad for health.
3. Fruit like apples or pears was cheap and available. But nobody wanted to eat that shit. However, oranges and other exotic fruit were scarce and green (from Cuba). Not to mention litchi plums or coconuts. I never saw them on sale in 1980s.
4. Fruit and vegetables were seasonal products - in winter or early spring very few were available due to lack of import from warmer countries.
A result?
Today, the average life expectancy in Poland is a few years longer than in communism. It is partly due to healthier eating habits.
In 1988 - 67 years.
2011 - 76.
And what do you think?
