How many episodes of 50's TV do you watch before you realize the kids are always snacking on fruit? Or cut up vegetables? I'm not going to pretend that potato chips weren't around in the 50's. Or ice cream. But they were treats. Special treats. They were not kept in the home. Kids certainly didn't bring them to school for their lunch either (Beaver Cleaver's snack for lunch was often a tomato). If you were lucky, Mom had pies, ice cream or cakes for dessert, which was eaten together as a family after dinner... but those were not grab and go after school snacks. You didn't walk inside from playing on a Saturday and have a slice of pie. If you were hungry, you got a banana or an apple. Maybe you grabbed a carrot or some celery. Sometimes Mom had cookies made for snacking, but they were definitely homemade and you only had one or two in passing. At least that's how I see it on TV!
So, if we want to be more 50's, lay out healthier snacks for your kids. Spend the money on fruit rather than Doritos (which weren't even invented until the late 60's). Give your kids milk or water rather than soda (another treat back in the 50's that wasn't kept at home). You'll be doing your wallet, their health and your conscience a lot of good!
