-
Women Begin Obsessing Over Looks
Women began obsessing with the way their body looks. They wanted to look more lean and slender, making them very unhappy with the way they were. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed to allow everyone equality in regards to voting, public education, and the use of public facilities. Equality was given regardless of color, nationality, weight, and sex. -
Survey Found Men Happy With Their Bodies
A survey done in 1972 found that only 15 percent of men weren't happy with the way their body looks. This number rose to 34 percent in a survey completed in 1987. -
Number of Men Unhappy With Their Looks Increases
34 percent of men were found to be unhappy with the way their body looks in a study done in 1987. This number rose from a mere 15 percent, as found in a study done in 1972. -
Period: to
Women and body image
Throughout the 90s, half of American women said that they were dissatisfied with how their body looked. Less than one-third of American women were above normal weight during this period, but 70% of women were reported to be on a diet during this time. -
Period: to
Jack in the Box E. Coli Outbreak
An E. Coli outbreak at Jack in the Box left four children dead and hundreds sick. The E. Coli bacteria was found in the hamburger meat Hudson Foods sold to Jack in the Box. It was also found by the Department of Agriculture that Jack in the Box wasn't cooking their hamburger meat long enough, allowing even more diseases to contaminate the meat. -
Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act is Enacted
The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act went into effect on this day. DSHEA made it necessary for the FDA to get enough evidence to prove that a product is harmful before it can be taken off the market. The product must constitute a huge threat to the health of humans. -
Get Slim With Higher Taxes
The director of Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, Kelly D. Brownell, wrote an article that was published in New York Times. In Brownell's most famous article, he talked about how the obesity problem that America faces isn't due to lac of willpower. Brownell explained how he believed that Americans were gaining weight due to how easy it was to obtain low-nutrition foods. In his article, Brownell proposed that there should be an extra tax on low-nutrition foods. -
Listeria Outbreak in Sara Lee Products
15 deaths, 101 illnesses, and 6 miscarriages were linked to a deadly Listeria outbreak that stemmed from a plant in Zeeland, Michigan. 15 million pounds of lunch meat and hot dogs were recalled due to the contamination of Listeria. This Sara Lee plant in Michigan was temporarily shut down for investiagtion, but they found no evidence that the meats were shipped out knowingly with contaminents. The Sara Lee Listeria outbreak is still the largest meat recall in U.S. history today. -
Healthy People 2010
The US Department of Health and Human Services released a program known as Healthy People 2010 in 2000. Healthy People 2010 was launched to reduce adult obesity form 65% to 15%. Obesity only saw an increase in the years following the program release. -
NFL Bans Ephedra Based Supplements
Ephedrine had been controversy for a few years before the FDA finally banned it and took it off the market.The NFL banned ephedra based supplements shortly after Minnesota Vikings player, Korey Stringer, died at training camp. No traces of ephedrine were found in his system at the time, but he was known for having plenty of bottles of it in his locker. The NFL blamed this drug on his death, therefore they banned it. -
FDA Bans Dietary Supplements Containing Ephedrine
The FDA banned supplements containing ephedrine after research found the danger that circulates around these products. Ephedrine is most commonly used in diet pills and athletic enhancers, which usually speed up your nervous system and heart. More than 16,000 cases were found in a 2003 study showing harmful side effects of this drug, including heart palpitation, heart attack, and stroke. -
Misty Watts makes national headlines
Misty Watts experienced weight discrimination at her job. Watts, who worked at Ruby Tuesday, reported to ABC News that her manager fired her because her uniform didn't fit her. Days before being fired, Misty Watts had been awarded Employee of the Month. Watts was offered her job back as the story gained more attention, but she turned it down. -
MyPyramid
MyPyramid was created in 2005 by the USDA to encourage healthy eating habits. The pyramid shows what is known as the five basic food groups: grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, and meat and beans. A stick figure running up the side of the pyramid recommends that healthy eating be combined with physical activity. -
Ana Carolina Reston Dies
Ana Carolina Reston was a model who stood at 5 feet 8 inches tall, but weighed a mere 88 pounds at the time of her death. She got an infection due to being anorexic. Reston's death raised a lot of controversy regarding the fashion industry. Some fashion capitals like Milan and Madrid, began to require that models have at least a BMI of around 18 to participate in fashion shows. Ana Carolina Reston had a BMI of 13 at the time of her death. -
MyPyramid replaced by MyPlate
Researchers at Harvard found that MyPyramid was misleading in what is believed to be a healthy diet. They ruled this because there was no distinction between healthy and unhealthy carbs and fats. USDA then proceeded to create MyPlate, which depicts a plate divided into five major food groups: grains, fruits, vegetables, protein, and milk.