What do Lord Byron's vinegar-soaked potatoes, 1920s cigarette diets, and SlimFast commercials have in common?
They all shaped the way we think about food, bodies, and "health"—and their echoes are still showing up in how our kids are fed and talked to today.
In this first of a two-part series, Christine and Chanel take a whirlwind (and eye-opening) tour through diet culture across the decades, exposing how binge-restrict cycles, body trends, and the language of "wellness" have been carefully marketed—and dangerously recycled.
⏳ In this episode:
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Lord Byron and the romanticization of starvation in the 1800s
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The 1920s flapper ideal and cigarette diets
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The birth of diet pills and the rise of appetite suppression
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Weight Watchers, Cabbage Soup Diet, Atkins, and the rebrand as "Keto"
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How body ideals have shifted—from waif to hourglass to heroin chic and back again
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Why this history matters when raising kids in a media-saturated world
🧠 Resources Mentioned:
👋 Connect with Us:
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Follow the podcast on Instagram: @plateful.parenting.podcast
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Follow Chanel on Instagram: @chanel.kenner.nutrition
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Explore more episodes & resources at: platefulparenting.com (update if needed)
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Share your thoughts or story: [email protected]
🎧 Subscribe so you don't miss Part 2, where we tackle modern "wellness" trends, GLP-1s, SkinnyTok, and what actually supports body trust in kids.
