15 Food And Drinks We Thought Were Healthy In The ’80s

The 1980s were a decade of big hair, big corporate, and big ideas about food and health. Along with the U.S. government publishing its first dietary guidelines at the time, wellness broke free from its former association with folks like your hippie aunt and uncle and entered the mainstream. This was due, in part, to the advent of two cultural trends: fitness and workplace changes, especially the rise of women in the workplace. People had less time for home cooking, spiking a demand for grab-and-go convenience that was also good for you. In addition, fueled by the rise in diet fads, fat in food was essentially seen as the enemy, and carbs were viewed as the antidote to high cholesterol and obesity.

The decade produced a boom of fat-free and sugar-free food and drinks that were marketed as healthier options despite being highly processed and sometimes loaded with sugar or artificial sweeteners. Now, all decades are guilty of representing outdated “healthy” eating ideas, but the ’80s are particularly interesting, encompassing almost the antithesis of what we believe today. Fat is no longer vilified, whole foods are preferred over packaged convenience, and diet culture is out. Nutrition knowledge is continually expanding, and who knows how we’ll look back on the health trends of today? 

We’ve compiled a list of food and drinks we thought were healthy back in the ’80s. Much like the hairspray and spandex, it’s perhaps a good thing the world’s mostly moved on. 

A cup of fruit juice was once a standard addition to most American breakfasts. Praised for being packed with vitamins and minerals, fruit juice (OJ especially) was sold as adding an extra health kick to the start of your day. Juice boxes also gained popularity during the 1980s, often advertised as offering an energy boost to get kids through the school day.

Understandably, fruit juice was perceived as strictly healthy for many years. It’s made from fruit, so how could that be unhealthy? Pre-packaged fruit juice may feature misleading labeling, contain added sugars — which could make it as sugary as a can of soda — and be loaded with additives and preservatives to enhance shelf life. While 100% freshly squeezed fruit juice is a far more nutritious option, the natural sugar content is still high. For instance, one cup of OJ might have the same amount of sugar as five oranges, because the juicing process condenses the natural sugars into a single serving. Other nutrients may be retained, but that digestion-boosting fiber is eliminated. For maximum benefits, it’s perhaps best to simply eat the fruit whole.

Having reached a staggering $377.3 million in sales in 1985 alone, it’s safe to say that granola bars had a moment in the ’80s. Before then, they were mainly homemade health treats often associated with the counterculture revolution. However, thanks to General Mills, the Nature Valley granola bar was the first to be mass produced in 1975. The snack was marketed as a complement to active outdoor lifestyles, which is perhaps where the problem began.

Homemade granola bars are typically made with oats, nuts, and seeds — healthy staples that provide energy and satiation. However, when mass produced, a lot more is added to the ingredients list. While seemingly made with simple, natural ingredients, they still need to both maintain freshness over long periods and be tasty enough to appeal to large markets, which often results in granola bars that are packed with sugar, high in saturated fat, and loaded with preservatives. Paired with some deceptively granola marketing, this led to decades of confusion about the product. Nowadays, there are numerous nutritious granola bar varieties available; but still, when it comes to health and nutrition, homemade is typically better. 

Diet sodas have been around as far back as 1952. However, the drink gained major public traction a few decades later, especially as Diet Coke was introduced to the market in 1982. Until then, most diet sodas were sweetened with saccharin, an artificial sweetener classified as a carcinogen in the early ’80s (though this was later debunked). Still, Diet Coke was sweetened with aspartame, which was newly approved and tasted a lot more like real sugar than saccharin. Coupled with a growing interest in health and fitness, plus Diet Coke’s popularity, the use of aspartame made its way into most diet soda brands. Little did they know aspartame itself would become a controversial ingredient. 

While the correlation between aspartame and cancer is inconclusive and requires further research, the chemical may have other adverse health effects. Namely, if consumed in excess, it can potentially cause weight gain, despite being marketed as a diet product. Artificial sweeteners like aspartame may also impact your brain chemistry, confusing satiation signals and increasing cravings for sugary, fatty foods. As such, some studies have found a correlation between aspartame and a high BMI.

The 1980s were the decade of cereal! Following mass deregulation, kid-focused commercials featuring cartoon cereal mascots were pervasive. Still, not all cereal was considered to be all that nutritious; bright artificial colors are a dead giveaway (even in the ’80s). That being said, some cereal brands used clever marketing to create the perception of being healthier food options. Brands like Cheerios, Frosted Mini Wheats, Special K, and Raisin Bran were widely considered to be the healthy, borderline boring option for your most important meal of the day. In reality, whether it’s pink and dusted in powdered sugar or beige and high in fiber, most cereal is no longer deemed “healthy” by the FDA.

While some cereals contain vitamins and minerals, and certain brands have a significant amount of fiber, it’s nonetheless an ultra-processed food. The NOVA food classification system states that these products are industrially processed and made with several ingredients, including additives, emulsifiers, preservatives, and chemical sweeteners that aren’t typically found in home kitchens. Ultra-processed foods are also high in saturated fats and sugars. Some studies highlight a correlation between these foods and adverse health effects, like diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. 

Milk was regarded as a necessity for healthy teeth, strong bones, and — according to this ’80s commercial — a surefire path to big muscles and supermodel girlfriends. Drinking milk was deemed an ideal source of protein and calcium, and was even considered crucial in preventing fractures. The health marketing has since been debunked, and considering an estimated 30 million Americans are lactose intolerant, it’s no wonder milk sales have drastically declined.

Lactose is a sugar found in dairy, and the inability to process it causes stomach pain and other gut issues. Beyond that, factory-farmed cows produce milk laced with growth hormones and antibiotics that may have adverse effects on humans. Milk is also high in saturated fat and cholesterol, correlating to heart disease if consumed in large amounts. Experts suggest adults should limit their intake to no more than three small glasses per day. Since certain types of tofu, beans, nuts and seeds, and green vegetables can offer more calcium per serving than milk, there’s really no need to reach for a glass. 

Sports drinks are made to be consumed after strenuous exercise. They contain water plus sodium, magnesium, and potassium, essential electrolytes that need refueling after a sweaty workout. The earliest sports drink, Lucozade, was made in 1927, but it was initially considered a medical drink rather than specifically for athletes. By the ’60s, Gatorade emerged as a hydrating option for athletes to replenish electrolytes; and by the ’80s, mass-produced sports drink brands were stocked almost everywhere and marketed as being for everyone. However, most people aren’t sweating enough to truly benefit from the product. 

Sports drinks are often high in sugar and carbohydrates. Boosting these when running a marathon, for example, is helpful, but it’s likely unnecessary during moderate exercise or strenuous exercise of moderate duration. Since most people aren’t professional athletes, consuming these drinks too often may lead to weight gain or an electrolyte imbalance, which can have some serious health effects. While sports drinks serve a very specific purpose, most people don’t need them. For the general population, water is considered a more ideal option.

Margarine is a spreadable butter-like substance made mostly from vegetable oil mixed with water. But it contains additives and sometimes yellow food coloring (because margarine is actually white) to more closely resemble butter. Over a century after it was first invented, margarine became hugely popular in the 1980s. It reached peak sales during this decade, when fat — like butter’s saturated fat — was demonized, as previously mentioned. But margarine’s reputation has since dipped for being an ultra-processed food that’s high in trans fat. 

To increase its spreadability, hydrogen is added to margarine, which results in trans fat. The World Health Organization reports that trans fats contribute to nearly 280,000 deaths around the world annually, as they’re known to clog arteries and increase the risk of high cholesterol, heart attacks, and strokes. Beyond that, there’s growing concern about the potential toxicity of seed oils, which are highly processed and high in omega-6, which may increase inflammation in the body and the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Given that seed oil is typically the primary ingredient in margarine, it may be best to steer clear of this ’80s darling.

As the consumer demand for healthier low-fat foods spiked during the 1980s, the dairy industry responded with low-fat yogurt. Commercials from big-name brands like Dannon suggested that consuming the product would make you fit and trim. However, since the general sentiment around fat (and its various types) has changed, low-fat products might have been selling a lie. 

Foods that are naturally low in fat — think fruits and veggies — are always a healthy low-fat option. But making a food like yogurt low-fat requires heavy processing that can decrease the health benefits of the original product. This includes incorporating additives, thickeners, and flavoring to improve the texture and taste after the fat has been removed. Low-fat yogurt is also often high in sugar, especially the flavored varieties. In addition, fat is satiating, meaning you are more likely to overeat low-fat products — and overconsumption may lead to weight gain and health issues. Finally, vitamins like A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble, so eating low-fat yogurt might make it more difficult to absorb the nutrients provided by the yogurt in the first place.

In 1980, plant-based diets weren’t nearly as common among Americans as today, but in 1984, Vegeburger became one of the first vegetarian patties stocked in the grocery aisle. It was made mainly from a combination of wheat gluten, sesame, soy, oats, and various herbs and spices — vegetables weren’t exactly a staple ingredient. As other veggie patties emerged on the market, they tended to be a highly processed food item made mostly of carbs and containing grain fillers, emulsifiers, and preservatives. The patties also often contained high levels of sodium and saturated fats, which can negatively impact blood pressure and cholesterol, and increase the risk of heart disease, as previously mentioned. Furthermore, these products sometimes included textured vegetable protein. This soy-based product is meant to mimic the texture of meat and, while high in protein, is sometimes associated with digestive issues. 

Today, the array of vegetarian and vegan patty options is vast. The healthiest versions are made with whole plant proteins like mushrooms or peas, rather than grains. It’s also best to avoid brands with too many additives. Or better yet, make your own veggie patties at home.

Rice cakes exist as a result of ’80s diet culture. Often marketed in commercials featuring slim women wearing bikinis, the product was sold as a low-calorie, low-carb, fat-free antidote to bread and butter (Quaker Rice Cakes, for example, boasted a mere 35 calories per serving). This makes perfect sense considering the product offers very little nutritional value.  

Today, the distinction between calories and nutrition is significant. In other words, eating essential nutrients is more important than calorie restriction to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The process to make rice cakes includes a high level of heat; as such, the resulting refined carbohydrate lacks the nutrients typically provided by rice. Rice cakes digest fairly quickly, which can result in overeating due to lack of satiation. The flavored varieties are also typically loaded with additives, sugars, preservatives, and sodium. So, they’re also known to spike blood sugar, making it likely to cause sugar crashes.

SlimFast is a meal replacement shake that became very popular in the late 1980s. The SlimFast diet consisted of a light 600-calorie dinner and two shakes a day to replace breakfast and lunch. Through multiple celebrity endorsements, it was marketed as a quick and easy solution to weight loss. While SlimFast customers were likely to lose weight, this was mostly due to calorie restriction and a lack of nutrients, making sustainable weight loss very difficult and potentially resulting in some serious health implications.  

While SlimFast has since expanded to include other products and diet plans, these original shakes were high in protein, but being heavily processed, the protein sources were synthetic and of low quality. They were also high in sugar and artificial flavors, and offered almost no fiber. Another prominent ingredient in the shakes was vegetable oil, a trans fat that’s been linked to heart disease and high cholesterol, as previously mentioned. Rather than encouraging appropriate servings of nutritious whole foods packed with vitamins and minerals, SlimFast promotes severe calorie restriction, which may actually slow the metabolism. Some studies suggest that it may even impair cognitive function and potentially facilitate disordered eating.

Lean Cuisine was once considered a convenient and healthy frozen meal staple. Gaining popularity in the ’80s, they were marketed as being lighter options that were also tasty. The brand was so diet-focused, each package eventually listed its respective number of Weight Watchers points. While being low in fat and calories (one meal is typically around 300 calories or less), these pre-packaged meals are also low in macronutrients. This means that Lean Cuisine meals are often low in protein and fiber, while high in carbs and sodium. Some also include preservatives to enhance the flavor and longevity of the food.

Beyond the ingredients, it’s the marketing that really dates Lean Cuisine. Nowadays, diet-focused meals are criticized for representing an era of toxic body standard ideals and weight loss at all costs. So much so that Lean Cuisine eventually overhauled its ’80s marketing campaigns, veering away from diet-related slogans and focusing more on overall health and wellbeing. The brand even co-created a browser extension to block posts about diet and weight loss.

Fueled by a growing interest in health and fitness, consumers became more conscious of what went into their bodies, and popular opinion on white bread started changing during this time. Many deemed white bread as unhealthy and an indicator of poor taste, turning their attention to brown bread instead. Grainy and beige, it seemingly resembles “healthy” food more obviously than the stark white softness of a white loaf. However, brown bread has its own controversies today. 

Due to misleading labeling and loose standards around the term “whole grain,” most store-bought brown bread has very little whole grain in it. Instead, it may be made from refined white flour and dyed with caramel or molasses to give it a whole grain look — meaning the bread undergoes the same highly processed milling process as white bread, eradicating most of the fiber and other nutrients. Store-bought brown bread is also typically packed with preservatives to enhance shelf life, and will often be high in sugar and sodium. So, it’s always best to check the ingredients list on store-bought bread to find the best loaf.

In the Western world, soy milk is regarded as one of the first alternative milk products to be mass produced. Before the 1980s, plant-based food and drinks were associated with counterculture movements. However, soy milk entered the mainstream toward the end of the decade as public concerns about high-fat diets became more prevalent. Making soy milk is a process of soaking, grinding, boiling, pasteurizing, and homogenizing soy beans into a creamy consistency that resembles milk. However, this process can degrade soy to an unhealthy, less nutritious version of itself. 

Commercial soy milk often contains additives like carrageenan that have been linked to gut issues, as well as phytate, which can restrict the absorption of vitamins found in soy. Soy also contains a plant compound that mimics estrogen, suggesting that excess soy consumption, like as your daily dairy alternative, could potentially affect your thyroid and other hormone functions. Lastly, most of the soy grown stateside is genetically modified. While GMOS are generally deemed safe for human consumption, herbicide exposure as a result of them has been linked to potential health risks. However, more research needs to be conducted on these matters.

Sugar-free candy offered us the illusion of “guilt-free” indulgence. In the ’80s, sugar-free candies were considered to be safe sweet treats for diabetics. Zero-calorie artificial sweeteners like aspartame, saccharin, and sugar alcohols (think xylitol and sorbitol) entered the mainstream — and soon, sugar-free candy was marketed as a diet treat. For instance, Ayds was a chocolate marketed as not only diet-friendly but also as an appetite suppressant. The idea was that one piece of candy would supposedly curb your hunger for hours. 

Nowadays, sugar-free candy is no longer considered a healthy candy option. While these products are often low in calories, experts explain to Today that they still lack the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients we need. Sugar-free candy may also cause gut issues, especially in people prone to irritable bowel syndrome. Finally, and somewhat ironically, more recent studies suggest that artificial sweeteners may actually increase the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. So, while sugar-free candies might be a good alternative for some folks looking to satisfy their sweet tooth, they should still be consumed in moderation, under the guidance of a doctor.