Foods and Drinks They Swore Were Healthy in the ’80s (But… Nope)

Ah, the 1980s. Big hair, neon leg warmers, cassette tapes — and some truly questionable ideas about “healthy eating.” In 1980, the U.S. government released its very first dietary guidelines. The verdict? Fat was the enemy.

So food companies stripped fat out of everything… and replaced it with sugar, chemicals, and more preservatives than a Twinkie could dream of. If you grew up during that era, chances are your lunchbox was basically a chemistry set.

Here are the so-called “healthy” foods and drinks the ’80s sold us — and why they deserve a retro eye-roll today.

1. Fruit Juice 🍊

Mom said, “Drink your OJ for vitamin C!” What she didn’t mention: one cup of orange juice has the same sugar as five whole oranges. Basically, you were drinking dessert for breakfast and calling it “healthy.”

2. Granola Bars 🍫

Marketed as a wholesome snack, these were more like candy bars in disguise. Loaded with corn syrup, preservatives, and a dash of guilt, they were the “healthy” choice that left you wondering why you were still hungry 10 minutes later.

3. Lean Cuisine 🍽️

Those frozen trays of hope! Sure, they were “low fat,” but also low protein and sky-high sodium. Some were surprisingly tasty, which should’ve been our first clue they weren’t that good for us.

4. Diet Pop 🥤

Sold as the skinny cousin of regular pop, diet pop promised guilt-free sipping. But the aspartame may have done more harm than good. Spoiler alert: “zero sugar” doesn’t equal “zero problems.”

5. Cereal 🥣

Ah, yes, the breakfast of champions… if your champion is a cartoon mascot yelling at you from the box. Cereals in the ’80s were ultra-processed, sugar-packed, and came in colours not found in nature. (Pretty sure neon pink isn’t a fruit.)

6. Sports Drinks 🏃‍♀️

Unless you were running marathons in your Reeboks, you probably didn’t need a litre of Gatorade. These so-called “hydration helpers” were really just sugar water in fun colours.

7. Dairy Milk 🥛

Got Milk? Of course you did — the commercials practically bullied us into it. Sure, calcium is good for bones, but overdoing it could leave you spending a little extra quality time in the bathroom.

RELATED: The Best Songs of The '80s!

Honourable Mentions

Margarine, low-fat yogurt, rice cakes, SlimFast shakes, veggie patties, soy milk, and sugar-free candy all got their moment in the spotlight, too.

Basically, if it came in a box and had the word “light,” “diet,” or “slim” on it, we were told it was healthy.

Final Thought

Looking back, it’s clear: the ’80s may have given us Madonna, mixtapes, and The Breakfast Club, but it also gave us a whole lot of bogus “health” food. At least now we know better… mostly. (Confession: rice cakes with peanut butter still slap.)