Looking back on the food we ate in the 70s, it’s a wonder we made it through in one piece. While some meals hold a special place in our hearts, others were veritable science experiments in a can. Sure, they were fun, convenient, and often delicious (at least to our childhood taste buds), but the safety standards today would give most of them a hard pass. Let’s take a nostalgic stroll through the less-than-regulated culinary wonders of the 70s and the wild things we ate without a second thought.
1. Tang
Astronauts drank it, and so did we! Tang was the space-age drink we all wanted in our kitchens, but the amount of artificial flavoring and questionable ingredients would make anyone cringe today. Packed with more sugar than a candy store and that bizarre neon orange color? Definitely wouldn’t fly in today’s health-conscious world.
2. Jell-O Salad
Not just for dessert, Jell-O found its way into savory dishes too—filled with everything from olives to shredded carrots and canned meats. The 70s Jell-O salad was a gelatinous marvel that defied logic and taste. The sheer amount of preservatives and artificial dyes in these molds of questionable ingredients would leave modern health inspectors shaking their heads.
3. Tab Soda
The original diet soda, Tab was our go-to for cutting calories while still getting that sugar rush. But what we didn’t know then was that its main sweetener, saccharin, was linked to cancer in lab rats. For years, there was debate over whether it was safe, but that didn’t stop us from cracking open a can (or two) back then.
4. TV Dinners
They were the height of convenience—pop a foil-covered tray in the oven and voilà, you had dinner in minutes. But the amount of sodium, trans fats, and preservatives in those frozen meals? Forget about it. Today’s clean-eating generation would have a meltdown just looking at the ingredient list of a 70s TV dinner.
5. Vienna Sausages
Tiny, soft sausages in a can, packed with a gelatinous goo, Vienna sausages were a quick snack or sandwich filler that tasted better than they looked (to some of us, anyway). The meat mixture used was often a mystery, and the lack of refrigeration for canned meats like this would definitely cause concern today.
6. Pop Rocks
OK, they were a blast, but you remember the rumors, right? The stories that Pop Rocks would explode your stomach if you ate them with soda? While that wasn’t exactly true, the concern over artificial colors and flavorings in these sugar-packed candies would probably make parents think twice today before handing them out at Halloween.
7. Candy Cigarettes
The ultimate example of a product that wouldn’t pass today’s safety standards, candy cigarettes weren’t just a sugary treat—they were practically training wheels for future smokers. It’s wild to think that we pretended to puff on these sugary sticks, mimicking adults with no real idea of how bizarre it all was.
8. Shake-a-Puddin’
This was DIY pudding at its strangest. You dumped a powdery mix into a cup, added milk, and shook it until it turned into pudding. It was fun, sure, but what exactly was in that mix? With ingredients lists filled with artificial everything and preservatives galore, Shake-a-Puddin’ would have a hard time making it into kids’ lunchboxes today.
9. Hawaiian Punch
Hawaiian Punch was the nectar of the gods when we were kids—a sugary, syrupy drink in an iconic red can. But the amount of sugar and artificial colors in each glass? Yikes. Today’s nutrition-conscious parents would probably veto it on sight, but we happily guzzled it down by the gallon.
10. Cheez Whiz
Spreadable cheese in a jar, Cheez Whiz was a favorite for crackers, nachos, or straight from a spoon (no judgment). But the list of chemicals and artificial ingredients it contained? Far from real cheese. We loved it then, but in a world of natural and organic food, Cheez Whiz is more of a relic than a pantry staple.
11. McDonald’s French Fries (Cooked in Beef Tallow)
McDonald’s fries tasted like pure heaven in the 70s, largely because they were fried in beef tallow. That rich, meaty flavor had everyone hooked, but the high levels of saturated fat eventually became a health concern. In today’s health-conscious fast food landscape, the idea of frying anything in beef fat is unthinkable.
12. Sugar Smacks Cereal
They were like candy in a bowl. Sugar Smacks (later renamed Honey Smacks) were the epitome of 70s breakfast cereal—so sweet it felt like eating dessert before school. The amount of sugar per serving would make today’s dietitians faint, but back then, a giant bowl of these crunchy nuggets was just part of our morning routine.
13. Deep Fried Anything
From deep-fried Twinkies at fairs to homemade deep-fried chicken, the 70s weren’t exactly a heart-healthy time. Frying food in heavy oil wasn’t seen as dangerous—it was delicious. Today, with all the warnings about trans fats and cholesterol, frying everything in sight might be a little frowned upon.
Looking back, it’s clear that the 70s were a wild time for food. We weren’t worried about sugar content, preservatives, or artificial dyes—we were just having a good time. Today’s food landscape may be healthier, but there’s something nostalgic about those questionable meals and snacks that defined our childhood.
