The Best and Worst ‘90s Food Trends, According to Nutritionists
According to the experts, these three fads stand the test of time.
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From shackets and scrunchies to McDonald’s Fried Apple Pies and Pizza Hut’s BOOK IT! program, many things from the '90s are back en vogue. As most of us crave a taste of life during what felt like a simpler time, nostalgia is so in. But not everything that's old is new...or should be!
"Nutrition in the 1990s was very shaped by the fear of fat," says Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, LD, a registered dietitian nutritionist and the owner of Nutrition Now Counseling in Charleston, South Carolina. "There was also a lot of calorie counting, diet culture, and moralization around food — or labeling what we eat as 'good' or 'bad.'"
We need not waste time worrying about where to place the blame, admits Laura M. Ali, MS, RDN, LDN, a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based registered dietitian nutritionist and culinary nutritionist. After all, "nutrition is a young science, and like all scientific disciplines, we learn more every day."
Luckily, in the past 30 years, nutrition research has allowed us to understand how and what to eat in a much more nuanced way. For example, "instead of treating all fat as the enemy, it’s clear now that the type of fat matters," Manaker tells Food Network. "Foods like nuts, seeds, olive oil, avocado, and fatty fish can support health. We also pay much more attention to overall dietary patterns, fiber intake, food quality, and how processed a food is, rather than just looking at one nutrient in isolation."
Still, there are some nutrition crazes from the good ol’ days that have merit, according to Ali, Manaker, and New Jersey-based registered dietitian nutritionist Lauren Harris-Pincus, RDN, founder of Nutrition Starring YOU. Ahead, they help us separate the solid from the so-glad-that’s-in-the-past.
‘90s Nutrition Fads That Hold Up
Before we dive in, Ali believes it’s important to acknowledge that we’re not without shortcomings in terms of our diet trends these days. In fact, 30 years from now, nutrition experts will probably look back on some current crazes with curiosity, too. (We’re looking at you, colostrum.)
"Many of those old diet fads focused on one nutrient or promised a quick fix, and that formula is still popular today. The difference? The villain has simply been repackaged. Then, it was all about eating as little fat and as few calories as possible. Today, the focus is often on cutting carbs or maximizing protein and fiber," Ali explains.
The details have changed, but the underlying idea is often the same: Seek out the quick fix in an attempt to lose weight, live longer, or ease aches. Regardless of the era, it’s important to keep this as your true north: getting enough food and nutrients and plenty of variety in your diet.
"Balance may not be sexy, but ultimately, too much of any one thing means sacrificing another. A varied diet rich in lean proteins, fiber-rich carbohydrates, and healthy fats (yes, that includes seed oils) is a key factor in weight management and preventing the development of lifestyle diseases as we age," Harris-Pincus says.
Consider the '90s diet trends ahead ones to add to the "keep" pile, based on current evidence.
Cottage Cheese
Harris-Pincus recalls visiting some diners in the ‘90s and spotting a "diet plate" on the menu, which often included something like half of a cantaloupe filled with cottage cheese. Then, it was praised for being low in calories and fat. Now, this dairy product is in the midst of a very worthy comeback due to its ample amount of protein, Ali adds. (A 1-cup portion of 2% cottage cheese adds 24 grams of protein to your daily tally, which is more than what you’ll get from 4 ounces of ground beef.) "Think of protein as the building blocks of life, necessary for not only lean muscle and strong bones, but also for hormones, brain health, and a healthy immune system," Manaker says.
Although its calorie count and macros have gotten a lot of glory, the micronutrients in cottage cheese often get overlooked. Still, this refrigerator staple has always been strong in bonus-supporting minerals like calcium and phosphorus. In tandem with that protein, cottage cheese is a particularly wise choice for those 30 or older, as research suggests that the average individual may lose 3 to 5 percent of their muscle mass and 1 to 3 percent of their bone density with each passing decade — unless they train or eat in a way that supports maintenance.
In addition to being a boon for our bodies, cottage cheese can be an asset in terms of the creativity of your meals, Ali and Harris-Pincus note. Stir a scoop into eggs, spread some on toast and top with sliced fruit and nuts, blend it into a pasta sauce, or use it as the foundation for high-protein bagels or pancakes.
Recipes To Try:
Got Milk?
If you were alive in the '90s, you might remember this ad campaign due to those iconic celebrity milk mustache photos. The "why" behind this playful crusade is worthy of a rewind. According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the average American's milk consumption dropped from about 1 cup a day in the 1970s to less than 1/2 a cup in 2019. In the late 1980s, milk processors and dairy farmers noticed the downward trend, and this moo-vement was a way to try to flip the script. The milk mustache ads ran from 1993 to 2014.
"The branding was very of-its-era, but the underlying message about milk holds up very well today," Manaker says. "Dairy milk is one of those foods that quietly does a lot of nutritional jobs at once." In fact, a single 8-ounce glass of 2 percent milk provides you with 13 essential nutrients, including 8 grams of protein, as well as a good dose of other bone-benefiting nutrients like calcium, vitamin D, and potassium. "Milk’s calcium and vitamin D work together to help build and maintain bone density, which matters most when we're young and building bone, and again later in life when we're trying to hold onto it," Manaker says.
Although the ads might be just a memory, milk doesn’t need a rebrand or public relations support to stay relevant, Manaker and Ali agree. "A lot of '90s trends were built on momentary hype," Manaker concedes. "Milk’s hype one was built on actual nutrition, and science has backed it up ever since. Since most Americans are not consuming the recommended 3 servings of dairy every day, hopping back on the milk bandwagon is A-OK with me. I encourage it."
Egg Whites
Admittedly, this is one diet trend that the experts were slightly on the fence about. Ali and Harris-Pincus are fully part of the egg white fan club, applauding the fact that a single large egg white has about 4 grams of protein and just 18 calories, “so they are a good way to add protein to your meals without loading up on calories and fat,” Ali explains. Plus, they’re easy to buy as egg whites only in the carton, which Harris-Pincus likes to do to reduce food waste — and the need to dream up egg yolk recipes to put the rest to good use.
Nonetheless, Manaker says it’s time to ditch the disdain over the small amount of dietary cholesterol in egg yolks. For years, dietary cholesterol was thought to directly raise blood cholesterol levels, which led to concerns about heart disease. That fear stuck around long after the science moved on, according to Manaker. “Even though newer research has debunked the idea that dietary cholesterol has a negative impact on blood cholesterol for most people, the myth persists because it was so deeply ingrained in public health messaging,” she says. “What we know now is pretty clear: Cholesterol in food does not impact your body's cholesterol like we once thought; therefore, eggs do not negatively impact heart health. And the fat piece? Most of the fat found in eggs is unsaturated, good-for-you fat that may support heart health when eaten in a healthy dietary pattern. The thing that actually drives cholesterol up is saturated fat in your overall diet — not eggs.”
If you toss the yolk, you’ll lose most of the micronutrients in eggs, Manaker warns, including choline, vitamin B12, and iodine, which support our brains, red blood cells, and metabolism, respectively. So, feel free to mix and match, the RDs recommend. For your morning scramble, consider one or two whole eggs with a couple egg whites — and perhaps a generous spoonful of cottage cheese, too.
'90s Nutrition Fads Dietitians are Glad to See in the Rear View Mirror
Now that we’ve recapped the rages that are worthy of a renaissance, let’s walk down memory lane to say goodbye to a couple '90s icons that should stay in the past.
The Cabbage Soup Diet
In case you missed it (lucky you!), "this extreme weight-loss diet was widely popular in the 1990s. I’d hate to see it return," Ali acknowledges. "It focused on people consuming a very low-calorie broth-based soup with cabbage with one or two additional foods daily. The diet is very low in nutrients and is simply not safe as a long-term weight loss plan. If people on this plan lost weight, it was most likely due to a decrease in fluids along with a loss of muscle, rather than fat."
The Cabbage Soup Diet is far too low in protein and healthy fats to be balanced, Manaker flags, which can put participants at risk for hormonal issues, muscle loss, extreme hunger, and more. It’s not all bad, though, Harris-Pincus says: "Props to including a veggie-rich soup as the basis for the diet. However, the severe restriction can result in excess hunger and fatigue, GI distress, muscle loss, and inability to perform your daily activities optimally." Plus, any weight loss will likely be regained quickly as soon as the cabbage soup dieter returns to their regular eating pattern. This is one fad diet that sounds simple and effective, "but it misses too much in terms of balance, adequacy, and long-term practicality," Manaker says.
Snackwell’s Cookies
Remember those eye-catching green bags and boxes in the cookie aisle? Probably, as this '90s diet food stuck around a surprisingly long time. Nabisco sold these fat-free and low-fat creme shortbread and devil's food cake cookies from 1992 to 2022.
"The idea behind these cookies was that they were reduced fat for fat-free, and therefore, 'healthier' for us. While lower in fat and slightly lower in calories, they still contained a lot of sugar and carbohydrates," Ali says. Due to the nutrition panel that differed from, say, Chips Ahoy or Oreos, it was easy to think you could eat more Snackwell’s Cookies without derailing your diet. This phenomenon actually earned a name, according to Ali: "This is called the 'Snackwell’s effect.'" Regardless of the decade, a cookie is a cookie, and Harris-Pincus says this one is just "less yummy" due to the fact that it has zero to little fat. "If you’re going to enjoy a cookie, enjoy a regular cookie. Just limit your intake and savor it," Ali urges.
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