One thought I had, inspired by the sorts of reality shows we watch

[xiphias]

The only reality TV I've ever watched has been the PBS stuff -- 1900 House, Manor House, Frontier House, 1940 House, and Colonial House. Okay, also Rough Science.

Something that occurred to me is that in all of those shows (except Rough Science, which is doing something different) every single person on it lost weight. Even the lord and lady of the manor in Manor House. And were therefore healthier at the end of the shows than the beginning.

Boy. We Westerners have a truly impressive degree of gluttony. Even the upper-class rich parasite classes ate less, and exercised more, than we do.

Comments

[kightp.livejournal.com]

It's the exercise, I think, more than the caloric intake. Meals on a working farm, for instance, are often *massive* compared with what we eat now, if not as varied. They have to be, to fuel the dawn-to-dusk physical work.

In my grandmother's day, a woman who spent her entire day sitting down, as I do, would have been called an invalid.