The old food pyramid existed when I was a kid, and obesity was rare. Breakfast was always a huge bowl of cereal which had the word "sugar" in the name, and I could always pour in a little more if my "Super Sugar Crisps" or "Sugar Smacks," or "Sugar Frosted Flakes" weren't sweet enough. Lunch was PB&J (with extra J) on Wonder Bread, and half pint (or 2) of chocolate milk. Dinner was meat; burgers, pork chops, round steak, meat loaf, or chicken, with some sort of vegetable, and bread. I pretty much never drank water, except from the fountain at school during PE. Breakfast and lunch were chocolate milk, Koolaid or soft drinks later in the day, milk at dinner. I ate as much candy as my allowance and grass cutting could pay for. Candy bars were 25 cents each (formerly 20 cents each, but inflation sucked in those days), and I'd eat them (all 4 of them) on the way home from the store.

But kids were physically active. We had PE every day at school, every kid played some kind of sport, for me it was little league. Or I'd hop on my BMX bike and ride out to the river (10 mile round trip) to break/burn/blow something up, or terrorize wild animals with my wrist rocket sling shot (I was a bad kid). We had ball games on the street in front of our homes from after homework until dinner time. In the warmer months we could swim at the community pool, or take the bus to the beach for 45 cents. No video games, no computers, no phones, very little TV except on Saturday mornings and 7pm to 9pm on weekdays.