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    The 1950s Sugar Diet Was Ridiculous

    Once upon a time, Domino tried to get America to use sugar as a dieting aid.

    A bit of background history...

    After WWI, America became increasingly diet-conscious and by the 1940s, the sugar industry felt it was unjustly under attack by "faddists" who advocated a reduction of sugar from the American diet. In an attempt to combat the increasingly bad opinions of sugar, the industry actively decided to "inform the public on the merits of sugar, its value, function, and place in the diet..." (For further reading, check out this shocking 1942 internal document from the Organization of Sugar Research Foundation.)

    By the mid-1950s, Domino had launched a campaign emphasizing sugar as a dieting aid.

    These ads were clearly quite condescending to women.

    Here is an ad in which Domino basically says, "Put down the apple. Have three spoonfuls of sugar instead."

    Domino even put out "reducing diet menu" booklets with meal plans for the Domino Sugar Diet.

    However, the Domino reducing diet was kind of misleading. The plan included simple, bland foods amounting to lower calories. But you got coffee with Domino sugar at each meal.

    See #7: "Stick with your Domino Sugar Diet!" Great job, America.