Diets | One Stomach Flu Away From My Goal Weight | 2 episode artwork

EPISODE · May 12, 2026 · 42 MIN

Diets | One Stomach Flu Away From My Goal Weight | 2

from Legacy

What did it take for human beings to start controlling what they ate — and why did "health" so quickly become a coverstory for something else? How did a Venetian nobleman's wine-heavy calorie restriction become a blueprint for themodern diet industry? And, when tobacco companies, Hollywood, and the beauty industry all decided women's bodyanxiety was a market opportunity — who, exactly, was the diet really for?Peter and Afua trace the history of the human body as a commercial battleground: from the first diet books in 1558,through the birth of the calorie and the explosion of Weight Watchers, to the heroin chic 90s and the disordered eatingit left behind.0:00 The Venetian nobleman who invented calorie restriction — and still drank 14oz of wine a day7:30 George Cheyne: 32 stone, no meat, no alcohol, and a bestselling book in 174014:00 Empire, refrigeration, and why cheap food created the first diet industry21:30 The discovery of the calorie — the invention Afua still resents25:30 Freud's nephew, cigarettes, and the moment thinness became a product to sell31:00 Weight Watchers, zero-fat yoghurt, and the 80s: cottage cheese as cultural trauma36:30 The 90s: heroin chic, cellulite alerts, and the era that hospitalised a generation40:00 Keto, Atkins, and the diet that keeps reinventing itselfJoin Legacy Plus for bonus episodes, early access, Q&A;'s, fewer adverts and more.legacy.supportingcast.fmStay connected with Legacy:Instagram: @originallegacypodcastTikTok: @legacy_productionsExplore more from Peter and Afua — essays, sources, and ideas:Substack: peterfrankopan.substack.com | afuahirsch.substack.comJoin Legacy+ for bonus episodes, early access, Q&A's, fewer adverts and more.legacy.supportingcast.fmStay connected with Legacy:Instagram: @originallegacypodcastTikTok: @legacy_productionsExplore more from Peter and Afua — essays, sources, and ideas: Substack: peterfrankopan.substack.com | afuahirsch.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What did it take for human beings to start controlling what they ate — and why did "health" so quickly become a coverstory for something else? How did a Venetian nobleman's wine-heavy calorie restriction become a blueprint for themodern diet industry? And, when tobacco companies, Hollywood, and the beauty industry all decided women's bodyanxiety was a market opportunity — who, exactly, was the diet really for?Peter and Afua trace the history of the human body as a commercial battleground: from the first diet books in 1558,through the birth of the calorie and the explosion of Weight Watchers, to the heroin chic 90s and the disordered eatingit left behind.0:00 The Venetian nobleman who invented calorie restriction — and still drank 14oz of wine a day7:30 George Cheyne: 32 stone, no meat, no alcohol, and a bestselling book in 174014:00 Empire, refrigeration, and why cheap food created the first diet industry21:30 The discovery of the calorie — the invention Afua still resents25:30 Freud's nephew, cigarettes, and the moment thinness became a product to sell31:00 Weight Watchers, zero-fat yoghurt, and the 80s: cottage cheese as cultural trauma36:30 The 90s: heroin chic, cellulite alerts, and the era that hospitalised a generation40:00 Keto, Atkins, and the diet that keeps reinventing itselfJoin Legacy Plus for bonus episodes, early access, Q&A;'s, fewer adverts and more.legacy.supportingcast.fmStay connected with Legacy:Instagram: @originallegacypodcastTikTok: @legacy_productionsExplore more from Peter and Afua — essays, sources, and ideas:Substack: peterfrankopan.substack.com | afuahirsch.substack.comJoin Legacy+ for bonus episodes, early access, Q&A's, fewer adverts and more.legacy.supportingcast.fmStay connected with Legacy:Instagram: @originallegacypodcastTikTok: @legacy_productionsExplore more from Peter and Afua — essays, sources, and ideas: Substack: peterfrankopan.substack.com | afuahirsch.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Diets | One Stomach Flu Away From My Goal Weight | 2

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This episode was published on May 12, 2026.

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What did it take for human beings to start controlling what they ate — and why did "health" so quickly become a coverstory for something else? How did a Venetian nobleman's wine-heavy calorie restriction become a blueprint for themodern diet...

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