Boomers can’t deny brush with junk food

We baby boomers were the first fast-food/junk-food generation.

Lucky Charms – sugar lumps in the guise of a breakfast cereal – was created in 1962.

Carnation Instant Breakfast debuted in 1964.

Spokane’s first McDonald’s opened on North Monroe Street in 1963.

Most of us were raised to understand that fast food and junk food were special treats, not everyday fare.

So we grumbled our way through homemade, hearty breakfasts, Mom-made lunches and home-cooked dinners.

As we age, perhaps we’re returning to those days before fast food, craving the homemade dishes of our childhoods.

This graphic from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that, percentage-wise, boomers – especially those older than 60 – consume the least amount of fast-food calories per day. Those 20- to 39-year-olds chow down a lot more than we do.

Fast-food consumption decreased for all age groups during the recession, perhaps reflecting the “trend” to eat more cheaply – and healthy – at home. That is, unless, at home you reach for a childhood favorite – “the frosted oat cereal with sweet surprises.”