I was referring to the kind of diet recommended by most doctors during the ‘60s, of course, but I know what you mean. Meals cooked in many homes were often much more austere and less nutritious. I don’t remember Hamburger Helper having been around in the ‘60s, although great dishes like potato soup and breaded tomatoes were there, for sure. ;-)
We had great, nutritious meals when I was a kid - as long as my dad or grandmother were doing the cooking. My mother did make great meatballs and spaghetti sauce, but it wasn’t often. Some people just don’t latch onto it, I guess. Her sister always was and remains a fabulous cook - she did however ask me to teach her how to make crepes, which I did last summer when she was 78 years old! It was her mother who taught me how to make them!
Since my mother passed Dad doesn’t cook as much as he used to, but he and my aunt do dinner together a couple times a week, so he still has it!
Potato soup? Breaded tomatoes? Unheard of until I was in my mid twenties. As to the Hamburger Helper, that was late ‘60s. Before I was in 7th grade (72) my dad no longer worked rotating shifts and I haven’t had HH ever since. :-)