[AKA_Monet]

Our food is highly processed because we feed the masses 24/7. In other countries, they close various food retailers at certain times (developed countries) and there are rules many countries enforce for proper serving of food--namely places like France were most of the food is unprocessed, although I hear that is changing.

In undeveloped countries or poorly developed countries, their problems are with "infection rates". Namely dysentery and other communicable diseases, such as malaria and other diseases the lead to chronic malnutrition. Moreover, there are wars in these countries mainly due to poor land management and resources. I would not say these people are "healthy" by any means.

But in places like Europe and Canada where food is rather abundant--or nutrition is abundant, most of the items available to consume are less processed as required by law in the United States. There are many reasons for that, probably because food-borne infections that occur only in the US opposed to other countries.

In places like Japan and China, they are beginning to see increased rates of chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and obesity. Apparently, their younger generations (after WWII), like the relative ease of fast food too... And their women work outside the home at careers and are unable to cook for their families preparing traditional meals that mainly consisted of fish products, vegetables and rice. Most Pacific Rim diets have gone way up in their salt/sugar consumption rates to preserve foods longer in a refrigerators/freezers, which may be inherently reducing food quality and increase the need for raw food processing...

Moreover, Japan has over fished it seas and goes to numerous other countries or International waters to obtain various fish species. That does not reduce the rate of Chinese need to have an abundant fish diet. But Northern Chinese are showing relatively high rates of chronic disease, like heart disease due to their poor nutrition, but they also have poorer healthcare in those provinces compared to coastal cities, like Beijing and Shanghai.

It is a balance that one has to take... Organic foods are more costly along with co-op farms and hallal meat processors. But overall increased food consumption and lack of proper exercise might not be the only problem to weight reduction and increased childhood obesity rates... There may be some genetic shift going on that is unrecognized.