> It’s this shift to processed foods, taking place all over the world, that’s contributing to a rising epidemic of obesity and related diseases. If most of the world ate more local fruits and vegetables, a little meat, fish, and some whole grains (as in the highly touted Mediterranean diet), and exercised an hour a day, that would be good news for our health—and for the planet.

I believe this is accurate, but the cynic in me says the obvious solutions by in large aren't going to be adopted.

1. The idea that a balanced diet that largely avoids processed foods is likely to be most healthy is logical, but it's not very sexy. More extreme Diets (note the captial "D") gain mainstream popularity because they are usually based on a seemingly compelling narrative. Paleo, while hardly the worst Diet that has been popularized in the last decade, is a good example of this.

2. The reality is that most people aren't going to exercise an hour a day and maintain a healthy diet[1]. There's also the issue of how the average person exercises. While I wouldn't suggest that everybody jump into HIIT or train like a professional athlete, a lot of what you see in a typical big box gym is the fitness world's equivalent of processed foods: people aren't getting a whole lot out of what they're doing. There's not enough intensity, far too much emphasis is placed on isolated/non-functional exercises, etc.

[1] http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/05/15/t...