I learned most of my cooking skills from my mom, who only cooked from scratch. We did eat things that would be considered unhealthy, but hey, everyone else ate raspberry danish and frosted flakes for breakfast in the 50's and 60's! I was an active kid, always outdoors and spent a considerable time on my bike. That ended when we moved to Florida, I got my license, and never walked anywhere. After college I gained a lot of weight. The sedentary life style caught up with me, along with my love of food. I studied a lot on my own, became a vegetarian, and started exercising (walking, aerobics). Although I started eating meat again after a year or so, I lost the weight and have never gained it back.
The ignorance of people about health and fitness amazes me. I have a very good friend who has been overweight for years. She lost 30 pounds by eating grapes and nothing else until dinner time...