Great article Oakleaf. This paragraph stood out to me:

Food, like sex, is associated with pleasure. This is nature’s way of encouraging us to eat. The feel-good aspect of food is one important cause of overeating. The link between the brain’s reward mechanism and overeating is something that scientists are still trying to figure out.

I think that another interesting aspect that the article didn't touch on is that so much of the processed food is engineered to trigger the pleasure center in your brain. Somebody asked how those people didn't know that they were eating so poorly. I am sure at some level they do, but those foods are engineered in a lab to trigger the same parts of your brain as drugs. People literally get addicted to junk food. It can be as hard a habit to kick as smoking, drinking or other drugs. I am thankful everyday that that wasn't a battle that I ever had to fight.