we are talking about 2 things here, one is, when you are in your 80's and 90's or close to death and you continue to restrict yourself from the things you love (Which I agree, it's ridiculous) It took a life sentence to get my grandmother to allow herself to eat Figs (which she LOVED) after a doctor told her 6 years before that she should avoid foods with seeds in them....

The other side of this story, and more accurate from the OP's post; is a LIFETIME of more ascetic eating. That's not the same as denying my grandmother a fig, or someone else's grandmother her chocolate (that's going to be me)

The fact is, with the frighteningly high rates of obesity in our country today, a NORMAL diet and lifestyle from 1940 would definitely improve our overall health.