comes from refined sugar, refined/low fiber starches (e.g., white flour, etc.), and refined (vegetable/seed) oils, then this probably explains obesity and metabolic illness more than all other factors combined.

Think about it. Two out of every three calories can be effectively represented by a Krispy Kreme donut or an Oreo cookie. That's insane.

Interestingly, all of those calories are plant-based and allegedly make up something like 90% of the plant-based calories consumed by the average American.

Imagine if this were reversed and the average American instead consumed no more than about 10% of their plant-based calories from these sources? If this were to occur, do you suppose the average person would consume nearly as many calories? (especially when you consider that most of the above-mentioned calories come from ultra-processed food, which is engineered to be hyper palatable).

This probably largely explains why so many people are able to lose weight on diets such as keto, carnivore, and paleo. Those diets force people to cut out most of the processed food, which naturally leads them to consume fewer calories.

I like to analogize eating highly processed foods to going into a casino to gamble. From a metabolic standpoint, the odds are stacked against you. If you only enter occasionally and bet small amounts without allowing yourself to become addicted, it's not that big of a deal. But if you're in there almost every day betting away the better part of your paycheck, the house (i.e., the food industry) has you hooked on a game you can't win.