@enigma731 , it's more along the lines that processed foods often contain a bunch of unnecessary crap that your body doesn't need. That is, "less is more".
When you don't even understand everything that's on the label, and many products contain sugar, artificial sweeteners, sugar substitutes, etc. Any type of mainstream sugar keeps you hungry. Not good.
More along the lines of consuming whole foods. Going back to the basics.
My mother has been a diabetic for years. The prescribed diabetic diet recommended by doctors? It kept her diabetic! It didn't help her. She just had to keep taking more and more meds. Things didn't change until she saw a new doctor. A doctor that insurance companies wont cover. The doctor she saw practices
Functional Medicine. That is, instead of treating the symptoms, he treats the underlying cause. Without invasive surgery (aka gastric bypass or similar), she is no longer diabetic. Just diet, supplements and exercise. She doesn't need to take insulin, other diabetic medications, cholesterol meds, blood pressure meds.... my mother is not vegan or vegetarian, either! She eats meat, including bacon. Breakfast may be bacon and eggs! Butter is amazing stuff, too! Unless she makes it herself, my mother doesn't eat bread. Pasta is made out of vegetables. She doesn't consume anything made from grains, including flour. She has coconut flour and almond flour as alternatives. Uses Stevia as a sweetener.
It's no surprise to me that the more people rely on processed foods, the more health issues we are seeing in society. If you balance diet and exercise out, can it work? Most definitely! Still, a lot of people aren't eating enough whole foods. Instead of home cooked meals, it might be take out, something out of a box or a can. I'll admit, I don't feel as if I eat as healthy as I should, but in today's society, it's cheaper to eat an unhealthy diet than it is to eat healthy. That's another issue. A lot of people can't afford to eat healthy.
From having to watch my mother struggle with diabetes for years and trying to eat healthier, including switching to wheat alternatives, but not being able to make a change to her health until she cut out processed foods, I'll have to disagree with you.