dizietsma Quote ["People were fat during the war, OP."] End quote
Yes there were some "fat" people, although as Morloth has pointed out not everyone who is now classed as "fat" is necessarily unhealthy. However, there was nothing like the number of obese people then that we see today. I think we also have to bear in mind that what is now deemed "fat" would not have been regarded as such in earlier historical periods [look at Titian's beauties as an example]! However, modern [fashion-oriented] notions about being "fat" are not the same as the medical evidence that defines obesity.
If you look at photographs or watch footage taken in Britain during the first three decades of the 20th century it is clear that many people were, what we might now term "large" but for working people the factors surrounding this were different from those pertaining today. For many there were prolonged periods of great hunger, this meant a good diet could not be sustained all the time. The Unemployment Assistance Board was established in 1934 to help the able-bodied unemployed but the means test was applied.
For women regular child-bearing [with the limited obstetric and gynaecological help for working women took a heavy toll] and there was very limited health care [remember you had to pay for the doctor pre 1948]. Neither should we forget the sheer effort that house-work required. As I mentioned in an earlier post there was insurance legislation but this was limited and not especially generous.
dizietsma Quote ["Black markets arise whenever things are prohibited. I don't think increasing the power and money organised crime can make off prohibition and rationing of certain food is worth the risk."] End quote
Of course they do and there was a thriving Black Market during rationing in the UK. However, there were hefty prison sentences for those who were caught using it or working in it, although this didn't prevent people from doing so! Given the monumental nature of the events that were taking place during WW2 itself there was also a lot of Government propaganda, much of which was aimed at uniting the nation in a common cause and promoting the idea of fairness for all. This material also promoted social opprobrium against those who were involved in such practices as these were presented as undermining the war effort.
dizietsma Quote ["Also, helping lower obesity should probably be addressed with education, psychological and financial support. Some people are genuinely ignorant of what is healthy, so we need to make sure that hard to reach (often illiterate) portion of the population is educated "] End quote.
I concur that education is paramount. However, decades ago people were also semi-literate and poorly educated but they knew what to eat [when they could afford it] because the skills had been passed on down the generations.
Your own personal history is an example of an "eating disorder" brought on by trauma in childhood. We know from personal testimonies that such traumas are nothing new. It is therefore highly probable that people in earlier historical periods manifested their "coping mechanisms" as well, albeit in different ways. Unlike today, if a person was poor in 1932 they didn't have the same access to relatively cheap, widely available food in the myriad forms available today. Thus the person would have had to find another way of dealing with the issues arising from such childhood experiences. And of course they did!
I also have to agree with Xenia, duchesse, and other contributors who have mentioned the cost of foods. As to edam's comment about chips being more filling than salad. I would suggest that a jacket potato and salad would fulfill both functions for a hungry child and provide a healthy and balanced meal!