Gym bro science gets a bad rap here for whatever reason, but I’d bet dollars to donuts that you’re better off following a 1970s bodybuilder diet (scaled appropriately) than whatever the latest garbage the FDA and USDA are pushing. Sure plenty of it is nonsense, like eating 6 meals a day, but it’s mostly harmless nonsense. That’s in stark contrast to the food pyramid recommendation to eat a couple loafs of bread each day which is harmful nonsense that has probably played a role in the type 2 diabetes epidemic.

Also it’s entirely plausible that various small molecules like artificial sweeteners, preservatives, solvents, and whatever else goes in the process chemistry products called processed food is in some way or another bioactive and alters homeostasis, perhaps by disrupting the endocrine system or perhaps through other pathways.