The upper class (doctors, lawyers) consumed more food then the working class because they could afford it, yet there was no obesity.
It's not about calories.
It's not about sugar.
It's the PUFAs making us fatigued and sick.
PUFAs are the evolutionary signal for the coming winter and they reduce our metabolic rate which ultimately leads to sickness.
All mammals seek PUFAs when they want to go into hibernation and if you give them a PUFA free diet they will burn through their fat-stores within days.
Listen to this for the quote in the subject: https://youtu.be/QmNzV15Wads?list=PL_7Y5WbwJV_uFMcCRNFbEhmEfV9bLyw2m&t=2142
Then listen to the whole conversation or start at 24:40 to skip the first topic which is specifically about kids.
There are two great channels: "David Gornosksi Fan Favorites" and also "Danny Roddy".
These are the people they have lot's of conversations with:
Brad Marshall (Ex-Keto. Cook, Pigfarmer, Geneticist.) https://fireinabottle.net/
Dr. Ray Peat (Ph.D. in Biology) http://raypeat.com/
Georgie Dinkov http://haidut.me/
He wrote an article about it a while ago, it even includes a source to the original USDA article in the Yearbook Of Agriculture from 1939, check it out:
https://fireinabottle.net/torpor-sloth-and-gluttony-part-1-americans-ate-a-lot-in-1939/
He did mention that publication specifically, maybe you overheard it :-)
And yes, the left guy is just the interviewer. Brad ist the guy on the right and Ray Peat is audio only.