I moved from OKC to SoCal, and noticed the weight difference immediately. When I traveled back to OKC a couple years later to visit some friends, I was actually disgusted by the people I saw there. It's easy to get accustomed to things...
Obesity is a national (global?) security crisis. It will cost trillions in preventable medical expenses, it causes excess fuel consumption, reduces productivity, and government+industry seems complicit in continuing the trend based on city planning and subsidy allocations. (Not to mention government policies/recommendations probably started the whole obesity crisis by promoting "low fat, high carb+sugar" eating practices ("food pyramid") for two dozen years across an increasingly sedentary population.)
What about lost productivity due to self-induced health issues? Economic security.
What about military? We can't have armed forces of obese recruits. National defense security.
What about police? What's the use of an overweight police force that can't walk up stairs without getting winded? Local security.
It's worth noting that my cousin also moved to SoCal. She's now in her 40's and snorts cocaine 2 or 3 times a week in the evening to skip eating to keep herself slim. Apparently it's a very common practise amongst her and her friends.
This seems insane, if you want to stay thin, just eat at or below your TDEE and... that will happen (or increase your TDEE).
~So yeah, not inherently obesity-preventing.~
The downside is that you will be consuming about 80 grams of oxalic acid. The LD-Lo is 600 mg/kg, meaning that unless you are 135 kg (300 lbs), that much spinach could possibly kill you. Aside from bursting your guts from the inside from the sheer volume of it, that is.
I guess the steaks just kill you more slowly.
Of course, cows are "designed" to do this, while people seemingly are not.
While the article mentions meat being more expensive, the rest of the article is filled with quotes like "snacking all day on bits of burger and pizza" and "drink lots of atole – a heavily sweetened corn-based drink". All pretty carb heavy. The article mentions that the dietary changes made are: "eats fast food just once a week, cooks more vegetables, has cut down the number of tortillas".