What's the difference in quality of life between someone that eats 'normally' and another that eats nutritious healthy meals?

So what is the difference in the quality of life between someone that eats normally and another that eats nutritious healthy meals? That is the question I get asked a lot these days. Many people it seems, find it difficult to make a change in lifestyle for the better, others just wonder if the extra cost and extra effort is worth it! Given the pace of life now, you would have to be very disciplined to not go regularly for microwave meals and fast foods dripping in yummy fat. You would also have to learn to read the labels again on the products you have traditionally bought and seek out organic but slightly more expensive fresh produces. In a nutshell, to answer the above question, here is a picture for you:

 At the time this picture was taken for the Kitava study, this man was 72 years old! 

In 1989, a group of US based researchers found out that while social anthropologists and human ethologists had studied a group of people found in Kitava Island, one of the Trobriand Islands in Papua New Guinea's archipelago, no similar research had been done on the health of these people.

The health study which commenced after is now popularly referred to as 'The Kitava Study'! During this study, the researchers found what appeared to be one of the last populations on Earth with dietary habits matching what would have been the case for the population of Homo sapiens in their original habitat. And despite a fair number of older residents, none of them showed signs of dementia or poor memory and the only cases of sudden death the residents could recall were accidents such as drowning or falling from a coconut tree. Homicide also occurred, often during conflicts over land or mates. Infections (primarily malaria), accidents, pregnancy complications, and old age were the dominant causes of death, which is in agreement with findings among other similar populations.

 
So back to the question. We can put a picture side by side of the average person in the West at around 70 years of age and compare the picture to that of the 72 year old Kitava man above, a man typical for his population group at that age. And there, you will have your answer!