Our grandparents and forefathers ate all kinds of greasy, fat and salt laden food. The fact that they actually worked and exercised helped them deal with it, not to mention all the chemical crap we eat these days isn’t helping.
Or, the greasy salty food wasn't the problem.
Salt used to be in rather limited supply.
If you sat above or below the salt at table was an indication of status.
Was someone “worth their salt”?
Salt is an essential nutrient. When you are low on salt you will notice that a salty food is suddenly the most delicious thing you have ever eaten.
So much like caloric intake - we went from a society where it was essential to take in as much as was possible to one in which it was cheap plentiful and abundant - and limiting its intake might be necessary.