Current Events > Why do some people refuse to eat healthy at all?

(+) Yeah! (+)

As silly as it sounds because food is so important to us, a lot of people dont have the knowledge or know how to buy, prepare and cook healthy food.

Convenience is another big factor. A lot of people dont want to put the effort in after a long day of work. Its easy to chuck a gross microwave meal on, or get take away.

People have weird (to me) ideas on what makes a food healthy.

Just have a good diet consisting of fiber, protein, and vegetables. And in general, eat less.

You don't need to eat a salad every day. You don't need to buy organic or grass fed whatever.
People just completely overcomplicate what's needed. And the wellness industry doesn't help in how it perpetuates the idea that it has to be complicated

We eat junk food because junk food tastes fucking good. The parts about healthy food being difficult just kinda sounds like cope.

Also, too many people seem unable to eat similar foods multiple times a week or eat leftovers

A_Good_Boy posted...

Try Costco. They're usually around that price there.

Don't have one in my city.

rick_alverado posted...

Don't have one in my city.

What about Grocery Outlet?

Pow_Pow_Punishment posted...

What about Grocery Outlet?

Never even heard of it. Looking it up, it doesn't look like it's even in my country.

Pow_Pow_Punishment posted...

What about Grocery Outlet?

sometimes produce is cheaper. though other things have shorter expiration dates that one may want to watch for.

pedro45 posted...

When it comes to meals that take longer, it's rarely active cooking. When making a roast, i preheat the oven and season the meat which takes like a minute. I sit down and game for like 15 minutes while the oven preheats.
Once i pop that roast in the oven, you have an hour of free time to game more, watch TV, etc.

Some people say i should write a cook book because of how easy i make it. I'm a stoner who wants to eat while also having fun.
It's bomb playing games and getting sucked in as your home slowly smells of delicious meat. Then i slice it up and get into sucked into a movie

Id absolutely read a stoner gamer cookbook

Pow_Pow_Punishment posted...

If you admit that you don't want to spend the time to cook, fair enough, but healthy meals consisting of beans, brown rice, and veggies are not more expensive than junk food.

Meat seems more expensive upfront but you are getting more satiety and nutrition for the money than junk food that can appear to be cheaper but won't keep you full as long.

This.
If you just want to eat junk food because it tastes good, then fine.
It's the excuse of saying you don't have time to cook rice and beans that irks me at times.
I can cook all that for multiple days worth of meals in the time it takes to go to a restaurant or the time added up that it takes to go to the drive through each day.

pedro45 posted...

How are people saying healthy is too expensive when there's been articles posted refuting that?
Look at the cost of meat per pound, then look at the cost of fruits and vegetables.
It's expensive to eat only organic or the latest fad diet food, but in general, it is not.
A loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jam, a 5 pound bag of potatoes, are all examples of items that are consistently under 5 dollars. A lot of this stuff makes like 3 or more meals.

because if I buy a frozen pizza or some individual wrapped snack bullshit or fast food, there's a 100% chance I'll eat those before they go bad

if I buy fresh whatevers, there's a greater than 0 chance those whatevers will go in the trash because I don't feel like/don't have time to cook them before they go bad.

rick_alverado posted...

I don't remember the last time I saw a 5 pound bag of potatoes under $5, even when on sale.

I forget i live in a decent agricultural state. If potatoes were $4 for that 5 pounder, I'd riot. They hover around $3 usually here.

emblem-man posted...

Also, too many people seem unable to eat similar foods multiple times a week or eat leftovers

I'll admit to being guilty of this one. 'I had chicken yesterday, I can't have it again today, that's ridiculous' is the basis of my meal planning.

Just the idea of making some giant concoction of brown rice and beans, and eating it for the whole week, is sapping my will to live.

TheGreatEscape posted...

I don't understand it personally, i think cooking is one of the most important life skill to have.

You sound like a hunter gatherer as fuck

ai123 posted...

I'll admit to being guilty of this one. 'I had chicken yesterday, I can't have it again today, that's ridiculous' is the basis of my meal planning.

Just the idea of making some giant concoction of brown rice and beans, and eating it for the whole week, is sapping my will to live.

I truly find it hard to understand why this happens. My wife is similar in needing to eat different foods.

It's not as if I'm some "food is just fuel. I don't care about taste guy". If I really like the way a meal tastes, it just makes sense to...eat it again. Hell, I'll eat it again the same day for lunch and dinner.

thronedfire2 posted...

because if I buy a frozen pizza or some individual wrapped snack bullshit or fast food, there's a 100% chance I'll eat those before they go bad

if I buy fresh whatevers, there's a greater than 0 chance those whatevers will go in the trash because I don't feel like/don't have time to cook them before they go bad.

Usually you're buying fresh ingredients cause you have some sort of recipe or plan in mind to use them beforehand. You're not supposed to just buy a bunch of fresh stuff and then scramble to figure out how to use them after the fact. That's how you end up with lots of food waste.

Hell, you don't even have to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. You can buy them canned or frozen. If you're a fickle person when it comes to coming meals and you think it'll spoil, just buy it frozen

ai123 posted...

I'll admit to being guilty of this one. 'I had chicken yesterday, I can't have it again today, that's ridiculous' is the basis of my meal planning.

Just the idea of making some giant concoction of brown rice and beans, and eating it for the whole week, is sapping my will to live.

well you can freeze some too, and save it for a week or two later.

emblem-man posted...

Also, too many people seem unable to eat similar foods multiple times a week or eat leftovers

That one isn't an issue I have. The eating similar foods thing, I mean. As long as I liked it, and it didn't cause any immediate issues, I could eat the same thing everyday for weeks, maybe even months before getting tired of it. As for leftovers, the only real issue is that I tend to not leave leftovers.

emblem-man posted...

I truly find it hard to understand why this happens. My wife is similar in needing to eat different foods.

It's not as if I'm some "food is just fuel. I don't care about taste guy". If I really like the way a meal tastes, it just makes sense to...eat it again. Hell, I'll eat it again the same day for lunch and dinner.

In my case it probably comes from childhood.

My mother refused to give us the same meal without a decent gap in between. She thought she wasn't doing her job properly if we didn't get a variety.

Why do people smoke? Why do people drink? Why do people drink soda? Why dont people walk 30 minutes a day?

We all do things that are bad for us, and we pick and choose what those things are. My best friend from college is a great dude. But he lectures everyone about diet and exercise, while drinking and smoking more weed than anyone I have ever met.

We all have vices. We all should attempt moderation. But I dont spend much time thinking about it. Few of us treat our bodies like temples.

Just get some ground meat, some veggies, beans and tortillas. Like 20 bucks, tacos and taco bowls the whole weak. Throw in some cheese, guac and salsa. Or just things of pasta with a protein and you can divide them up into portions and customize them a bit.

s0nicfan posted...

Also the "healthy food is more expensive" myth has been debunked for years. It's just an excuse someone tells themselves while waiting in the drive through. Junk food only becomes the cheaper option if you're in a 3rd world country.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(21)00251-5/fulltext

It hasn't been debunked, it just depends on where you live. If you live near where the food is being harvested, your going to pay next to nothing for it. But if you live in a province like mine which is forced to ship everything across a ferry, we pay a lot of fresh food. I can make a pizza for around 15 bucks. Or I can buy a frozen pizza for 4. It's not going to taste as good, but its a hell of a lot cheaper. I'm also going to have a lot of leftover ingredients, meaning food waste.

LightSnake posted...

Just get some ground meat, some veggies, beans and tortillas. Like 20 bucks, tacos and taco bowls the whole weak. Throw in some cheese, guac and salsa. Or just things of pasta with a protein and you can divide them up into portions and customize them a bit.

20 bucks where you live. Where I live, the ground beef alone is 20 bucks. I digress. I know I wouldn't want to eat the same thing multiple times a week.

A_Good_Boy posted...

I think a lot of the people in this topic just don't know how to cook, refuse to learn, and then twist themselves into knots coming up with excuses to justify and reinforce their ignorance

Not just this site but all over the internet. Ive seen so many cooking videos where people complain that all they want to make is cereal or that the creator is dumb for using ingredients they dont have readily available.

Pow_Pow_Punishment posted...

Ever consider an air fryer? It's basically a microwave on steroids. You can just sprinkle seasoning on a steak and throw it in without any real manual cooking.

An air fryer + a Japanese rice cooker = many easy meals.

Ivany2008 posted...

Where I live, the ground beef alone is 20 bucks

damn. at worse the 80% ground beef is 8 or 9$ a pound when it's not on sale. getting hosed badly.

beef is sometimes on sale i stock up, it's around 4$ a pound whenever i buy it.

kingdrake2 posted...

damn. at worse the 80% ground beef is 8 or 9$ a pound when it's not on sale. getting hosed badly.

beef is sometimes on sale i stock up, it's around 4$ a pound whenever i buy it.

It's the price of living in Canada, on an island province. Stuff isn't cheap. Pay isn't great either. It's been an ongoing issue here that has yet to be solved.

Ivany2008 posted...

It hasn't been debunked, it just depends on where you live. If you live near where the food is being harvested, your going to pay next to nothing for it. But if you live in a province like mine which is forced to ship everything across a ferry, we pay a lot of fresh food. I can make a pizza for around 15 bucks. Or I can buy a frozen pizza for 4. It's not going to taste as good, but its a hell of a lot cheaper. I'm also going to have a lot of leftover ingredients, meaning food waste.

My usual thing is to just buy frozen cheese pizza and then toss on whatever ingredients that I want. My kids like to be extra and they'll make the dough and the sauce themselves. That latter option isn't so bad so long as you have the time to make your own dough since flour and yeast is incredibly cheap and can be used for lots of other things too.

thronedfire2 posted...

because if I buy a frozen pizza or some individual wrapped snack bullshit or fast food, there's a 100% chance I'll eat those before they go bad

if I buy fresh whatevers, there's a greater than 0 chance those whatevers will go in the trash because I don't feel like/don't have time to cook them before they go bad.

ai123 posted...

I'll admit to being guilty of this one. 'I had chicken yesterday, I can't have it again today, that's ridiculous' is the basis of my meal planning.

Just the idea of making some giant concoction of brown rice and beans, and eating it for the whole week, is sapping my will to live.

Was reading thru the thread to find these. It's this. Don't get me wrong, I try to eat healthy throughout the week, but the reason it isn't a cheaper option for me is because of this stuff. I don't want to meal prep a bunch of shit because I KNOW I won't eat it all before it goes bad, sitting in my freezer for a year and becoming a waste of money. Same goes for fresh fruits and veggies. I buy them, eat some for a day or two and then the rest become moldy science experiments, and a waste of money.

So what I end up doing is driving to the grocery store after work and just buying enough food for one meal (like maybe a salmon fillet and an artichoke and another side), which is great!
... But it also costs about the same as a fast food combo. Sometimes more.

Ivany2008 posted...

It hasn't been debunked, it just depends on where you live. If you live near where the food is being harvested, your going to pay next to nothing for it. But if you live in a province like mine which is forced to ship everything across a ferry, we pay a lot of fresh food. I can make a pizza for around 15 bucks. Or I can buy a frozen pizza for 4. It's not going to taste as good, but its a hell of a lot cheaper. I'm also going to have a lot of leftover ingredients, meaning food waste.

20 bucks where you live. Where I live, the ground beef alone is 20 bucks. I digress. I know I wouldn't want to eat the same thing multiple times a week.

And ground turkey, or pork, or chicken?

At a certain point, it's "I can make something and eat it all week" or "I don't wanna have the same thing over and over." and if it's the latter....well, that's a tradeoff for price, honestly.

pedro45 posted...

How are people saying healthy is too expensive when there's been articles posted refuting that?
Look at the cost of meat per pound, then look at the cost of fruits and vegetables.
It's expensive to eat only organic or the latest fad diet food, but in general, it is not.
A loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jam, a 5 pound bag of potatoes, are all examples of items that are consistently under 5 dollars. A lot of this stuff makes like 3 or more meals.

I think there's also a disconnect between what people consider healthy and unhealthy. Like when I think "healthy" I think of green leafy veggies, not bread and potatoes.

But I do consider what I eat to be semi healthy, as I try to throw in things like green beans, spinach and broccoli into my meals now often and I eat chicken more than ground beef now. But I still eat frozen processed foods too

Its just a lot harder than people think tbh. Unhealthy food is usually cheaper, tastier and more accessible than healthy food. And it doesnt help that high fructose corn syrup is in every damn thing.

If the government actually cared about our health banning that shit cold turkey would do more then anything in said regard.

People are addicted to unhealthy foods causing them to crave it even more.

Prismsblade posted...

Its just a lot harder than people think tbh. Unhealthy food is usually cheaper, tastier and more accessible than healthy food. And it doesnt help that high fructose corn syrup is in every damn thing.

If the government actually cared about our health banning that shit cold turkey would do more then anything in said regard.

Corn syrup and regular cane sugar?

Phoro posted...

Was reading thru the thread to find these. It's this. Don't get me wrong, I try to eat healthy throughout the week, but the reason it isn't a cheaper option for me is because of this stuff. I don't want to meal prep a bunch of shit because I KNOW I won't eat it all before it goes bad, sitting in my freezer for a year and becoming a waste of money. Same goes for fresh fruits and veggies. I buy them, eat some for a day or two and then the rest become moldy science experiments, and a waste of money.

So what I end up doing is driving to the grocery store after work and just buying enough food for one meal (like maybe a salmon fillet and an artichoke and another side), which is great!
... But it also costs about the same as a fast food combo. Sometimes more.

yeah I have 4 pounds of ground beef in my freezer I'll probably never use

I gotta say that I love to cook and love vegetables (fruit, not so much), so I mostly just deal with time constraints for food options. Luckily, I have enough time for bulk cooking on weekends and freeze most of it, so all I have to do after getting home from work is heat it up.

I'm thinking of making some Korean fusion fajitas this weekend since it's going to be way too hot outside to do much else.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


I spent like 15 years cooking for 100+ people every day

spending an hour or more just to cook for myself, and do all the cleanup myself, feels like a colossal waste of time.

so I bring leftovers home from work, and buy already made food from the supermarket deli

LightSnake posted...

And ground turkey, or pork, or chicken?

At a certain point, it's "I can make something and eat it all week" or "I don't wanna have the same thing over and over." and if it's the latter....well, that's a tradeoff for price, honestly.

Just as expensive.

emblem-man posted...

Corn syrup and regular cane sugar?

Both are just as harmful but the former is much cheaper an ingredient because its heavily subsidized by the government.

So producers can buy a lot more and add a lot more into their products than sugar as a consequence.

its definitely cheaper but it does take effort, which is equally as important

Why would I want to eat healthy? The world is fucked so might as well eat whatever.

Strider102 posted...

Why would I want to eat healthy? The world is fucked so might as well eat whatever.

This is dumb in so many ways that I don't know where to start. I'm stunlocked.

Evening_Dragon posted...

This is dumb in so many ways that I don't know where to start. I'm stunlocked.

my brother and i call that stump-posting. post so dumb it flat out stumps you

comes up often

Dungeater posted...

my brother and i call that stump-posting. post so dumb it flat out stumps you

comes up often

lmao all this time and only now do i have a good term for it

I try and make it thing to try and buy some fruit when I am at the store.

Actually, for those who do batch food, see if you can't find dehydrated rice cakes in your area. Cheap as rice, and, personally, I find the chew much more satisfying.

Evening_Dragon posted...

This is dumb in so many ways that I don't know where to start. I'm stunlocked.

Start from the middle, then do the bottom and finish with the top.

Strider102 posted...

Why would I want to eat healthy? The world is fucked so might as well eat whatever.

this is exactly how I feel

Kanaya413 posted...

this is exactly how I feel

See? This person gets it.

Strider102 posted...

Why would I want to eat healthy? The world is fucked so might as well eat whatever.

If you found a way to deal with your depression, you might feel more motivated to eat healthy.