What is really stopping us from eating healthy?

[LilMissRe]

Hi mums
I’m trying to balance full time mummy-hood and completing my degree and after what felt like an eternity, I am edging towards the finish line. The only thing left is to finish my research project. I say “only” but this has been a huge struggle and I am asking for help. My project is about promoting healthy eating in cities. I’m comparing what the government thinks needs to be done, to what families, and those particularly struggling to access healthy food, think is hindering their access to healthy food. So I am writing here, in the hope that you could share with me your opinions.

Most “experts” say that healthy food access is difficult because of price, location or income. (I’d add time too- but think there is more to it than that). We all relate to and value food differently so I am keen to find out how you think healthy food access is an issue.

My parents grew up very very poor in the Mediterranean; but they both insist that their diets were much healthier then than they are now and have always been surprised as to how diets have worsened, and obesity risen despite there being relatively more availability of food. My parents are from a different time however, and so I am asking you for your opinion on why you think diets are getting worse.

Time.

Preparing fresh food is what is healthiest for families. In most two parent households, both parents work because it's the only way to afford to live. In single parent families it's the same. Very few people who work full time will want to come home and prepare a meal from scratch. If housing were more affordable and the cost of living reduced, and raising children could afford to reduce their hours slightly and invest more time in cooking and preparing healthy meals, the best crisis would reduce significantly.

When cooking is not the norm, it doesn’t happen. And it seems an inconvenience to spend the time prepping and cooking if you’re not used to doing that. So a takeaway or food in a box seems the easiest option.

I know quite a few people who eat very healthy diets and are still very overweight.

I don't think healthy food is expensive - vegetables, fruit, grains, eggs, rice, pasta, cereal, bread, beans, lentils, soup etc are all healthy and cheap. The days I don't cook healthy food are the usually the days when I've had a terrible day at work. I would say work is the main reason I don't eat healthy every day.

I think there's been a huge skills loss in the last one or two generations. The knowledge and experience to knock up meals from scratch, using what you have or planning meals in advance, means we've become dependent on more processed foodstuff.

People, me included, see things like jars of pesto, Dolmio pasta sauces, ready made lasagnas or shepherds pies, etc. lining the shelves in supermarkets and go for them because we don't really know how to make them ourselves. So we buy the food that's high in sugar and salt when, if we just had the know-how, we would have the confidence to just buy the ingredients and do it ourselves (time permitting as PP pointed out). But I think fewer of us are being taught how to cook for ourselves now.

I was amazed when I made pesto myself for the first time - it was unbelievably easy and tastes so much nicer than a jar. I won't buy pesto again, and with the knowledge of how to make it, I won't waste so much basil either!

I don't think healthy food is expensive, the problem is there's so much fast food available, after a hard day a lot of people don't want to stand and prepare a meal, obesity is down to eating a lot of the wrong food's and no exercise

Lots of reasons I'd say.

BUt I think MindProject and MIssSue have touched on a point - which is that you have to eat RIDICULOUSLY healthily these days in order to really have a healthy diet. My Grand parents would have eaten pork pie and cake and dripping on toast and not been obese, because they would have been very active (never drove, walked or cycled everywhere) and all their food - bar the odd pork pie - would have been home made, so no added/hidden sugar/palm oil etc.

definitely time. I'm a LP and often so tired from work, parenting etc, convenience wins. When you're shattered something from the freezer easier.

Pester power is also a big factor. This might sound odd but trying to keep sweet foods away from my kid is nigh on impossible - DD pestering me in the supermarket, random strangers giving her sweets, grandparents, dad etc, birthday parties etc etc. It seems ingrained into people to give kids sugar - way too much...

Also the repetitive nature of cooking - if you have fussy kids who like carb based foods you will often cook them and cooking loses its joy. My DD is not adventurous, so either I cook two dinners (twice the work and cleaning), or we eat the same as her - I do my best to get veggies in her but there's usually something in there that's not necessarily healthy e.g. chips or veggie sausage etc - fussy palates so frustrating.

Cost also a big factor on the foods I buy, I could eat more healthily using some extra convenience foods but they are usually expensive.

Cooking is also draining day in day out when it's just you doing it. The cleaning and organisation is repetitive, endless and soul draining. People are busier and mums have less time and energy to dedicate to cooking. LPs even more so.

It takes quite a while to make a healthy dinner. I often give into the hunger pangs and eat buttered (vegan) toast while I wait. I would probably east less calories if I just went straight for the pot noodle.

Agree with pp - time. Eating fresh produce daily without much food waste is harder if you only food shop once a week. Cooking from scratch requires more hands-on time and skill than oven chips and generates more washing up.

Junk food tastes pretty good as well. I just ate a bag of crisps - it was considerably nicer than an apple

Time's one thing, but for me it's more about taste and comfort eating. Vegetables are horrible, and cakes and chocolate are lovely. I do cook from scratch every day - but I'm still fat because treats. Sweets and chocolate are everywhere, and not eating them takes 24hr a day willpower that I just don't have, particularly when stressed.

I agree with the PP on the time aspect.

I think there is also a lot more pressure on us to provide higher quality meals and more variety.

Not only do we need to make healthy meals from scratch but we can't make the same meal too often.

There is a far greater range of foods to choose from and decision fatigue is one of our biggest enemies.

I know lots of families aren't like this but in ours, I work PT and DH works long hours so all the food preparation falls to me and it is a total grind.

Plus there is so much hidden sugar and fat in convenience foods, you really have to cut them out totally to eat healthily which adds to the work.

Just writing this has made me feel tired

I once worked in a family center with young parents, to be honest mums and we taught them how to cook spaghetti bol using jarred sauce because they didn't know how to do even the basics, so lack of basic food education.

Before I changed job, it was lack of time that spoilt our diet. That and the fact that the HE I learned at school was mostly pies, casseroles etc. The sort of things a sahp would make.
Now I’m a single working mum, I’ve spent time learning quick healthy recipes, and tricks to make it faster.

I find healthy food is inexpensive.

Tiredness.

Prepping a meal from scratch, chopping veg, adding ingredients at a particular point, stirring, waiting, timing the other things to go with it. All of this can seem such a chore and mentally draining just thinking about it when you've been up 4 or 5 times in the night for weeks on end.

Thank you everyone- I really do appreciate it!

Can I play devil's advocate here? and please stop me if I go too far-(these are generalisations that researchers' keep concluding from their findings- no malice or ill intent I promise)

Main conclusion:
People are not really valuing food, or connecting with it as they may have done before; seeing it as fuel and nothing more. They say the integrity of the food is disappearing and that food shouldn't be fast, -

I always found it fascinating how the first thing that people do up in their homes is the kitchen, when so few admit to cooking regularly, how we have more tv cooking shows available, and all the information out there than ever before on how to cook all sorts of things from scratch but yet we reach for the ready made meal.

I don't think healthy food is particularly expensive either, if we are only talking fruit and vegetables; but for families that for example, qualify for support like healthy start vouchers; why is buying healthy food a problem for so many still?

All of the above.
I think we’ve been conditioned as well to see certain foods as a treat. If I’m feeling down, it’s a doughnut I’m going to crave, not a plate of veggies, even though the plate of veggies would probably make me feel better.

Time, humans are lazy. We needed to get into a routine.

Thank you all again !
I couldn't agree more with the time factor. I am a single parent to a 14 year old boy, who eats everything but loads of it, that I cannot keep up!

But, I need to remove my personal experience from the discussion as I know that everyone has a different relationship with food and cooking, all unique and valuable of course.

I am curious to find out about mothers that may not be working full time, maybe are full time mums, and whether they see buying/cooking healthy food as an issue?

@RedSheep73 you've raised something really interesting here- I read somewhere that food evokes memories, and that nutritionally 'bad food' were always conceptually 'good food' growing up, as we saw them as treats and rewards or a way to feel better when feeling poorly. I have my go to food when I stress eat ( which has been very frequently during this project might I add )

Im a reasonable and adventurous cook. I know pretty well what a healthy diet is.

After cooking daily (single person for most of adult life) for the past 25 years, I just can’t be bothered to cook healthy meals from scratch.

I like fatty, sugary foods.

I don’t have any other vices and I look forward to a nice cake/mars bar/chips.

If I became more overweight perhaps I’d think about it.

No difficulty accessing healthy food here - have an allotment, parents have a smallholding. Just can’t be arsed.

We live in a junk food culture. There’s crisps, chocolate and processed crap everywhere, prominently displayed and marketed cheaply in shops. You eat it and get addicted. Food industry has spent money and time making sure it is so. I have to walk past temptation many times a day. It I didn’t leave the house it would be a lot easier.

SKills, time, exhaustion, becuase I deserve it, because we don’t really believe it’s a bad as people make out or they wouldn’t sell it, because our natural inclination /reward centre is designed for times when food was rare, because the problem reveals itself way after you ate too much. The reward is years, the hit is now.

An awful lot of people simply can't cook these days. My daughter (now 41 and an excellent cook) had "cookery" lessons at school and these comprised various microwave pre-prepared meals. Her group were never taught to make sauces, prep different veg, make pastry, which cuts of meat to use and how to use them... just those damned instant meals. Luckily she had an interest in cooking properly and in nutrition, but out of her group how many still serve instant food for the lack of knowledge?

And of course it doesn't end there. If the parent can't cook basic nutritious dishes then they can't pass the knowledge on to their own children so yet another generation is affected.

Money doesn't need to be a factor in whether or not you have healthy meals. There is plenty available to suit all price ranges.

A further problem is portion control. Plates have got bigger and then bigger again! Yet people still pile them high and then wonder why the lbs pile on. Plus very few seem to understand the ratio of protein/carbs/veg; we actually need quite a small amount of protein 56 grams per day for an adult sedentary male and approx 250 grams of carbs. The rest should be veg and fruit, mainly veg.

Interesting thread.

I'm a SAHM, have been for many years. I have time to cook but just hate it, not something that interests me in the least. Agree that a bag of crisps is much nicer than an apple although that said I've just eaten both. I do generally cook from scratch but dread trying to think of things. If I could just eat a blue pill every evening I gladly would!

In Tesco's on Saturday and I found it so depressing. It's convenience foods everywhere. I feel like I'm dodging things, just to get sucked in by something else. A lot of these foods aren't cheap, but looking in peoples trolleys they all seem to have ready meals or put in oven type prepared things.

I often cook from scratch and my DH says he prefers certain ready made sauces It's very deflating and I must admit they often do taste nicer, prop the sugar? I know they aren't good for you, but it's quicker and nicer.

@Towelsareblue I do that. I fancy crisps and think no I'll be healthy and have a piece of fruit. Then I still fancy crisps, so have those too