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.

I dont think poverty is mentioned enough when it comes to eating healthy, fuel poverty as much as food poverty, if that makes sense

Everyone has a busy life, most people work/have dc etc etc and don’t have a lot of time but we all make certain things priority, for some that is eating healthy others can’t be arsed and have different priorities.

People will be on here in a minute saying not everyone can cook but Everyone can cook! it’s just following instructions. Stir fry is the quickest, simplest meal ever for example

I do agree that Portion control is a problem for many. People simply eat too much food. A lot of people have lost sight of what a normal portion is. Even in restaurants these days portions are huge.

Unless you live in a very remote place ( how many people does this apply to in all honesty) accessing healthy food isn’t difficult. I live in a village and even our village store has basic healthy items,Yes for more adventurous things I need to drive in to the city but I can buy healthy items despite living remotely.

Cost is maybe an excuse for some up to a point but healthy food can be cooked on a reasonable budget.

Imo many people just make excuses instead of admitting they can’t be arsed. Nothing wrong if you choose not to eat/cook healthily that is ones choice but be honest about it

Fruit veg meat fish salads etc can all be brought and made into meals much more cheaply than buying processed food. Even when both parents are working here, I come home and have a cup of tea then start making a meal from scratch. Steamed veg, chicken and potatoes in some form isn't hard. Home made pasta sauce is easy and can be batch made. Same with bolognaise, stew, chilli, curry and casseroles. All can be batch cooked so you can store portions in freezer.

I don't think it's that people can't cook.

For me it's time, I come home from work and I'm exhausted. I cant muster up the energy to cook something healthy and tasty. I am pretty good at healthy quick meals but there are days I just can't be arsed. I'm ye olde days there were more SAHP as well, more people working longer hours.

Ease and availability as well, unhealthy food is everywhere and it's delicious.

Realistically a big factor is that unhealthy food tastes really good. I like veg but a chocolate bar is tastier and more satisfying. I think everyone pretends this isn't the biggest factor, but in my mind the reason I eat unhealthy food is because it tastes really good.

I think if the food we have these days was available 60 years ago people would have eaten it, they wouldn't have eaten healthily.

In my experience generations past still ate convenience food, but there was less around so they were forced to cook a lot from scratch. Neither of my parents grew up eating as healthy as I did, they just had to eat certain things because they couldn't eat dominoes every night

See I don't think processed food tastes nice at all. I find it unpalatable.

An Italian friend of mine commented that it's hard to know what is considered healthy anymore, and by who's standard. Traditional Italian meals are high in carbs, but so many 'experts' tell us to cut back on pasta and pizza.

I put it down to not being taught cookery in school. My mum worked outside the home and was always under time constraints when she cooked. She showed me things when she had time but, truthfully, had I had decent cookery lessons in school it would have been a huge help to me.

Plus my generation (born late 1960's) were taught that cookery wasn't only for women (rightly, obviously) but as a result it was perceived that cookery wasn't for anybody. Girls didn't want to do it as it was perceived as unfeminist and boys wouldn't do it as they still perceived it as a 'girls subject'. Hence

I also think that, throughout my lifetime, the importance of eating well and the perceived value of good food and seasonality of produce etc has completely disappeared. Again I think this is down to education and the focus of education becoming on what is measurable and perceived to be important eg STEM and maths and English which is all schools are judged against so obviously schools let 'unimportant' subjects fall by the wayside. What's important in life has been completely skewed away from survival, creativity and useful skills for life and towards skills that can be compared by the OECD to the rest of the world.

For me I strongly believe that we are what we eat. Eat too much processed food and your body will eventually respond negatively in some form or another whilst eating fruits veg poultry fish red meat and good fats helps the body to be at its optimal health wise. That is simplified somewhat as we are all different but it can't do harm to eat more naturally whereas it can definitely be detrimental to eat processed ready made food long term.

I think it’s that we see food as a treat and something to indulge in, rather than something that will give us nutrients and energy.

Do you think this can't be bothered-ness and time issue is unique to the UK? I'm only asking as obesity and undernutrition is a really big issue for the gov and I'm thinking, well surely a lot of us mums are tired across the globe, and are working, long hours?

I think it's also not knowing what healthy foods would be good in certain situations (if that makes sense). I used to be overweight, and for me it was making associations that helped me to lose it- eg before if I needed some energy I would grab a chocolate bar; knowing that bananas gave me energy helped to replace that bad food but get the same effect. Also for comfort food id usually go for chips or something, but knowing that a nice homemade soup can be comforting too helped me make that change. This worked for me as my relationship with food was also tied up with feelings. I guess what I'm trying to say but finding it hard to articulate is that 'eat healthy' is quite broad, and lots of people think I'm going to be missing out if I do that. By giving ideas for foods which replicate a similar feeling etc helps.

@mabelisable- I didn't even think of that! Damn indicators!
But on your point about cooking in schools; do you not think the internet, and tv cooking shows would somewhat compensate?

Cooking is boring and soul destroying. I spent 1.5 hrs cooking a family lunch yesterday. Then clearing up the considerable mess in the kitchen. A few hours later I had to make dinner as well. In total I spent 2-3 hours in the kitchen. Time I would prefer to spend in the garden ( which I find relaxing, unlike cooking which is hot, stressful and boring) or on DIY or on cleaning - in fact anything rather then cooking.. I resent the relentlessness of it. DH probably does.most of the cooking but I do about 30-40% of it and that is 30-40%too much.

Just give me a personal chef and I would be happy,

I loathe cooking but I do have a very comicated relationship with food as I am very obese and I have a fussy D's who is vegetarian but dislikes aot of veg and would love on pasta, pizza and potatoes if he could.

Maybe dieting and the rise of diets has something to do with people rewarding themselves with ready meals, crisps, icecreams , cake, chocolate etc. Looking at this thread all these items seem to be seen as bad whereas they are just food. People see healthy food in one camp and junk food in another.On a diet - eat only so called good food. Come off diet or binge out of deprivation and it's the so called junk food that people go to, the bad food. Then they overeat on it, gain weight, feel bad and back on the healthy eating.

I would say that I eat on the healthy side and I do a very physical job, it is a constant struggle trying to find genuinely healthy food for my dc. Like cereals, bread, sandwiches, everything is processed and full of sugar. What I eat for breakfast and lunch they would balk at ! Unsweetened muesli and for lunch fish and quinoa or brown rice.

When there was a woman at home in the house making everything from scratch including bread and the family meat from their own animals it would have been less processed and healthy so as women have gone into different work outside the home processed convenience food has taken over.

@Milliy I think that's a really interesting point- it's perpetuated by the idea of diets, and those that promote diets. If you can't have it, you want it more. The idea of what is seen as good food or bad is really interesting.

Growing up my grandmother used always give us buttery biscuits and sugary cakes that she baked for us- as treats. We never thought of them as 'bad food'- they were just treats.

Interesting how feelings are so important here in what we eat. I always used to think that they market sugar and chocolates as a sign of love- always at Christmas, Valentines Day, Birthdays etc- so you can associate eating those with celebration and family

This is really interesting!
For me I think it’s mostly too much choice, and that I find it difficult to choose the healthy options over the tastier stuff!
Money isn’t an issue for us, we are short on time but we live in a big city so there are lots of healthy delivery options, we just don’t tend to choose them! Yesterday we ordered from a neighbourhood Italian but pizza was way more appealing than a salad.
I’m not overweight though- I’m good at portion control and fairly active.

I'm not sure that TV cookery shows really show what people can a) afford b) have time to make on a day to day basis and c) feed a family with children. When TV shows the basics it might be of use but most I've what's shown is out of the realms of the people who have had no food education. No pint in talking about a roux when viewers don't know what that is.

I work in customer services for a supermarket and people complain when their potatoes are muddy or they have eyes - completely normal things for a potato. Our understanding of food and where it comes from is completely shot to pieces as we have no education on food and where it comes from and food is supplied to us as a sterile thing.

The cooking shows put me off. My ex regarded those meals as the required standard. Anything I cooked was criticised as only having one texture or for how it looked. It wrecked my confidence.

Once the ex had gone, I started again. Now I make a tomato & caper sauce that takes all of 5 minutes, lay frozen fish fillets on the sauce and put the lid on. Fish defrosted & succulent in homemade sauce within the time it takes to boil rice. It’s quicker than ordering a takeaway.

Or the butcher does lamb steaks already in honey & mint. Just add baby potatoes & some steamed veg. 15 mins as well.

The trick is not having a man around to whinge.

@prettywhiteguitar- I agree, but we also had the freezer in the early 70's that surely liberated women somewhat?

Grammar

I think it is down to the availability and relative cheapness of junk food.

Comparing now to my 80s childhood, I simply knew the "big sweets" like mars bars were out of my price range. I would get 2 selection boxes at xmas and 2 easter eggs.

Look at now where you can get a huge bag of doritos or share sized bag of sweets for £1 and you see kids getting a dozen easter eggs.

I remember when I first saw a pre packed sandwich and thought it was unbelievably lazy and would never catch on......

Same with eating out, you can get a carvery or burger and chips for £5 or less. Eating out was a rare thing when I was a kid, similarly a Chinese or Indian take away was a couple of times a year now the average family can afford to do so frequently.

I think if we had all those foods available in the 80s then we would have eaten just as badly!

@Seniorschoolmum ha ha ha! Yes! My ex had to have meat every day- he wouldn't call it a meal if it didn't have any.

It's the thought that has to go into it. If I've got too much other stuff in my head/in my schedule then a frozen pizza it is, picked up on the way home.

If I am able to clear a bit of head and diary space, I plan and shop for a week of healthy eating. If I find myself in a lull with a bit of energy on a Sunday I will prep all my breakfasts and lunches for work that week. But then do do that, I also needed to have done a big shop.

We generally eat well, well enough. One night a week I cba and dh picks a convenient dinner up (aforementioned frozen pizzas).

I enjoy cooking. But seriously, the mental and physical time needed to shop, plan, prep and cook meals all week is massive. Add that to 2 small dc, ft work and studying from home and frankly if I manage one healthy meal a week I'm ok.

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?

But if you've had a long working day, you're tired - will most families come home and prepare a load of vegetables - spend time, peeling, chopping, boiling - to make what? And that's not a very satisfying dinner. Compared to putting a couple pizzas in the oven with some chips that all cost £1 each.

I'm 29 and when I was growing up my grandma and mum both cooked wholesome family meals - mince and dumplings, chicken dinners etc but they hardly worked any hours compared to modern families. Ready meals weren't £1 when I was growing up - they were the "premium option"

When my DP was at school, he has £1.50 for lunch, he couldn't afford to buy any of the school proper meals, he used to go to the chicken shop and get 1 piece chicken, chips and a coke for £1.50. Crap food is ridiculously cheap!

And crap food is pumped full of additives that make us crave it.