Eating healthy is not expensive

On the contrary, apples are available in-season from about August until November, and can be stored well until April or so.

Seasonal produce is the way to go

I've a friend who raises cattle and sheep and sells them to me. The animal is killed in a registered abattoir and butchered.

I also get a deer every now and again.

I agree, it is confusing and there is a huge difference between various opinions on what is actually healthy.

I can see validity on all sides but I think it comes down to whether you view healthy eating from a purely scientific perspective in terms of nutrition or whether you view it from a more holistic perspective. Even if just viewed from a purely scientific perspective, there can be mulitple ways of analysing things and it's not a straightforward black and white situation. Healthy diet is complex and even food scientists don't always agree.

Personally, I would take the more holistic view. I think the reason posters are bringing things like air miles and locally seasonal foods into the discussion is because the way we source our food and the way people are disconnected with where their food comes from is a reflection of how unhealthy our lives are in general. After all, we are part of the planet and so human health and Earth's health are intrinsically connected. Also, aside from how unethical and non environmentally sound the globalisation of food sourcing is, there is also an actual health and nutritional impact because of the degradation of nutrients and the use of preservatives and pesticides etc. Is it better to eat a wider range of fruit for the micronutrients even if it means ingesting who knows how many chemicals and contributing to who knows how many more in our atmosphere? In terms of their own health, that's a choice everyone can weigh up for themselves but the collective choices of every individual affects all of us.

Another aspect of the holistic perspective is time and I think it's so concerning how many people have mentioned time as being a huge factor. The fact that most people are so entrenched in the rat race that they don't have the time to prepare healthy food is an enormous problem. Someone even mentioned both parents working full time so they can afford to pay someone else to care for their children. It's hard to believe we've allowed things to become that way and I find it difficult to believe that anyone could argue that the current way of life most people are living is healthy on so many levels. Of course I believe in equality and everyone's rights to choose to work over staying at home but the fact is that it should be a choice, not an expectation or a necessity.

In terms of cost, I also think it's not a straightforward situation. I do agree with the point that people shouldn't be using cost as an excuse to eat unhealthily. But the fact is that the way modern life has been established means that a number of factors including cost can combine to make that the case.

I would agree that it's cheaper to eat a diet that's less extremely unhealthy for less money than eating junk food all the time, but if you want to eat a truly healthy diet, especially if you're concerned with ethics and environment, it's not so clear cut unless you're able to grow most of it yourself.

This brings us back to the time point but also another issue, which is food security. As individuals, most people are completely dependent on a distribution chain and have to choose between what foods are for sale and then pay the asking price. And if you expand that out on a national level, we are increasingly less independent, which I think people should be genuinely concerned about. This is obviously branching out way beyond the scope of the OP but I think it's definitely an interesting and important conversation.

I think I can agree with you if you're specifically saying "some people". But there will be equally plenty of people eating unhealthily who aren't unknowingly choosing that and it's the blanket judging and labelling that can be problematic.

Absolutely. It's not just those eating take away every day who need education. People have lost a lot of traditional knowledge and skills like the ability to grow and preserve food. I'm not going to pretend we are perfect and we do occasionally buy bananas but we try to limit it. We grow 100% of our own veg and I would estimate maybe 75% of our fruit. The rest we buy at the local fruit and veg market and of that, we buy the locally grown stuff as much as possible.

Even if you don't have space to grow, blackberries are readily available everywhere, even moreso than in the past because nobody's picking them. Between jam and the freezer you could have enough to keep you going with some locally grown apples, pears and plums. And when you eat seasonally, you appreciate the foods even more. If you can grow it yourself, all the better but if not, maybe there's someone local to buy from. I've often thought about a local bartering group being a good idea and would love to see some things like that going forward.

That's brilliant. I'll ask around again and see if that can be arranged here.

It absolutely is but food is only part of that. Many people are completely disconnected from nature and the outdoors, which leads to an overall unhealthy life. Most of the time is spent in work with a secondary amount spent in their house or car. Apart from the food that's chosen, you literally don't even need to leave your house or car to get the food.