I’m finally in the process of trying to eat better, but The whole ordeal is once again opening my eyes to just how broken this country is when it comes to nutrition.

I spent almost $100 bucks at BJs just to get my food (chicken (good quality chicken), frozen veggies, two tubs of Greek yogurt, granola, berries, brown rice, etc).

Why does being healthy have to be so damn expensive?!? It cost so much less in money to take my ass to McDonald’s, Burger King, or Wendy’s to get a full meal. It’s a serious problem when being unhealthy is cheaper than being healthy. Being healthy is also the most time consuming experience I’ve had to endure. I forgot how much I hated meal prep.

The availability of markets with better prices is another issue altogether. My girlfriend lives up in Haverhill and is close enough to New Hampshire. She is surrounded by Market Baskets which have far more palatable prices when it comes to food. The closest ones to me are in Somerville which I hate driving in at the times of day I’m free to shop. I’ve got Star Market within walking distance, but my wallet screams “DADDY NO!” every time I step in there.

Being healthy should be accessible to ALL WALKS OF LIFE! Eating healthy, much like being healthy in this country, is merely for the privileged. I didn’t realize I had to make a hefty sum of money to get a clean bill of health every year.

We’ve got all these healthy food chains popping up, but most of the people who would benefit from these places can’t even afford them. Sweetgreen and others like it are bougie AF. There was a time when I ate there daily, and it bent my wallet over a table.

Now I understand why so many people in the country are unhealthy. Healthy food options are competing with dollar menus, and 4 for $4 specials. Why spend an arm and a leg on fresh produce that has to be prepped when there’s a hot meal ready on your time for a fraction of the cost? KFC can feed your whole family for a fraction of what it costs to give them a balanced meal. Domino’s and Papa Gino’s got your whole party taken care of because there’s never a day they aren’t running a special.

Everything about this country is broken, especially from a nutrition standpoint. There’s an overabundance of cheap, fast, and shitty options, especially if you live in the city. There aren’t enough good options unless you dig, or are willing to spend stupid amounts of money. There’s a huge disparity between the weight and health of those in the inner city vs those in the suburbs. That disparity gets even greater when you realize living away from farmland means your produce will be far more expensive. It’s also appalling that soda comes with most meals, but I gotta pay extra for water.

These disparities have also created fad diets for those looking to knock off pounds really quickly. Herbalife, flat tummy tea, etc, it’s all bullshit. Even if there are results, they’ll get reversed the moment you stop the regiment and you start eating again. Poor self esteem and fitness have become a multi-billion dollar industry.

We can do better than this. Being healthy should be both affordable and accessible.

Stay classy…

 

Flemmings Beaubrun is an avid gamer and lover of music. When not working, Flemmings likes to spend his time whipping up dank beats for the masses. He also spends his weekends thrift shopping for rare video games and obscure electronics. Other times he’s in front of a TV with a giant bowl of cereal enjoying shows from the 90s.