Yeah a lot of frozen vegetables are fine, especially when cooked in a casserole or something, but not on their own.

I know it’s not practical to avoid all processed stuff, not that I want to, and a lot of it is healthy enough. It’s just all the stuff with reasonable amounts of salt/sugar/etc and still tastes good tends to cost more. (even then you have to be careful, a lot the stuff marketed as healthier really isn’t. Exhibit A; Diet Soda)

It seems protein is the latest trend, a lot of stuff is highlighting how much protein they have in them. Protein is great, but I’ll get that from the regular sources not a dense candy bar or meat stick. Gosh even some milks (that aren’t specifically protein drinks) are highlighting protein content now lol.

Yeah, I don’t care for the labels, I just try to pay attention to ingredents.

Everyone’s essentials will differ, for me it its things like canned veggies, jarred sauce, frozen veggies, canned soup - basically easy meals or sides to easily make dinner after work.

Yes, most of that is healthier than a TV dinner, but fresh is still better (and tastier).

I could learn to can or pickle my own, but that’s not with out its own difficulties.

Sure the staples are pretty easy, but a head of iceburg is a dollar while all the stuff with some nutritional value costs $3 for less per pound.

Going to the store with produce that isn’t already half dead, so it will last the whole week costs more.

Going the store multiple times a week for fresh produce costs more in gas and time (and “extra” buying). I end up with lots of fresh meals at the start of the week, but towards the end its all frozen or canned vegetables, which is a lot of salt.

Buying the juice, or any snack, not full of high-fructose corn syrup costs more.

Fresh bakery bread costs $5+, while a loafs cost $1-2. A loaf of wheat or multi-grain bread costs around $3.

It all adds up, and yes I am lazy.

Healthy eating.

It’s so much more expensive and effort than the mainstream stuff. Its easy enough to cut back on the junk foods, but the cutting out the processed “essentials” is harder.

The original “The Princess Bride” by S. Morgenstern