Did you know that if you don’t take your phone to the loo with you, your brain actually starts working? I know, shocking. I was just sat there, minding my own business (literally), when it hit me like a 1000-megawatt lightbulb: why is healthy food more expensive than junk food?

I’m talking about the proper vegetables that didn’t come out of a freezer bag, fruit that hasn’t been dipped in sugar, and food that hasn’t been processed to the point of unrecognisability. Why is eating healthy food starting to feel like a luxury holiday in the Maldives?

It’s bloody unfair, isn’t it? If you’re an average or heaven forbid, below average earner, eating fresh and healthy food regularly becomes this unattainable dream. Meanwhile, fast food chains are practically throwing burgers at you for less than the price of a bottle of shampoo. Why does a salad cost more than a double cheeseburger? It’s capitalism in its most deep-fried form.

Now, I noticed this properly because I have psoriasis, and over the years, my skin has gone full diva mode. It now throws a tantrum every time I so much as look at junk food especially the likes of McDonald’s or any other “food-like substances” served at processed food restaurants.

So, we’ve resorted to mostly cooking at home. And let me tell you, grocery prices these days are sky-high. Not that I personally pay for them thankfully, I’m on the ‘looked-after’ plan but my eyes work, and I’ve seen the receipts. It’s outrageous.

I remember when I was a kid, I used to throw emotional tantrums over the fact that we never got takeaway. No McDonald’s, no Subway sandwiches, no Pizza Hut. Just boring, bland food made at home from scratch!

At the time, it felt like child neglect. I wanted that plasticky mac ‘n’ cheese, that suspiciously shiny burger. Now? I look back and think: blimey, I was lucky.

Turns out that food made at home unseasoned and unloved as it seemed is what actually nourished me. Meanwhile, Pizza Hut is out here selling edible regret.

So, the point of this entire loo-inspired rant is this: if you have access to fresh food and the ability to cook it at home, you are blessed. Truly.

It may not come with free toys or be delivered in 10 minutes, but it won’t clog your arteries or trigger a skin apocalypse either.

Right. That’s all. Cheers.

Hannah

IG: @boundless.pages25