They do, but they need to know how to eat a healthy diet. I don't know about you, but I've never once seen a commercial about eating whole foods with vegetables. I am however bombarded on a daily basis with adds for fried chicken and burgers. Some people just don't have the access and education.
- Eating a varied healthy diet is a lot more expensive than eating a varied unhealthy diet (if you can eat kale, rice, and beans all day then good for you but most can't)
- We're creatures of habit, if we grow up eating unhealthy we are more likely to continue to as adults. Eating healthy for most people requires cooking for yourself, many never learn this skill or see their parents putting daily effort into meals when they are children.
- Lack of public education around the topic, lack funding for free healthy lunches for school children
I had a friend when I was in school who had the most messed up disgusting teeth I'd ever seen. He had dental insurance, a decent job, decent pay. Turns out he never grew up learning that you're supposed to brush your teeth regularly so he just never made a habit out of it.
Eating healthy is not more expensive. Potatoes, rice, beans, carrots, etc. are all inexpensive. I was in the store today, and a can of Nalley chili with meat and beans is $2.19. It's more than enough for a meal.
I also buy whatever's on sale, including the day older steak which is around half off. A half gallon of milk is $1.99.
Or are they eating shit, because eating shit is the path of least resistance, and median person travels down the path of least resistance, and if you set up your society such that the path of least resistance results in horrible outcomes, you're going to get horrible outcomes?
Sometimes not:
I live in one of these Diabetes Belt counties. I'd like to add another aspect to the "cultural problem", which is that the median person here eats absolutely horrendously and doesn't exercise at all.
> we'd rather give you bad food
I'd like to believe that people have the agency of choosing what they eat.