It really sounds like you are assuming people are stupider than they are. Nobody thinks McDonald's, Hungry Man XXL frozen meals, or Doritos are good for you. P

It really sounds like you are assuming people are stupider than they are. Nobody thinks McDonald's, Hungry Man XXL frozen meals, or Doritos are good for you. People know the benefits of healthy eating. And you toss out this "stress" boogeyman as though eating unhealthy is the default. People are lazy and lack self-control. That's most of the issue. Eating healthy takes effort that lots of people can't be bothered to expend. As you mentioned, it takes ten times more effort to make a healthy meal taste good than an unhealthy one. Where you are wrong is cost. It doesn't cost a lot to make healthy food taste good, but it does require knowledge of flavors and a decent set spices.