"Healthy" is a pretty loaded word. In the grand scheme of things apples and peanut butter is indeed a pretty healthy snack: good balance of fiber and protein and carbs and healthy fats, and nothing particularly bad like partially hydrogenated oils if you stick to a decent brand of peanut butter. But its not a particularly low-anything snack, so maybe not an efficient use of calories for someone trying to watch their weight. Nuts in general are a pretty caloric food.

Occasionally (usually as a distraction while trying to make a meal plan for the week) I find myself wondering by what we could do differently with the concept of healthy foods that makes nuances like this easier for people to understand, without getting into fad diet territory. I've never had a brilliant idea here because its fundamentally asking the public to have a nuanced understanding in an industry with tons of historical marketing spin, which is... hard. Really hard. Fad diets and diet plans in general exist because someone telling you exactly what to eat is sometimes more effective than trying to give an understanding about why those choices are made.

The reality is that "healthy" is an individualized goal and different foods are a tool for getting to that destination.

I found I developed a new value of food based on its deliciousness per kcal.

Some foods are delicious but too calorific to be considered.

Some taste OK but turn out to be exceptional value!