The year that wellness became politicised

And why being 'crunchy' doesn't make you far-right

“With evidence-based science and medicine, we can end the chronic disease epidemic. For a start, ultra-processed food has no place in school lunches.”

Who said the above quote in 2024?

Probably a sensible doctor like Rangan Chatterjee or Chris van Tulleken, right?

Nope, it was Robert F Kennedy Jr, the anti-vax conspiracy theorist who is Donald Trump’s nominee for health secretary.

This year, I have watched with disbelief as the worlds of wellness and nutrition have become politicised.

Most of us have some level of desire to align ourselves with a particular set of values or beliefs. For me, it’s always been pretty clear that I’m against what Donald Trump stands for. But RFK Jr’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) campaign does contain some elements of sense.

He wants legislation against ultra-processed foods (UPFs), the evidence for which is now so overwhelming, I don’t need to reiterate it here (as a Well Well Well subscriber, the chances are you’ve read Ultra-Processed People).

Plus, junk food lobbyists are so powerful, making huge donations to government and influencing policy. RFK Jr claims he will stand up to them, and legislate to make healthier food more affordable and accessible, especially for kids.

Now, being on Trump’s side about anything feels wrong to me, but that sounds… quite good?

Having said that, actions speak louder than words and, in Trump’s first term, he rolled back lots of what the Obama administration had done towards regulating the fast food industry and making school lunches healthier.

Also, I’m clearly not on board with RFK Jr’s anti-vax views, and some of his other ideas don’t stand up to much scrutiny.

Take raw milk, for instance. I have a friend who lives in the countryside and swears by the raw milk she buys from her local farm. Do I think she should be allowed to buy it that way? Absolutely.
But I live in a city, so do I want to buy raw, unpasteurised milk that has been handled, transported and stored until it gets to me? No thanks.

That’s just one example of where something might work for one person in a certain situation, but not for someone else. The frustrating thing about this whole conversation is that there is no nuance.

New York Magazine recently shared an Instagram carousel taking down the main points of the MAHA campaign. Vaccines and fluoride in water are safe, they said. So far, so sensible.