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 f…