I despise healthism… which is strange for an ex-health nut who managed a health food co-operative and taught raw vegan cooking classes for several years. Let me tell you why the importance of being healthy in the modern age can be quite irritating and perhaps even…unhealthy.
What is healthism?
Healthism is the modern trend towards promoting personal responsibility for health, placing an increasing focus on individuals to create the perfect healthy body. Healthism represents virtuous living as a moral accomplishment and this trend has taken on some of the religious attitudes toward foods (e.g. the moral sin of gluttony).
Sounds like taking responsibility for your  health is a wonderful thing. Indeed, it is quite beneficial to “take care” of yourself by trying to eat nutritious foods, stay active, continuously educate yourself on the health consequences of various choices…. because the modern environment has made the “normal” lifestyle quite problematic (sedentary behavior, cheap junk food, and what not).
The problem, in my opinion, is the fact that these personal decisions have increasingly become morally-laden decisions. It’s evident that the “health religion” is spreading through the fact that people make moral judgements about others’ worth based on what and how they eat (there is a number of studies showing that people view strangers who eat “healthily” as more virtuous, less likely to cheat, less lazy, and what not). Of course, moral judgments also are applied to the physical manifestations of presupposed internal qualities for those who are overweight (e.g. lack of self-control, greed).
On the other hand, our culture encourages the enjoyment of food- at parties, special occasions, when socializing.. You’re not “fun” if you’re too strict with yourself (surveys also show people perceive those who eat healthier (while more moral) as less interesting and nice to be around socially).
or really anything with that delicious crunch?  What’s not to love- such food has pleasant texture, is often tasty, carcinogenic… Wait, what? 
transform our environment by making inedible and toxic wild foods edible and safe, but it might have made us uniquely human. One of the major theories of why we have such large sophisticated brains is actually based on diet- learning to tame fire provided a lot more calories for the expansion of the brain in our evolutionary past (check up “Catching Fire: How Cooking Made us Human” by anthropologist Dr. Wrangham for more). Dating back to 400,000 years ago at least (with some suggestive evidence dating to about 1.6 million years ago), cooking is an activity to which we seem to be well-adapted, as suggested by our shorter digestive system and smaller jaws. Yet, this important human innovation is not without issues.
be found in many starchy foods cooked via frying and baking (the magic number seems to be over 120 degrees C or 248 F). The process that creates acrylamides is called the “Maillard Reaction” and is a chemical reaction responsible for the browning of foods when cooked. So if you look on the sliced bread photo on the right, you might guess that the darkest charred piece is highest in this compound. And you would be right.
Some folks argue that the most important factor in causing obesity is the change in culture- global modernization, urbanization, computer lifestyle, access to fast food, driving a car vs. walking. In China and India, for example, modernization goes along with the development of obesity (obesity rates accelerate there way faster than ever seen in the US!). 
normal weight and feel your best- it is almost a fight against nature (nature now being replaced by the iron jungle of the city). Suddenly you have to pay attention to every ingredient, find the time to sign up for a gym and squeeze in some physical activity in your schedule, spend energy on finding not-so-toxic products that probably cost more, etc. But of course it is all about trade-offs… people all over the world are looking for convenience, for a break from hard work. They seek ways to improve their live by modernizing, having transportation, not needing to spend half a day cooking meals and then cleaning after. Yet this comes at a price of poor health eventually. 
, in class, on the run) and some believe snacking throughout the day is beneficial for weight maintenance. This perception comes from the idea that eating more small meals throughout the day (snacking) will keep your metabolism up or keep your hunger down. While it does elevate your metabolism somewhat, the problem is that most people can’t seem to eat “small” meals throughout the day… instead they end up simply eating all day long. In terms of hunger management.. it is quite individualistic- perhaps having a snack truly makes you less hungry throughout the day…or it makes you even hungrier (now, that depends on the snack too; carb-rich snacks tend to make us hungrier after consumption…and we can argue that processed foods have an addictive quality where you just have to finish the whole bag).
lunches and dinners might not involve a plate, fork, or even sitting down to eat. As a result, you might not register your lunch as a satiating meal and feel the need to eat later. Indeed, taking the time to eat in a calm atmosphere might make you feel more satisfied with your meal (has anyone else ever felt like they didn’t really eat if they grabbed something on the fly? I definitely do).
Mariya V. PhD 
