What Is Healthism, and Should It Be Avoided?

Many people care about their health for various reasons —including improving quality of life, living longer, or reducing the risk of chronic illness. Some try to achieve better health by eating a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, or exercising more. But if you worry too much about your health and it is causing negative effects, you may have a healthism mindset.

You may already know the principles of healthism but didn’t know there was a name for it. 

Obsessing over ingredients on a food label, equating body size to worthiness, and judging someone on their health behaviors are all examples of healthism. 

But are there serious consequences for focusing too much on your health, and the health of others? Keep reading to learn the origin of healthism, its negative effects, and how to avoid it.

What is the origin of ‘healthism’?

In 1980, Robert Crawford defined healthism as the preoccupation with personal health. Healthism promotes that it’s a person’s responsibility to be “healthy”. And if they are not healthy, then they are not trying hard enough. In other words, health is a matter of personal responsibility and nothing else.

Crawford saw this as problematic. He saw health as political. Specifically, he saw the large role that racism, poverty, and other factors play in health outcomes. He believed to improve health, external factors must be acknowledged.

Healthism also encourages the idea that being healthy shows good morals and is the right thing to do. This can create a moral hierarchy that makes people feel less moral than others based on health. 

What’s the difference between healthism and orthorexia?

Orthorexia is defined as an obsession with eating healthy food to avoid ill health. This word comes from the Greek “ortho” meaning correct, and “orexi” meaning appetite. It’s not yet known what causes orthorexia, but some researchers think a history of disordered eating or poor body image could play a role. Some also argue that social media can be a factor.

Some signs and symptoms of orthorexia include:

• Cutting out an entire food group

• Compulsively checking ingredient labels and nutrition fact labels

• Showing signs of distress when “safe” or “healthy” foods are not available

• Obsessive following of food and lifestyle health blogs

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Orthorexia may be a form of healthism. People with orthorexia often take extreme measures to control their diet. This can lead to unhealthy outcomes, such as malnutrition and social isolation. Healthism is more than just eating the “healthiest foods.” It can be used as a way to judge another person’s habits and actions. 

How does healthism show up in everyday life?

Healthism shows up in subtle ways in our society. You may see it in health promotion campaigns, social media, or even at the family dinner table. Some examples of healthism showing up in everyday conversations are:

• “I can’t eat that, I am being good today.”

• “I’m just worried about your health.”

• “Should you really be eating that?”

These examples may seem harmless, but they reinforce the idea that you have a moral obligation to be healthy. Healthism focuses on individual health. But that doesn’t stop people from making assumptions about the health of others.

This is even seen in healthcare settings. Some healthcare providers have been shown to view patients with obesity as “lazy” and “bad.” And research shows that weight stigma can lead to weight gain and poor health outcomes. Research has also found that healthist messages lead to shame and self-blame.

What are the problems with healthism?

Healthism comes with some risks to both the person with the healthism mindset and the people they project it onto.

Risk of eating disorders and disordered eating

The widespread messages of healthism can influence people to start dieting. We know that dieting is a risk factor for disordered eating in young adults. Disordered eating can be a precursor for an eating disorder. 

Perpetuating anti-fat bias

Society usually regards people with larger bodies as failing to achieve health because of laziness and lack of willpower. This prejudice is often normalized in our culture and used to discriminate against larger-bodied people. 

Rooted in privilege

One of the many flaws in healthism is the little attention to the social determinants of health (SODH). SODH are defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as “the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.”

Healthism ignores SODH, and other factors, such as: 

• Income

• Genetics

• Racism and discrimination

• Education and job opportunities 

• Access to nutrition 

• Environment

• Family habits and culture

For example, having a stable job, a roof over your head, access to clean water, grocery stores with fresh produce, and compassionate healthcare make it much easier to maintain good health. Healthism doesn’t consider that not having these things can make it a lot harder.

Body image issues

The thoughts, feelings, and attitudes that a person has about how they look is their body image. A constant worry about personal health and not presenting yourself the “right” way can lead to negative body image. 

How can we shift away from healthism?

Challenging beliefs about health is not easy.  Social media, the news, and advertisements can promote messages of healthism that affect body image and personal health views. Consider the following tips to help shift your mindset away from healthism:

• Confront your own bias: Do you view thin people as healthy, and larger-bodied people as not? Where did this belief stem from? How do you feel when you judge someone’s health?

• Remind yourself that you do not have a moral obligation to be healthy: Achieving health is complex and you have not failed if you have some health challenges. 

• There are no “good” or “bad” foods: Food does not have morality. You are not “good” for eating an apple. You are not “bad” for eating french fries. 

• Practice self-compassion: This one is easier said than done. Having a positive attitude can help you define your health in your own way. 

• Work with a counselor, therapist, or nutritionist provider: Use this website to find a counselor or therapist, and this website to find a nutritionist provider near you.

Why trust our experts?

Written by:

Shaun Hui, RD, CDN, CDCES

Shaun Hui, RD, CDN, CDCES (he/they) is a dietitian and diabetes care and education specialist based in NYC with over 4 years of experience. Currently, he provides individual and group nutrition counseling at an outpatient HIV practice.

Edited by:

Kelsey Abkin

Kelsey Abkin has been working as a journalist since 2016. She has held many titles throughout her career, including editor, content strategist, digital strategist, and writer.

Reviewed by:

Karla Robinson, MD

Karla Robinson, MD, is a medical editor for GoodRx. She is a licensed, board-certified family physician with almost 20 years of experience in health through varied clinical, administrative, and educational roles.

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