Health-Washing Our Way to Obesity: The Real Danger Behind the MAHA Movement and ‘Better-for-You’ Junk Food

In recent months, we’ve seen a wave of initiatives aiming to “make the population healthier.” One of the most visible is the MAHA movement (Make America Healthy Again), which has received widespread media attention. On the surface, its promises sound promising, removing high fructose corn syrup from soft drinks, swapping out seed oils, and eliminating artificial dyes from children’s foods.

But these changes are cosmetic at best. They don’t address the root causes of the metabolic health crisis, and in some cases, they may do more harm than good by distracting from the interventions that actually matter.

Still fries, still a problem. Swapping oils or dyes doesn’t make junk food healthy, it just makes it marketable. Let’s stop dressing up the issue and start addressing it.

1. Reformulation Without Behaviour Change Is an Illusion

Replacing high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) with cane sugar doesn’t make a soft drink “healthier” in any meaningful sense. Both are forms of refined sugar, both drive excess energy intake, and both contribute to insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction when consumed chronically. It's still soda. It's still a hyper-palatable, calorie-dense beverage with no nutritional value.

The same logic applies to switching deep-frying oils, whether fries are cooked in seed oils or beef tallow, we’re still talking about an energy-dense food that promotes overconsumption in a population already struggling with caloric excess. These tweaks reformulate the product, but they don’t reform the behaviour. And from a health outcomes perspective, that’s where the true impact lies.

2. The Bigger Problem: Misinformation Through Marketing

What’s particularly concerning is how these superficial changes can be misinterpreted. By promoting foods as “natural,” “free from seed oils,” or “no artificial colours,” we risk creating a false health halo around products that are still nutrient-poor and highly processed.

This misleads the public into thinking they’re making better choices, when in reality, these foods are still largely incompatible with improved health outcomes. Worse, it may even encourage greater consumption, under the illusion that these products are now “healthier.”

In effect, we’re not solving the problem, we’re camouflaging it with better packaging.

3. This Isn’t Just an American Problem

While the MAHA campaign is based in the US, its influence extends far beyond American borders. Australia is not immune. In fact, our food environment, digital media, and influencer culture are so deeply entangled with global trends that these same marketing messages are now showing up on supermarket shelves here. We’re beginning to see the same rise in “clean label” branding, products claiming to be “low sugar,” “natural,” or “free from additives”, yet offering minimal benefit in terms of calorie control, nutrient density, or satiety.

This is how food marketing weaponises perception over physiology. And the consequences play out slowly, in waistlines, blood test results, and the long-term erosion of metabolic health.

4. What the Data Tells Us

Let’s zoom out and look at the real drivers of population-level health issues:

• The average calorie intake in the USA is over 3,500 kcal/day, far beyond what most people need to maintain energy balance.

• Physical activity is alarmingly low, with many people getting less than 20 minutes of movement per day.

• In Australia, we mirror these trends with similar increases in lifestyle-related chronic disease, poor diet quality, and sedentary behaviour.

Any public health initiative that doesn’t start with these fundamentals, how to reduce energy intake, increase movement, and improve the nutrient quality of food choices, is, quite frankly, a waste of resources.

5. What Actually Works: The Boring but Powerful Truth

The solutions that truly change health outcomes are not glamorous. They don’t generate headlines. They’re not marketable soundbites. But they are grounded in strong evidence, and they work:

• 🥦 Consistently eating fewer calories than you expend

• 🍎 Increasing intake of fruits, vegetables, and fibre-rich foods

• 🥩 Prioritising lean protein to support satiety and preserve muscle mass

• 🏃‍♀️ Moving more, especially structured, intentional physical activity

• 😴 Improving sleep, managing stress, and reducing alcohol intake

These are not new ideas, but they’re often the least monetised, least discussed, and least promoted because they don’t sell products. But if the goal is truly to improve health-span and reduce chronic disease burden, these are the behaviours that need attention.

Final Thoughts: Stop Polishing the Surface

Health is not created by clever labelling, nor is it preserved by removing artificial colours from cereal that’s still 80% sugar. True change happens when behaviours change, when we help people eat better, move more, and build lasting routines around quality nutrition, exercise, and recovery. Anything less than this is public relations, not public health.

Let’s focus less on what’s trending and more on what works. Because the only direction worth stepping toward is the one that actually leads to better health.

What Next?

If you’re tired of navigating the noise and contradictions in health advice, you’re not alone. The truth is, health doesn’t have to be extreme, it has to be effective. If you’re looking for a trusted, science-based approach to nutrition and lifestyle change, one that actually fits your life, I’m here to help.

Whether you want to improve your health-span, make sense of conflicting messages, inspire your family through action, or simply shift the direction you're heading, I offer a clear framework and walk with you every step of the way. If that sounds like something you’ve been looking for, I’d love to hear from you.

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