Wellness Wars: Why We Can’t Agree on Health

Loosely inspired by the ideas in Jonathan Haidt's The Righteous Mind - reframed for the chaos of modern wellness culture.

Introduction

Step into any health forum or scroll through #Wellness on social media, and it won’t take long before you stumble into a full-blown ideological war. Team Keto is throwing shade at Team Vegan. CrossFitters are defending their turf like Spartans. People are arguing about vaccines, seed oils, intermittent fasting - you name it. Health isn't just personal anymore. It's tribal. It's moral. And it’s heated.

So, what gives? Why do conversations about food, fitness, and medicine turn into moral crusades?

Much of it comes down to how our values - often more emotional than logical - shape what we believe. We tend to feel our way into positions first and rationalise them later. Which means when we're talking about health, we’re often not just debating facts - we’re defending our worldviews.

Health as a New Morality

In today’s world, health has become a stand-in for virtue. We talk about clean eating, guilt-free snacks, and sinful treats. Being healthy isn’t just about preventing illness - it’s about being good. And when someone does something we disagree with (say, eating fast food or skipping the gym), it can feel like they’re not just making a bad choice - they’re being morally wrong.

This is why a simple disagreement over diet can escalate faster than a Twitter feud. Because under the surface, we're not just talking about carbs. We’re talking about values.

The Moral Layer Beneath Health Beliefs

People bring different moral lenses to the world, and health is no exception. For example:

• Some focus on purity: avoiding processed foods, GMOs, or anything artificial.

• Others value authority: trusting doctors, science, and guidelines.

• Some see health as a matter of freedom: resisting mandates or feeling empowered to choose their own path.

• Still others prioritize care: wanting to protect themselves and others from harm.

When someone’s food choices, exercise habits, or medical decisions clash with your values, it’s not just disagreement - it feels like a threat. That’s why health conversations can so quickly become emotionally charged.

Tribe, Identity, and the Wellness Crusade

Health isn’t just a set of habits anymore - it’s a badge of identity. Whether you’re a die-hard vegan, a carnivore diet evangelist, or a CrossFit convert, chances are your health choices come with a ready-made community, complete with its own rules, beliefs, and influencers.

These communities aren’t just about support. They’re about belonging. And when your identity is wrapped up in your wellness philosophy, criticism feels personal. It's not just your diet they're questioning - it’s you.

The Dark Side of Moralising Health

When health becomes a moral scoreboard, the pressure to be good can spiral into shame, guilt, or obsession. People get judged not just for what they eat, but for who they are. And nuance? That goes out the window. Suddenly, it’s all or nothing: clean or dirty, healthy or toxic, good or bad.

This mindset also makes real conversation nearly impossible. Facts get filtered through emotional frameworks. Debates become dogfights. And we end up defending our team instead of questioning our assumptions.

A Little More Curiosity, A Lot Less Conflict

Here’s the good news: just knowing that deeper values shape our health beliefs can help us cool down the conversation. We can still care about science and evidence, but we can also recognize that people aren’t just being irrational or misinformed - they’re responding to emotional and moral instincts that feel very real.

So next time you’re tempted to roll your eyes at someone’s celery juice obsession or dismiss someone’s fear of pharmaceuticals, pause. Ask what values might be at play. Try speaking their language.

We might not all end up on the same health plan - but we might just learn to listen a little better.

References

1. Haidt J. The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion. New York: Pantheon Books; 2012.