What's with "healthful"? Until several years ago, we were talking about "healthy eating", "healthy lifestyles". Now all the American magazines talk about "healthful eating" and so on. Why, oh why? It's awkward to say and there already was a perfectly good, very similar word!!!!!!!!!!

(And don't get me started on their abuse of every day/everyday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

I don't think I have ever heard "healthful" being used in the UK, but I have definitely heard it from American friends. It seems to me that they make a difference between that which is "healthy", meaning free of disease and ailments, and "healthful", meaning wholesome and very good for you. Does that sound right?

Frankly, no. My take is that they mean the same thing. I agree that "healthful" is a recent invention, doubtless by some marketing type, to incorporate the word "full" with "health". There's a lot of that kind of smoke and mirrors. Then you get this stuff cluttering up vocabularies and dictionaries.

http://wordsmith.org/board/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=words&Number=45

Thanks, Jackie!

Not that it makes me feel much better - I still dislike the word "healthful" - and I think I also agree that this sudden increase in use is a marketing thing. Something "health-full" just sounds so much better than something which is "health-y", or so they must think!

Something "health-full" just sounds so much better than something which is "health-y", or so they must think!

Perhaps they are correct? Though I instinctively dislike the word, I can sense a possible divergence of meaning that can be valid: say, a fish which is swimming along in fine health but may be against the interests of our health to eat...

Hmm. In-tree-ging. As far as I can tell, this bastardisation hasn't made it to Oz yet. Well, at least not to W.A. - mind you though, I'm often convinced that "W.A." does stand for "wait awhile"!!

stales

mind you though, I'm often convinced that "W.A." does stand for "wait awhile"!!

world apart!

Waiting anxiously perhaps?

'healthful' goes in my 'modern fitness jargon' bag along with 'wellness', and is heaved to the back of my modest closet of vocabulary.

re "my modest closet of vocabulary".

So, I guess signing up at AWAD was a step towards coming out of the closet??

stales

re "coming out of the closet"
my sides have split.
I think I'll never use closet in a figurative sense again, when considering those already existing, e.g. skeletens in the...; coming out of the ..

How's the swell down at Cotesloe stales?