Fake Progress: Why the MAHA Movement Falls Short

The MAHA movement wants to convince us we’re making progress.

They want applause for swapping out red dye #whatever in Doritos for another synthetic version. They want headlines for In-N-Out changing their oil. They want a gold star because Coca-Cola is now using cane sugar instead of corn syrup.

But here's the truth: none of this is real progress.

Doritos are still ultra-processed garbage. In-N-Out’s oil is still industrial waste. Sugar, no matter the source, is still feeding the diabetes epidemic. This is not reform. It's healthwashing.

Healthwashing: The Illusion of Change

Healthwashing is when companies make tiny, superficial tweaks to harmful products and then act like they’ve done something heroic. It’s like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. The ship is still sinking, but they want us to feel good while it happens.

You can paint the Doritos whatever shade of red you want, but they’re still loaded with refined seed oils, chemical flavor enhancers, and fake cheese dust that hijacks your brain’s reward system. You can use cane sugar in Coca-Cola instead of corn syrup, but it’s still sugar water with zero nutrients. You can fry a burger in "cleaner" oil, but it's still a hormone-disrupting, gut-wrecking substance pulled from a factory, not a farm.

These are crumbs. Not cures.

What Are They Really Protecting?

The sad part is that these superficial changes are being used to distract from the real issues. They want the public to feel like something big has happened so no one demands actual reform. It's smoke and mirrors, a PR strategy, not a health solution.

The bigger question is, why are they focusing on these little dumb things in the first place?

Because we have a full-blown health crisis on our hands. Chronic disease is everywhere. Obesity rates are climbing. Type 2 diabetes is hitting kids. Hormonal dysfunction, infertility, autoimmune conditions, and mental illness are skyrocketing.

And the best solution these movements can offer is changing the color of Doritos?

This isn't oversight. It's strategy. If they can convince you they're fixing things, you'll stop asking for real change. And more importantly, you’ll keep buying.

Swapping Poisons Isn’t Progress

Obviously, swapping one toxic ingredient for another doesn’t make a product healthy. It just makes it more marketable.

Doritos are still nutrient-void. Coke is still stealing the health of our youth. Fast food is still feeding metabolic dysfunction. There’s no victory in switching out one kind of poison for another. It’s just rebranding.

Would we cheer a cigarette company for removing the filter glue while still selling cancer sticks?

Would we call it progress if a heroin dealer slightly purified their product?

Of course not. But when it comes to food, we let companies get away with it.

The Real Problem Is Bigger

The real problem isn’t the type of food dye or sugar. It’s the entire food system.

We are addicted to ultra-processed food, stripped of nutrients and stuffed with cheap fillers. Seed oils, refined grains, added sugars, and artificial flavors dominate the modern diet. Our culture is flooded with hyperpalatable junk designed to override satiety signals and keep us eating long after we're full.

The root of the problem is metabolic dysfunction. It's not one ingredient. It's the entire formula.

And none of these small changes do anything to fix that.

Why the Government and Corporations Like It This Way

Government agencies love these kinds of “victories” because they quiet the critics without rocking the boat. They can check a box and move on while subsidizing the same industries that got us sick in the first place.

Food companies love it because it keeps people hooked. They get to parade around a new label that says “no artificial colors” or “made with real sugar” while still selling the same addictive garbage.

It’s not about health. It’s about optics.

What Real Progress Looks Like

If we actually cared about health, here’s what real progress would look like:

• Removing all hyperpalatable additives and flavor chemicals

• Eliminating industrial seed oils from the food supply

• Teaching the public how to cook real food again

• Taxing ultra-processed junk just like we tax cigarettes

• Funding small farms and local food systems, not chemical-laced commodity crops

• Labeling ultra-processed food honestly: “This product contributes to obesity, diabetes, and metabolic disease”

Until we start doing things like that, don’t call it progress. Call it PR.

The Real Solution Starts with You

You don’t need a cleaner Dorito. You need to reject the whole bag. You need to stop looking for a slightly less toxic version of the same broken system. You need to opt out.

Buy real food. Cook at home. Learn how to read ingredient labels. Teach your kids to do the same. Stop funding companies that are selling you disease.

The best protest you can make is what you put in your grocery cart.

What Does the Bible Say About This?

1 Corinthians 10:31 says,

Like Daniel, we’re surrounded by a culture offering food that looks appealing but leads to compromise. Daniel refused the king’s food because he knew it would defile him. He didn’t cave to convenience or blend in with the crowd. He stood apart, and God honored it.

We’re still being offered the king’s food today. It comes in colorful wrappers and convenient packaging The menu may have changed, but the spiritual test hasn’t.

Honoring God with our bodies means rejecting what the world normalizes and choosing what nourishes. We don’t need the king’s table to thrive. We need the courage to say no.

Fake progress is failure.

Let’s stop celebrating tweaks to toxic food and start demanding transformation. Your body deserves more than healthwashed junk. Your kids deserve more than repackaged sugar. And our nation deserves a real movement toward truth, not just better branding.

Reject the crumbs. Reclaim your health.

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