Healthy eating should not become a status symbol

Background to the Nestlé future study “What will Germany eat in 2040?”

Why prevention, longevity and self-optimization are changing how we approach nutrition – and why enjoyment and community could become more important than ever.

By Alexandra von Cukrowicz, Head of Bonsai Lab

Alexandra von Cukrowicz, Head of Bonsai Lab

Anyone who talks about health today almost always uses one buzzword: longevity . It doesn't simply mean growing as old as possible. It's about the desire to experience those years gained in the best possible health, mobility, performance, and self-determination. Health is thus increasingly transforming from a repair shop into a life plan.

We have been dealing very specifically with this development in recent months as part of the Nestlé future study “How will Germany eat in 2040?” – it also affects me personally.

As a teenager, I counted calories – by hand, meticulously, and with one clear goal: to avoid gaining weight. Back then, there were no nutrition apps or wearables, no social media feeds full of supposedly perfect bodies, and no daily deluge of self-improvement tips. And yet, the step from a seemingly healthy awareness to problematic control behavior was frighteningly small.

Today I wonder how this experience would have developed under the conditions of our present day. Not only because new technologies and health services make tracking so much easier, but also because society's view of health has changed: We know more about nutrition, exercise, and prevention than ever before. At the same time, there's a growing expectation that we will consistently translate this knowledge into our own lives.

Health is increasingly becoming an individual responsibility – and sometimes an individual obligation. Those who are informed are expected to take preventative measures. Those who have data are expected to use it. Those who have choices are expected to make the "right" decisions. This can be empowering. It can help people better understand their own needs and take early action for their well-being. But it can also create pressure: the pressure to constantly monitor, evaluate, and improve one's own body.

"The future of nutrition can become more individualized and preventative. But it shouldn't turn into an endless self-optimization program."

The future study "How will Germany eat in 2040?" clearly illustrates this ambivalence. In the "Preventive Health" scenario, health becomes a compass: people tailor their diets to their individual needs and understand preventative care as a natural part of their everyday lives. The "Biohacking" scenario takes this development even further, where nutrition becomes a tool for optimizing physical and mental performance.

Both future scenarios are plausible. And both raise a societal question that goes far beyond nutrition: What happens when health is increasingly understood as a personal project?

Because not everyone has the same resources for this endeavor. Time for cooking fresh meals, money for high-quality food, access to preventative care, nutritional knowledge, or simply the mental energy to engage with one's own body daily are unequally distributed. If health becomes a status symbol, it shouldn't simultaneously become a moral yardstick. Those who are ill, exhausted, or don't follow the supposedly "optimal" lifestyle have not failed.

That's precisely why another finding of the study is so important: for the vast majority of people, food remains primarily about enjoyment and community. Ninety-two percent of those surveyed describe food as an important source of pleasure. Eighty-one percent say that eating is most enjoyable with others. These figures are not a nostalgic counter-movement to preventative healthcare. Rather, they remind us what nutrition is ultimately about: not just nutritional value, prevention, and performance, but also belonging, culture, relief, and quality of life.

The future of nutrition can become more individualized and preventative. But it shouldn't degenerate into an endless self-optimization program. A good, healthy life isn't solely the result of discipline and making the right choices on your plate. It also arises from social security, time, relationships, and the opportunity to simply enjoy food – together with others.