Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Healthy vs. Healthful


Healthy or Healthful?

This is the eternal debate in our family. Well that and the words to Finnegan's Wake. I swear to all that is holy and on Tommy Makem's grave that the words are, "To rise in the world he carried a HOD" not HAT! But I digress...

ANYWHOO....

FarmerGeek contends that healthy is not correct when referring to food because well, the food (hopefully) is dead and therefore it is no longer healthy, being dead. It is healthful, being full of health for your body.

I, however, busted out my English degree to state that healthful means "full of health" and the food is no longer full of health being (hopefully) dead. It is in fact healthy meaning carrying the properties of or pertaining to health. Since it carries nutrients to your body it is healthy not healthful.

What say you?

3 comments:

HermitJim said...

Dang...now you got me wondering about this!! Thanks a lot, you two!

If you had sked me an hour ago, I would have known the answer but now...??

FarmerGeek said...

Well, harrumph, I still say I'm right!

Anonymous said...

Sorry babe, the Farmergeek reigns. I'm coming over to burn that English degree. But I'll bring mine as I can never remember the its, it's, its' thing or the alot/a lot thing (but my spell check is saying a lot right now).

Bridgette