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Latest post Mon, Jan 9 2006 3:38 PM by Chief Cook. 3 replies.
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Minhuoc  +  180554 Mon, 09 Jan 06 10:30 AM

Please help me to use two words " healthy" and "healthful"  properly.

"healthy lifestyle" or "healthful lifestyle" ?

Thanks.

Joined on Tue, Oct 18 2005
Full Member 358
Chief Cook  +  180570 Mon, 09 Jan 06 11:41 AM

In your example both phrases are correct as the meaning of healthy and healthful are virtually the same, in this context.  The 'Oxford English Dictonary' says:

adjective (healthier, healthiest) 1 having or promoting good health. 2 normal, sensible, or desirable: a healthy balance. 3 of a very satisfactory size or amount: a healthy profit.

  — DERIVATIVES healthily adverb healthiness noun.

healthful

  • adjective having or conducive to good health.

  — DERIVATIVES healthfully adverb healthfulness noun.

This extract is from 'The American Heritage - Book of English Usage".

Some people like to maintain a distinction between healthy and healthful. Healthy, they say, should be used to mean “possessing good health,” and only healthful should mean “conducive to good health.” People who hold this view are swimming against the tide of history, for healthy has been used to mean “healthful” since the 16th century. You can find the “healthful” use of healthy in the works of many distinguished writers, with this example from John Locke being typical: “Gardening … and working in wood, are fit and healthy recreations for a man of study or business.” Therefore, both healthy and healthful are correct in these contexts: a healthy climate, a healthful climate; a healthful diet, a healthy diet.

Healthful is a word I do not often hear, as a native speaker. 

Hope you find this information useful.

Joined on Mon, Jan 2 2006
New Member 21
I used to read books but it's quicker to make stuff up!
nona the brit  +  180577 Mon, 09 Jan 06 11:57 AM
Healthful sounds plain awful to me.
Joined on Wed, Sep 22 2004
England
Veteran Member 11,713
The name says it all.
Chief Cook, 3 yr 319 days ago
Me too!  If I saw it on the street I would cross over to the other side :-)
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