F&^% Diet Culture

It is estimated that 18% of school age individuals exhibit disordered eating behaviors.    With the advent of social media, the focus on body image and “eating clean” have grown exponentially.    Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic caused an increase in eating disorders.   The National Eating Disorder Association (US based) had an increase of 78% in hotline calls during this time.   I invite you to fight diet culture by doing one or more of the following.  

One thing each of us can do is to combat diet culture in all forms.  Below are ten simple ways to combat the $1Trillion/annual global diet industry.

Breaking free from diet culture can be challenging, but it's an important step towards developing a healthier relationship with food and your body. Here are ten actionable steps you can take:

1. Educate Yourself About Diet Culture

• Action: Learn how diet culture permeates media, health advice, and social interactions. Understanding its impact can empower you to make informed choices.

• Tip: Read books like "Anti-Diet" by Christy Harrison or listen to podcasts that challenge diet culture narratives.

2. Reject the Diet Mentality

• Call to Action: Consciously decide to stop engaging in diets or restrictive eating patterns.

• Pro Tip: Replace dieting behaviors with intuitive eating practices, focusing on listening to your body’s natural hunger and fullness cues.

3. Diversify Your Social Media Feed

• Call to Action: Follow body-positive and anti-diet influencers who promote self-acceptance and a healthy relationship with food.

• Pro Tip: Unfollow accounts that promote diet culture, weight loss products, or unrealistic body standards.

4. Practice Mindful Eating

• Call to Action: Focus on the sensory experience of eating, such as taste, texture, and smell, without judgment.

• Pro Tip: Take time to eat without distractions, paying attention to your hunger and satisfaction levels.

5. Challenge Food Rules

• Call to Action: Identify and question any food rules you follow, such as labeling foods as “good” or “bad.”

• Pro Tip: Practice giving yourself permission to eat all foods, recognizing that no food is inherently good or bad.

6. Embrace Body Neutrality or Positivity

• Call to Action: Shift your focus from how your body looks to what it can do and how it feels.

• Pro Tip: Practice self-compassion by speaking to yourself with kindness and focusing on body functionality rather than appearance.

7. Surround Yourself with Support

• Call to Action: Engage with communities or groups that support body positivity and reject diet culture.

• Pro Tip: Join support groups, either in person or online, that focus on promoting healthy relationships with food and body image.

8. Be Critical of Media Messages

• Call to Action: Analyze and question the messages about body image and diet that you see in advertisements, TV shows, and magazines.

• Pro Tip: Teach yourself and others to recognize and reject messages that promote unrealistic beauty standards or the idea that thinner is better.

9. Focus on Health, Not Weight

• Call to Action: Shift your focus from weight loss to overall well-being, which includes mental, emotional, and physical health.

• Pro Tip: Set goals related to fitness, mental health, or self-care that have nothing to do with weight or appearance.

10. Advocate for Change

• Call to Action: Speak out against diet culture when you encounter it in conversations, social settings, or the workplace.

• Pro Tip: Use your voice to promote body diversity, challenge harmful narratives, and support others in their journey away from diet culture.