Let’s Talk About Diet Culture
Research clearly shows that diets don’t work, so why isn’t that common knowledge? Why are there still fancy new diets popping up all the time? And why do so many people we know still follow them?
A big part of that is diet culture. The diet and weight loss industry is booming. Its net worth continues to be on the uptick, and last time I checked it was worth $72 billion in the U.S alone.
What is diet culture?
Christy Harrison, a US-based Registered Dietitian, is a leader in the non-diet space. She has a great definition of diet culture that has been widely used. Here it is:
“Diet culture is a system of beliefs that:
Worships thinness and equates it to health and moral virtue, which means you can spend your whole life thinking you’re irreparably broken just because you don’t look like the impossibly thin “ideal.”
Promotes weight loss as a means of attaining higher status, which means you feel compelled to spend a massive amount of time, energy, and money trying to shrink your body, even though the research is very clear that almost no one can sustain intentional weight loss for more than a few years.
Demonizes certain ways of eating while elevating others, which means you’re forced to be hyper-vigilant about your eating, ashamed of making certain food choices, and distracted from your pleasure, your purpose, and your power.
Oppresses people who don't match up with its supposed picture of “health,” which disproportionately harms women, femmes, trans folks, people in larger bodies, people of color, and people with disabilities, damaging both their mental and physical health.”
Where do you find diet culture?
The short answer is… all over the place! Once you become aware of diet culture, you start to notice all the sneaky ways that it shows up.
The obvious places would be in diet and weight loss ads, and social media posts promoting diet products, like “fat-burning” supplements. More subtle would be ads and posts promoting things like “clean eating” and “healthified” versions of food, while demonizing other foods. Foods marketed as “guilt-free” are another example of diet culture and its morality-based marketing tactics.
You might notice diet culture in TV shows, movies, magazines, and books. It may show up through fat-shaming language or judgemental food comments. It may also show up through a larger-bodied character being depicted as goofy or unintelligent.
Diet culture can show up in conversations. A friend or family member might talk about a new diet plan they are following. A co-worker may comment that they “are bad” for eating the donuts in the lunchroom. A friend might say they “feel fat”, when really they are feeling full after a large meal. These are all examples of language rooted in diet culture.
How can you start to protect yourself against diet culture?
Learning to recognize diet culture is a great first step. Now that you know a little bit about it, try acknowledging it when you see it. For example, if you are scrolling through your social media feed and you see someone posting about a juice cleanse, say to yourself “oh, there’s diet culture.” This helps to bring awareness to it and gives you space to re-affirm to yourself that diets don’t work and cause harm.
Be mindful of how the media you consume might be upholding diet culture. Unfollowing and muting accounts on social media that promote diet culture can be a helpful step. Adding content to your feed that promotes non-diet messaging and body diversity can also help.
If you feel comfortable, call out diet culture when it comes up in conversation. With those close to you, it can even be helpful to set some boundaries around diet talk.
Are you ready to break up with diet culture? Schedule your free discovery call to learn how I can support you in developing a peaceful way of eating that supports your health.
