Ditch Diet Culture

Thanks to diet culture, a majority of people have developed complicated - even toxic - relationships with food. At the most basic level, food is comprised of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins - or macronutrients - that provide our bodies with energy. At the most complex level, food is much more than the macronutrients that it’s comprised of

Food is tradition, community, and enjoyment - or at least it should be. However, diet culture has encroached on our relationships with food. Diet culture has created a societal shift in which thinness is perceived as the ideal body type. We are led to believe that those who are thin are healthier and more successful than those who are not.

Because these beliefs are engrained in us, we feel the need to strive to make ourselves smaller - to be thin - so that we too can experience health and success. This often leads to food restriction and calorie counting, exercise as a means of weight loss, and body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem.

Diets are unsustainable. Oftentimes, we start diets to achieve an unattainable version of ourselves. After a few days or weeks of “success” on a new diet, we start to feel frustrated and restricted in what we can and cannot eat. We become overwhelmed and develop an “all or nothing” mentality. This usually leads to the diet failing, a regain in weight, and feelings of guilt and shame - and this is exactly how diet culture wants us to feel.

No longer is food enjoyable, but food is the enemy. No longer do we enjoy cultural meals with family or celebratory dinners out with friends. Instead we feel that we “shouldn’t” because we’re “being good” today. Instead of enjoying the moment and connecting over food, we create a toxic headspace for ourselves in which we aren’t allowed to enjoy - because if we do - we’ll be “cheating.”

Achieving a healthy relationship with food takes a lot of time and effort. That said, it’s impossible to improve your relationship with food if you have not rejected diet culture. In order to do this, you must let go of any meal plan, article, book, or idea that grants false hope that food restriction or dieting will make all your dreams and wishes come true.

Rather than feeling angry or frustrated with yourself, take your anger out on diet culture. Diet culture has led you to believe that you are the one who is failing every time a new diet or meal plan doesn’t work, when in reality, it’s diet culture who is failing you.