As we get more into the holiday and new year’s resolution season, I thought it might be helpful to reflect on diet culture.

You have likely heard the term “diet culture” before, but what exactly is it? Diet culture is perhaps best defined as a set of social norms and assumptions around the way we eat, move, and look. There are a number of social narratives that reinforce diet culture every day and we experience those narratives in variety of contexts from the office, grocery store, advertising, and TV show plotlines.

Here are some narratives to be aware of:

You have a social/moral/health-based imperative to lose weight.
There are “bad” foods and “good” foods.
There are “clean” and “toxic” foods.
If you have eaten a “bad” (i.e. high calorie) food then you have to “burn it off” with exercise.
You earn “cheat meals” by being “good” and restricting your foods at other times of the day/week.
You are led to believe that simply eating what you want, when you want it, in whatever quantity feels satisfying to your body will result in “letting yourself go” (i.e. gaining weight).
Compliments when people have lost weight and the assumption that people who have gained weight must have something wrong with or about them.

A common and particularly pernicious myth we experience is the equation of someone losing weight as a path to becoming more attractive or worthy of love, admiration, and/or success. Here are a few ways you can start to combat the pressures of diet culture in your own life:

Learn about the frameworks that keep diet culture in place and actively explore anti-diet resources to learn more accurate information about health and nutrition. Check out the podcasts Let Us Eat Cake or Food Psych. Both are created by anti-diet nutritionists.
Create space to nurture your body. Shift out of the self-punishment and self-discipline mindsets.
Make meals fun, play with your food, use your imagination. Try new recipes, arrange your food in fun ways. Make a smiley face in your morning oatmeal. Create a broccoli tree forest.
Get rid of any clothes that don’t fit. Stop buying things are too small so you can motivate yourself to lose weight. You deserve clothes that fit you exactly as you are now.
Get rid of your fitness apps. Stop counting/tracking everything you eat and every time you exercise.
Prioritize “movement” over “exercise.” Moving your body should not hurt, make you nauseous, or leave you feeling exhausted and sore for days.
Throw out the “inspiration” photos, unfollow the fitness influencers, and step out of the body comparison game. Shaming yourself into having a different body is not a great strategy for cultivating self-love.
Ask yourself how you’d rather spend the time you dedicate to losing weight and/or changing something about your body. Would you play with your kids? Have a nap? Read a good book? Do that instead.

If you’re struggling with deconstructing diet culture messages, intrusive thoughts about your body shape or size, or chronic dieting don’t hesitate to reach out for help!