Because Diet Culture

THIS IS THE FIRST OF THREE ARTICLES IN THE WHY, WHAT, AND HOW OF INTUITIVE EATING BLOG SERIES. I ORIGINALLY PLANNED TO WRITE ONE ARTICLE BUT SOON REALIZED THAT IT JUST WASN’T POSSIBLE TO EFFECTIVELY MAKE THE CASE FOR INTUITIVE EATING WITH ONE POST.

Why Intuitive Eating? 

Because Diet Culture.

But first, what is intuitive eating?

Intuitive eating is a person-centered, non-diet nutrition approach that was developed by two Registered Dietitians in response to diet culture. Under the guise of health, diet culture has wreaked havoc on the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of well-meaning individuals caught in a cycle of dieting and disordered eating. Intuitive eating provides a framework for:

  • Consciously rejecting diet culture.

  • Delegitimizing the myth that willpower trumps the biological instinct to survive.

  • Informing how individuals, starting with themselves, can play a role in dismantling the systems that have allowed diet culture and weight-centered approaches to become the dominate lens by which health and wellness are viewed.

To best appreciate intuitive eating, it is important to understand what diet culture is and how it has manipulated its way into every facet of health, wellness, and everyday life.

 Diet culture explained

Culture is the accumulation of customs, values, and artifacts shared by a people. The transmission of culture occurs through the process of socialization and enculturation. A basic definition of socialization is the process of internalizing the norms and ideas of society.  Enculturation is the gradual process by which culture is learned through the course of everyday life.

Using the above explanation, diet culture can then be understood as the accumulation of customs, values, and artifacts shared by a people in relation to diet, nutrition, and exercise behavior. It has emerged as the dominant worldview by which health and wellness are viewed and understood in the western world.

Enabled by the diet industry, diet culture has contributed to the normalization of harmful health behaviors and the placement of a higher value on the physical body rather than the whole person. As a result, people in smaller bodies are valued more than those in larger bodies.

The customs, values, and artifacts associated with diet culture include but are not limited to:

 Customs also known as traditions or rituals

  • Counting calories, points, or macros

  • Eliminating food groups such as carbohydrate or fat (includes lifestyle diets such as Whole 30 and Paleo)

  • Intermittent fasting, juicing for weight loss, laxative tea / flat tummy teas

  • Not eating after a certain time for fear of weight gain

  • Labeling foods as good and bad

  • Ignoring internal cues (not eating even if your stomach is growling)

  • Choosing meal replacements over actual food

Values or beliefs

  • Thinner bodies = healthier bodies / more attractive

  • Larger bodies = unhealthier bodies / less attractive

  • Body shape or size determines happiness

  • Disapprove of individuals in larger bodies

 Artifacts or objects

  • Fitness trackers

  • Scale

  • Calorie tracker

  • Waist trainers

Just because you don’t follow an actual diet does not mean that your eating behavior or thinking hasn’t been influenced by diet culture. Don’t despair; It’s ok to behave in a way that is consistent with dominant norms and standards. In fact, it is human nature. Dominant worldviews are virtually impossible to escape. They are our environment. As humans, we are an extension of our environments and our environments are an extension of us. This means that interacting with them and learning from them is normal human behavior. This is true even when environments are dysfunctional. Turns out that people who are not easily influenced by certain social environments, toxic or otherwise, are exceptions. For the rest of us, a conscious effort is required to reject toxic culture whenever possible. In order to reject it, in order to combat it, in order to dismantle it, you must first be aware of it.

Now that you’re aware of it, think about how diet culture has influenced the way you think or behave. What part will you play in rejecting it in your life, family, or community?

Stay tuned for the second article in the series, What: Intuitive Eating Explained. It hits stands on Wednesday, April 3!

Ayana HabtemariamDiet culture, wellness culture, intuitive eating, black dietitian, black nutritionist