5 Steps to Break Free from Diet Culture

Diet Culture is in every corner of our lives…so how do you fight it?

Today I want to share a video of a conversation one of our team Dietitians, Rebecca Stetzer, and I had about diet culture, the term intuitive fasting and then one of the most controversial topics these days … Ozempic.

Rebecca and I both have had some interesting experiences in our daily lives recently. She was at the YMCA with her kids, where she lives in Wisconsin, and saw an advertisement, in the Y, for Intuitive Fasting!

My experience was with one of my doctors, a specialist who decided the best way to deal with my thyroid issue was to offer me a prescription for Ozempic, without even asking any of the important questions.

As we were meeting recently, talking about these situations, we decided to turn on the camera and chat between two RDs. We are both anti-diet dietitians, so these experiences hit home for us.

You can listen in as we chat about diet culture, intuitive fasting and the Ozempic experience with my doctor by clicking the image below.

Whether you watch the video or not, you’re probably wondering how you break free from diet culture. How do you manage all the daily messages that we receive, that our kids receive and even those we give to others?

There are 5 steps that will help you be aware of diet culture and help you fight against it so that our future generations won’t have to go through the same experiences we do.

5 Steps to Break Free from Diet Culture

1. Be Aware: Learn to recognize the pervasive nature of diet culture. Whether it’s ads promoting unrealistic body standards or diet-centric programs, becoming aware is the first step to resisting its influence.
2. Question Medical Advice: Always consult with healthcare professionals who understand your personal health history and needs rather than pushing a one-size-fits-all solution. Be proactive and informed, ask questions if a medical professional recommends a weight loss regimen or medication. Understand the reasons, potential side effects, and any alternative approaches.  
3. Reject Food Labeling: Understand that foods are not inherently “good” or “bad.” This binary view can distort our relationship with food, leading to guilt and shame. Instead, strive for a balanced approach to nutrition.
4. Promote Positive Nutrition in your Family: Foster a home environment where food is celebrated and enjoyed, not feared or restricted. Implementing models like the Ellen Satter approach and Intuitive Eating, which promote listening to one’s body and understanding hunger and fullness, can lead to healthier, more positive relationships with food.
5. Seek Support: If you are struggling with body image or diet culture, consider seeking the guidance of anti-diet professionals who can provide informed, compassionate, evidence-based advice with proven results.

We know that diet culture’s reach is extensive. These 5 steps can help you recover your relationship with food and your body. Embracing a balanced, holistic approach to nutrition, free from guilt and restriction, is crucial in this journey. And it’s hard work.

If you struggle to make this happen, please know you are not alone. It’s not your lack of willpower; it’s not that you have no self-control. It’s none of that; it’s because challenging diet culture is hard work. It involves changing lifelong habits that have conflicting messages hitting you day in and day out.

It means developing new habits, which takes time; no fad diet or magic pill will solve your food and body image problems instantly. But… when you succeed and change those habits, you leave a life of food chaos behind. And it is very gratifying!

At Erica Leon Nutrition, we have 6 team members with this expertise and do this work daily with our clients all the way from New England to Wisconsin and even Texas. Reach out and book a call with me; let’s determine where you are in your food journey, what you need, and connect you with the dietitian who will help you break free from diet culture.