Debunking diet culture

Diet culture is everywhere, both on social media and in real life. It can be harmful with all of the misinformation spread, so in this article, En will share what they’ve learnt to debunk diet culture. 

Diet culture is all around us. Whether it’s from social media influencers or even family members, everyone will try to share everything they can about what they think they know. Diet culture is something that values weight and shape rather than health and well-being. This can be recommending restricting food, promoting weight loss products, and anything to do with pushing people to lose weight. This is seen a lot by social media influencers, specifically those who accept sponsors by weight loss companies. Please be careful with who you follow. 

Something you need to remember is that you don’t need to do anything for anyone other than yourself. Your size doesn’t determine your worth or beauty. Please look after yourself, make sure you eat and keep hydrated, and if you’re struggling please reach out for help. There will be helplines down the bottom of this article.

Something big about diet culture is cutting food out of your diet, the most popular I see is cutting out carbs. This isn’t a ‘healthy’ diet. Your diet should consist of a balanced variety of food types, so cutting things out won’t be successful in a diet. Moderation is key. Everything’s healthy in moderation. 

The concept of ‘healthy’ foods isn’t too great. As I said, everything’s healthy in moderation. Pizza, fast food and burgers are normally depicted as ‘unhealthy’, when in reality they’re healthy so long as you don’t eat six a day. I ate a whole bag of sugary sweets the other day but because I don’t do that every day, I’m trying to remind myself that that’s fine because it’s not something I do often. A balanced diet is healthy, so long as you’re listening to your body and keeping everything in moderation. 

Going off of the whole ‘healthy’ topic, most ‘healthy’ products probably aren’t any more healthy than the normal alternative. If something says it’s low in fat, it’s probably high in sugar and vice versa. It’s always tempting to go for the healthier option when shopping, but be wary that they’re probably no different to the alternative. 

When eating, especially with people I don’t know too well, I often compare how much I eat to how another does. This is just a reminder that we’re all different, we all have different bodies and we’re all going to eat different amounts for that reason. As long as you listen to your bodies and eat when you’re hungry, then that’s absolutely perfect.

Weight loss products promoted by influencers aren’t anything more than a toxic cash grab. They don’t work, but they will harm your body. Please stay away from these. I’ve seen a lot of people, specifically on facebook, try to sell these. Even if they’re your friends and family, don’t get them. Plus, they’re likely MLMs, which are multi-level marketing schemes, they’re a scam and often leave people in debt, so please stay away. Weight loss products, appetite suppressants and meal supplements are nothing but harmful. Please don’t try them.

Measuring BMI isn’t accurate. BMI is Body Mass Index and is used by health professionals to judge weight. I used to use this as a reference but it’s by no means accurate. It doesn’t differentiate fat and muscle. Besides, every body is different. Numbers don’t mean health. Know your body, pick up on abnormalities such as fatigue, joint pains, muscle pains, anything you don’t typically experience that lasts longer than two days. Knowing your body is the healthiest thing you could do. 

Lastly, don’t restrict yourself. I can’t say this enough. Don’t stop eating. Eat when you feel hungry, listen to your body. Don’t cut things out of your diet to lose weight. Don’t stop eating to lose weight. Restricting yourself will only do more harm than good.

If you want to lose weight, please talk to your doctor about setting a plan in place. Remember, your size and weight don’t determine your worth or beauty, nor do they determine your health. Just listen to your body. If you’re struggling with this, please reach out to someone. Please try to get some help. You’ve got this!

~ En 

Link to global helplines-
https://checkpointorg.com/global/

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