How to Spot a Diet
Diet culture has gotten really sneaky. Diets aren't near as popular as they used to be, but that doesn't mean that they don't still exist. They're more in disguise now. But because you're working towards ditching diet mentality and eating intuitively, it's important to recognize diets for what they are even when they're a bit more hidden.You've probably heard me talk about "wellness culture" before. When you hear me say "wellness culture", I'm referring to the emphasis our culture puts on wellness. Oftentimes you'll see this more than, say, diet culture. But they're still one in the same.Whereas diet culture may tell you that you have to diet to be healthy, wellness culture says diets aren't the healthy thing anymore, but drinking green smoothies and celery juice and eating vegetarian or vegan or paleo or intermittent fasting is. Wellness culture says,"Yes, we agree with you that diets aren't healthy. We agree that diets don't work. But God-forbid you eat any sugar because that'll cause diabetes and sugar feeds cancer.""Sure everything in moderation, but processed foods lead to obesity so better stay away from anything processed.""Your body needs carbohydrates, totally, but make sure those carbs don't come from bread. Or if you do eat bread, it better be gluten-free."Just to be clear, these statements above aren't true and it takes looking into the research and understanding that all point-blank statements around food causing something need to be taken with a grain of salt.There are some key things to know when we're on the lookout for wellness culture and "non-diet" diets.
BEWARE OF "IT'S A LIFESTYLE, NOT A DIET"
The first is, whether you hear someone call it dieting or calling it a "lifestyle", anything that says or even leads you to believe that you can't eat something is a diet. Even if someone claims there aren't any rules with their program or way of eating, be a detective and seek out the truth...because there could very well be rules still. And rules are a definite sign of a diet. Rules like...You can eat whatever you want, you just have to stay below "x" number of points.Eat as much as you want within this 8 hour window of time.You can eat dessert, just make it with almond flour and coconut sugar. If something truly is a "lifestyle", ask yourself...really and truly, do you WANT to eat this way for the rest of your life? If the answer is no...and you're being really honest with yourself...it's a diet!
WEIGHT LOSS (OR WEIGHT CONTROL) FOCUS MEANS DIET
The second thing to look for when spotting "non-diet" diets is a focus on weight loss. If you're reading about someone's way of eating and they're talking about how "x" way of eating will help you lose weight or if there's any talk about weight in general, even controlling weight, it's a diet.Research shows that weight does not correlate with health. People in smaller bodies can be less healthy than people in larger bodies and vice versa. But the point is, weight is not a factor that makes someone more or less healthy.And yet, our culture including the medical field is still putting such an emphasis on weight. If you're struggling to truly grasp this concept that weight loss isn't necessary for you to be healthy, I totally understand because that's what we're told. And if you're struggling to let go of trying to control your weight, I've been there. It's hard to believe one thing for so long and then all of a sudden shift our beliefs and our actions. Know that I'm here for you if you are craving freedom but need more support with letting go of controlling food and your weight.
FEAR IS THE OPPOSITE OF FREEDOM
The next thing I'll say is anything that has fear as an underlying factor should have a little red flag. Fear is the opposite of freedom. Fear keeps us stuck and especially when it comes to our relationship with food, it keeps us from being able to go all in with intuitive eating. Fear keeps us trapped, it keeps us living small lives when you were called to live a BIG LIFE! What is fear keeping you from experiencing? So with all that being said, I want to give you a few questions to ask yourself if you're like..."Is this or isn't it a diet?"1. Does this way of eating align with my values?2. Does this way of eating help me live to my fullest?3. Does this way of eating make me feel good as a WHOLE (physical self, emotional self, mental self, spiritual self)4. Does this way of eating enhance my life and my relationships?5. Does this way of eating help me feel more confident in my body?6. Does this way of eating allow me to focus on things that matter to me most?7. Does this way of eating make me feel free?8. Does this way of eating add to my trust in my body?9. Is this way of eating something I could truly keep up?10. Does this way of eating add to my life? Some of these may seem a little redundant, but it's good to really ask some deep questions when we're digging into this topic of diet vs. hidden diet.I want to just end with this. Diet culture is still everywhere. And I know it can be so hard to navigate intuitive eating and diets feel so much more safe because, ultimately rules make us feel safe when we have a history of feeling like we can't trust our bodies. Let me know in the comments what thoughts this post brought about. Are you dabbling in a "non-diet" diet?And I'm here for you to help you wrestle and find true freedom with food. Yes, freedom and feeling calm around food is so possible!