Dangers of diet culture

Viwe Ndongeni-Ntlebi

With some gaining weight due to lockdown, gym closures and lack of exercise, social media challenges are trendy, but prioritise weight loss over well-being

OVER the past few years many people have started following a system of beliefs referred to as diet culture that prioritize their weight over well-being.

With some people gaining weight due to lockdown restrictions, gym closures and lack of exercise, social media challenges are trendy and promote weight loss fuelling the diet culture concept.

Shani Cohen, registered dietitian and Association for Dietetics in South Africa spokesperson, explains diet culture as a culture of dieting with the intention of weight loss. “It demonises certain ways of eating – you are ‘good’ when you eat certain types of foods, and ‘bad’ when you eat others. It promotes disordered eating and can cause feelings of insecurity and guilt. It ultimately suppresses individuals who don’t fit the mould.”

Cohen said: “When it comes to health, and more specifically our diet and weight, we want quick and easy solutions to highly complex problems. Diets are advertised everywhere. They promise us results. Diet culture promises a ‘new you.’ It is quite a challenge to keep up with the latest healthy eating trends, and the newest diets on the block.”

She adds: “There is always a new one right around the corner that promises to solve all of our problems. Keto, Atkins, paleo, juicing, vegan, intermittent fasting and the list goes on. Too often, we are sold quick fixes with no emphasis on how to maintain success. These fad diets do seem to work initially (while we are following them). However, as soon as we stop, we pile the kilos back on. Diet culture can foster a toxic way of living for many people.”

What is the difference between diet culture and a healthy lifestyle?

Cohen says diet culture promotes restrictive eating – it is black and white, with no grey areas. A healthy lifestyle challenges diet culture. This lifestyle should adopt evidence based measures of health thats good for your health, body and mind – and not just that number on the scale.

She also notes that being antidiet culture does not mean being anti-health. It is important to realise that specific foods don’t make up our health. Our health and lifestyle is made up of so much more than just the food we eat.

A healthy diet often starts with making more informed decisions about what’s best for your body. According to Cohen, restrictive dieting is often isolating.

“Restriction leads to deprivation. Denying food (like everything in life) makes it that much more appealing. Every dieter knows that the moment you can’t have something, you want it. These diets may cause you to think about food all the time. They may make eating foods you typically enjoy cause feelings of guilt and shame. You may be miserable because you eat different foods than your family. You worry about attending birthdays, weddings and business meetings because of the food provided. It’s a vicious cycle that tears down our confidence, selfworth and zest for enjoying foods. What is important to note is that you don’t fail dieting, the diet fails you.

Spending a lifetime hopping on and off different diets just doesn’t work. Yo-yo dieting leads to weight cycling, which may contribute to chronic inflammation, insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease.”

Treats and restrictions when you want to live a healthy lifestyle:

Consider intuitive and mindful eating – let your body guide you in what and how much to eat. Get reacquainted with your body’s natural hunger cues, cravings and needs. Most find that once you grant yourself permission to eat the things you want when you want, your ‘fear and guilty foods’ become less alarming. When the restrictive mindset drops, so does the need to overeat. Restriction creates a psychological craving and leads to an unhealthy relationship with food.