Tuning Out Diet Culture
Katarina William, Advanced Clinical Fellow
We, unfortunately, live in a world where diet culture is still extremely loud: Instagram ads promoting juice cleanses, celebrities taking ozempic for non-medical reasons, and “what I eat in a day” videos. Even if it isn’t social media perpetuating diet talk, maybe it is your loved ones who make comments that are serving as a barrier as you heal your relationship with your body and food.
Maybe it's your best friend talking about how she dislikes the way she looks in high-waisted jeans, or your sister sharing how many miles she clocked on a west-side highway run. Whatever the comments are, if you are struggling on a journey toward body acceptance and ending the battle with disordered eating, these comments can be harmful to your growth. The key is intentionally separating yourself from others’ values around food and body image. When reconnecting with your own values, the noise becomes quieter and you can move closer to healing.
Walk Away from Triggering Conversations
Sometimes creating physical space from other people's noise is what we need; especially when you know a loved one is trying to engage in an unproductive conversation about diet talk. If possible, stepping outside and tuning into your breath can help you regulate when frustrated by others’ noise.
Set Clear Boundaries
Remember: what you choose to share about your body and how you nourish yourself is up to you and you only. You don’t owe friends or family members an explanation of your boundaries or the work you are doing around your healing. Boundaries could sound something like this:
“I don’t find these conversations helpful.”
“Talking about weight loss/dieting makes me uncomfortable. Please don’t talk about it around me in the future.”
“There are more interesting things to talk about than my body. What have you been up to lately?”
“I want to shift the conversation away from talking about your exercise routine. It’s difficult for me to talk about.”
Use grounding tools like Mantras:
Grounding tools, such as mantras can help you access the present moment and recenter your energy. Here are some of my favorites to check in with myself:
“I am only in control of myself.”
“It’s not my job to change others’ opinions about their eating habits or beliefs.”
“It’s more helpful to accept others as they are right now than to hope they will be different.”
Grounding yourself can help you become less tempted to get up on your soapbox and preach anti-diet culture rhetoric to the other person. While it can feel really great at the moment… it often isn’t helpful and can ultimately make you feel worse. My recommendation is to only have deeper conversations about diet culture when you know the receiving person holds space for differing views.
Mindfulness
Notice how your thoughts and feelings are impacted when someone engages in diet talk. Do you feel sad, angry, or uncomfortable? Remind yourself that these feelings are valid. Mindfulness can be helpful to turn to when these feelings become overwhelming, finding a quiet place to do some mindful breathwork like box breathing.