Like many others who struggle with disordered eating, distorted body image, and compulsive behaviors, I know firsthand how damaging diet talk can be. It can trigger obsessive thoughts and behaviors, perpetuate harmful societal beauty standards, and create an unhealthy relationship with food and body image. That’s why I wanted to share some tips on how to break up with diet talk and start cultivating a healthier relationship with yourself and food.
- Recognize the impact of diet culture: One of the first steps to breaking up with diet talk is to recognize the impact of diet culture on our lives. Diet culture is the belief system that equates thinness with health, worthiness, and success. It perpetuates harmful beliefs about food and body image, and it can be difficult to escape its influence. By recognizing its presence in our lives, we can start to challenge these beliefs and create space for more self-compassion and self-love.
- Surround yourself with body-positive messages: Surrounding ourselves with body-positive messages can help to counteract the negative messages perpetuated by diet culture. This can include following body-positive influencers on social media, reading books or blogs that promote body acceptance, and engaging in body-positive activities, like yoga or dancing.
- Practice intuitive eating: Intuitive eating is a non-diet approach to eating that encourages us to listen to our body’s natural hunger and fullness cues. By focusing on nourishing our bodies with foods that make us feel good, we can start to break free from the restrictive and harmful behaviors associated with dieting. This approach can take time to develop, but it can be a powerful tool in breaking up with diet talk.
- Challenge your own beliefs: Challenging our own beliefs about food and body image can be a difficult but important step in breaking up with diet talk. This can include questioning our own biases and prejudices, exploring the origins of our beliefs, and seeking out diverse perspectives. By challenging our own beliefs, we can start to create a more compassionate and accepting mindset.
- Seek out support: Breaking up with diet talk can be challenging, especially if we have been immersed in diet culture for a long time. Seeking out support from friends, family, or a therapist can be incredibly helpful in this process. Having a safe space to explore our thoughts and feelings about food and body image can help us to develop a healthier relationship with ourselves and our bodies.
If you’re looking for more resources and support in breaking up with diet talk, I recommend checking out the “Food Psych” podcast by Christy Harrison. This podcast features a variety of experts and guests who discuss topics related to intuitive eating, body acceptance, and mental health. It’s a great resource for anyone looking to break free from diet culture and cultivate a more positive relationship with themselves and food.
Breaking up with diet talk is a process, and it’s not always easy. But by recognizing the impact of diet culture, surrounding ourselves with body-positive messages, practicing intuitive eating, challenging our own beliefs, and seeking out support, we can start to create a healthier relationship with ourselves and food.