Are You Speaking Diet Culture??

Anyone who has spent any time around eating disorder professionals has probably heard us lament the evils of diet culture. But for many people, diet culture is so ubiquitous in our society that it can be difficult to recognize when we are being influenced by it. Over time, diet culture beliefs can become so ingrained that they show up in our everyday language without us even realizing what we are saying to ourselves or to others.

Awareness is the first step toward creating change. So let’s take a minute to look at diet culture, diet talk, how they may be influencing you—and what you can do about it.

What is diet culture?

Diet culture is a societal belief system that is deeply enmeshed in the American experience. It tells us that weight is an indicator of health, morality, attractiveness, and success. These beliefs are reinforced by the multibillion-dollar diet, weight-loss, and wellness industries.

These beliefs don't just influence what we eat or how we feel about our bodies. They also influence how we speak.

Diet culture beliefs become embedded in our everyday language and get reinforced through seemingly harmless comments. We often say them without malicious intent—and without realizing what we're actually communicating.

Let's look at some common examples.

“No thanks, I can't have that cookie. I'm trying to be good.”

We've all heard this one. Someone describe a food as something they can or can't have because they're “being good.”  We've moralized the food.

If I eat this food, it means I am bad. If I don't eat this food, I am good.

Our behaviors around food determine whether I'm a good or bad person. Not my actions toward other people. Not whether I'm acting according to my values.

Food doesn't have a moral value. But when we use words like good, bad, clean, sinful, or guilt-free to describe food, we reinforce the idea that eating certain foods makes us better—or worse—people.

“I found a great recipe for guilt-free baked ziti!”

Calling a food “guilt-free” is another way of moralizing food. It insinuates that there are foods we shouldn't be eating and that if we do eat them, we've done something wrong—broken some sort of moral contract that requires repair.

The guilt comes from everything we've been taught to believe about that food, not the act of eating the food itself.

A guilt free version of a food isn’t changing the recipe, it’s about changing our thinking.

“I'll have to work that off.”

This one is harmful in two ways.  It perpetuates the idea that food—and especially enjoyment of food—is something that must be earned. It also enforces the idea that exercise is for punishment of what we’ve eaten and not enjoyment. 

Movement becomes a form of punishment or repayment for the food we’ve eaten. 

Movement can be valuable for many reasons, but when we turn exercise into a transaction for food, we're reinforcing the idea that eating is something we need to earn.  And that exercise is something that erases, not adds.

Instead let’s look at movement as activities as things that add to our life.  Move to feel good, to connect to your body.  Participate in an activity or sport because it’s a way to spend time with people you care about or because it is simply fun.

“You look amazing! Have you lost weight?”

This comment can seem like a compliment, but it carries a pretty significant message: weight loss is a positive thing.

But that isn’t true.  Weight loss often is an initial sign that something is straining a person’s body, that they aren’t getting enough energy.  Weight loss can be a symptom of an illness, stress, grief, medication, financial hardship, or an eating disorder.

We also don't know how someone feels about the change.

By automatically pairing weight loss with looking “amazing,” we reinforce the idea that a smaller body is inherently a better body—and that someone's appearance improves when their weight decreases.

Instead of making someone's body the focus of a compliment, try being more specific about what you're actually noticing.

“That shirt really brings out the color in your eyes!”

“You look so bright today.”

“You are absolutely radiating today!”

These comments still communicate that you're noticing something positive about the person without making their body size the measure of their worth or attractiveness.

Diet culture language is powerful because it often sounds ordinary, even harmless. But the more we learn to notice it, the more opportunity we have to choose words that are less rooted in shame, judgment, and body hierarchy. Changing the way we talk about food, movement, and bodies may feel small, but it helps create a culture where people can feel more respected, less scrutinized, and more connected to their own needs and values.