In celebration of my 35th birthday, I created this list of 35 things diet culture made me do to entertain and educate you. Some behaviors are related to food, others to body image, and a few to mindset. While each one may not inherently be disordered, the extent to which I participated was. Some things on the list are sad, others are laughable. Today I’m able to reflect on this list with self-compassion, forgiveness, and gratitude for that phase in my life and what it taught me. I hope you’re able to look at it and reflect on some of your own questionable behaviors, past or present. If so, remember to reflect with curiosity instead of judgment. Our behavior is never for no reason, but rather an attempt at protecting us.
35 Stupid Things Diet Culture Made Me Do
- Intermittent fasting
- Eliminate gluten, dairy, and sugar
- Count macros
- Portion control
- Cheat Days
- Fear non-organic food
- Read nutrition labels obsessively
- Fear processed food
- Fear GMOs
- Budget for ‘superfoods’
- Countless hours fantasizing about Pinterest recipes
- Binge drink (coping with perfectionism)
- Coffee enemas
- Waitress with ankle weights under my pants
- Tanning beds
- Varicose vein treatment
- Laser hair removal
- Laser tattoo removal
- IPL photo facial (melasma)
- $$$ on anti-aging creams
- Avoid photos
- HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)
- Shed before the wedding
- Mirror checking
- Objectify other women
- Have sex I didn’t enjoy
- Seek validation in boyfriends
- Follow Instagram accounts that promote disordered eating & over-exercising
- Believe my fatigue was caused by candida/parasites
- Believe I could achieve perfection
- Not create life goals for myself
- People-please
- Fragment myself to ensure belonging
- Doubt my inherent worthiness
- Believe all of the above was my fault
I’m curious, what things have you done that were inspired by diet culture? It’s our human nature to seek acceptance and belonging. How about we do it from a place of self-love instead of trying to ‘fix’ ourselves?
If you’re needing support on your healing journey with food and body, start by taking my free quiz ‘How Well Do You Understand Health?’ and check out my 1-1 coaching program, The Empowered Mind-Body Confident Project. You can apply to book a free consultation to find out whether it will meet your needs.
