Diet culture sucks!
Do you want to fight back against diet culture? You can. Try out any of these responses next time you hear someone talk about food in the context of weight or “being good”.
Diet culture: “you’re so disciplined”
You: “not particularly, I genuinely look forward to eating this… look how colourful it is!”
Diet culture: “I wish I could eat that”
You: “you can! Here have some, just pop in your mouth and chew”
Diet culture: “that looks so naughty”
You: “really, I don’t think it’s done anything bad… and it’s so yummy, it’s divine!”
Diet culture: “you’re so good, I wish I could be like you”
You: “you can, it’s easy*, just eat whatever you’re hungry for”
Diet culture: “I’d get fat if I ate that…”
You: “You’re telling me if you ate this, you’d wake up fat tomorrow?”
Diet culture: “is this your cheat day?”
You: “nope, I don’t need those to enjoy my food”
In summary…
No, it’s not OK to comment on someone else’s food – unless of course you’re saying how yummy it looks!
Eating a salad doesn’t have to mean you’re on a diet, watching your weight or being good. Ideally it means you enjoy and want to eat a salad.
Choosing to eat a toasted cheese sandwich or burger doesn’t have to mean you’re being indulgent, naughty or having a cheat day. Ideally you’re eating that food because it’s what you really feel like and it’s satisfying.
If you’re eyeing someone else’s lunch and thinking “ooh that looks good, I wish I could eat that…” my advice (if you asked me), would be to eat the goddamn food, you may just be pleasantly surprised!
This is just a small taste (pardon then pun), of what intuitive eating is all about… often learning how to eat intuitively again is complex, if you struggle with your eating or body image, please seek help from a professional who is experienced with intuitive eating and is aligned with HAES principles.
