THE BLACK & WHITE MINDSET: Has the anti-diet movement gone too far?

Written by: by Kia Bourne RDN, LD, CFT

Reviewed by David Orozco, MS, RDN, LD, CIEC, EP-C

As the anti-diet movement gains ground with more and more people, including clinicians, moving towards a non-traditional, weight neutral approach to health, there still remains the question- has the anti-diet movement gone too far?

An article entitled, The Rise of the Anti- Diet Movement: Is it NO longer P.C. to want to Lose Weight? written by Janet Helm, solicited opinions and insight from registered dietitians, bloggers, and lifestyle enthusiasts alike for their take on the topic. Here is what some of them said:

Kara Lydon RD states in an article written for Shape magazine,

“The anti-diet movement doesn’t dismiss health, rather it lets you view health through a wider lens. Rather than focusing narrowly on physical health in the forms of diet and exercise, it allows room to explore mental and emotional health and how eating and exercise patterns might be impacting your overall wellness.”

—

Jessica Shafer RD addresses the topic this way,

“A downside of the anti-diet movement is the rejection of any conversation about diets or weight loss for proven healing or the pursuit of wellness through food. If dieting or watching your weight are not parts of your path to personal wellness and markers of your own health (it’s not a main focus for me), that doesn’t mean it’s not a meaningful tool or pursuit for others.”

—

Alissa Rumsey RD was quoted in the Washington Post stating,

“A focus on wellness instead of weight is linked to people making better lifestyle choices, which can lower triglycerides; improve  cholesterol; reduce rates of disordered eating, binge eating and emotional eating; and boost self-esteem and body image.”

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Emily Kyle RD weighs in on the subject touting she is not an anti- diet dietitian and doesn’t feel that the term anti-diet dietitian aligns with her core audience with what she wants to help them with. She supports giving clients autonomy along their wellness journey, but states,

“The one thing that has freaked me out the most about the Intuitive Eating (IE) community is the complete black and white way of looking at things.”

Though it wasn’t made clear from the article who her target audience is or what aspect of the intuitive eating community she was talking about, one might speculate her displeasure may be related to the intentional lack of focus on weight loss as a center of gravity among discussions within the IE community.

What Diet Culture and the Anti- Diet Movement Have in Common

As seen in the statements above, there are varying thoughts and opinions on the topic. The one thing they all have in common is …can you guess?

A Point of View (POV).

I would agree there could be a fine line of commonality at times among diet culture and anti-diet movement supporters ….and that is…the degree of dedication and intensity to what they support and how it is delivered to those on the other end. From a recipients POV, it can at times feel as though you are being met with an ultimatum whether it be to focus on diet and weight loss or being told the very opposite – not to focus on it at all.

As an anti- diet supporter, I too am adamant about helping people see their value and road to health apart from their weight which I have seen firsthand, the toll it has on people with weight loss driven beliefs. Differences in perspective generally come from one’s point of view. Those that feel they’ve been put through the ringer (if you would) by constant diet culture messaging and dieting tactics to lose weight may have a POV to not want to include weight loss talk as a focus to improve health but would rather focus on their overall well- being. On the other hand, you may have someone who doesn’t even realize all their focus and energy is around wanting to lose weight and are doing what they feel is necessary to optimize their health. Either way, these decisions stem from a person’s POV.

An anti- diet approach may not be for everyone, as is true with dieting however, for any true change someone wants to make in optimizing their health, I believe it is important they be honest with themselves and acknowledge where they are in their journey, whether they want foundational change for the intended purposes of a sustainable and prosperous outcome or just want something for the moment or to change how they look. Having a better understanding of where clients are (or think they are) along their wellness journey can help clinicians and healthcare practitioners alike meet clients where they are and perhaps reduce the feeling they might get of being met with an ultimatum or being approached with a “black or white” mindset.

What is Diet Culture?

A simple google search on “what is diet culture?” will produce millions of search results that all have the same common theme… DIETING…. the belief that there is some magical “right” way to eat for everyone to follow in order to achieve a healthy, attractive body. This is the illusive untruth promoted through diet culture language that so many are roped into believing but more times than not, miss the mark and are left feeling as though they failed.

Diet culture values appearance and body shape more than physical, psychological and overall well-being. It’s the idea that controlling your diet – limiting what and how much you eat and imposing arbitrary food rules and restrictions on one’s self, will control your body and is somehow normal as though you will consistently and successfully override your body’s built-in internal physiological mechanisms for good. Additionally, a diet mentality finds a way to categorize foods to either be a good or bad transactional exchange, something earned and deserving or not, depending on what you’ve eaten and how you worked out, and for many this equates to a level of self-worth. People who have been conditioned to accept diet culture as a normal way of life potentially suffer at a greater rate of having poor self- image, regular negative self-talk narratives, and believe that being thin makes a person better than someone who is not.

Unfortunately, countless men and women have been affected by this belief for decades. The diet culture mentality has monopolized health & wellness ideals leaving little to no room for any other beliefs to take root in cultural norms regarding an individual’s path to health, differences in body size, shape, and unique personal & cultural preferences.

What the Anti- Diet Movement is Not

Samantha Cassetty RD is a self-proclaimed balance seeker and “healthy” lifestyle enthusiast doesn’t agree with the’ diets don’t work’ language stating, “I don’t know how it’s helping the obese population which is linked to life threatening medical conditions. I believe in nourishing your body through food and activity, managing stress, meditating, cultivating kindness towards your body, and calling a truce with those voices in your head, but the notion of self-compassion and respect being at odds with losing weight – I don’t get.”

The anti-diet movement is NOT anti-health as some may suggest, arguing it’s lack of using weight loss as the primary indicator of health improvements. Discussions around weight loss seem to further permeate the need for “thinness” in order to be so-called healthy and accepted into the fabric of society, so it is no wonder the many lengths people will go through to meet this threshold that seemingly is never attained or sustained for that matter.

The anti- diet movement is rooted in a pursuit for a cultural paradigm shift from a world of trying to control our weight through dieting to one that emphasizes health-promoting behaviors you can actually control and align with your values sustainably. Anti- diet means you don’t go to extremes in the pursuit of weight loss, obsessing over foods, monitoring calorie intake, forcing exercise or constantly watching the number on the scale as an indicator of health.

The Journal of Nutrition reports dieting can cause some harmful side effects like weight cycling, food preoccupation, low self-esteem, poor mental health, and eating disorders. Research also supports dieting being a consistent predictor of future weight gain. So, what does this mean? A paradigm shift needs to happen – a break away from an old way of thinking, old beliefs, which in America meant dieting.

What Isn’t Taken Into Account

The person behind all the diet and weight loss talk.

The largely looming effect it has on the people we love and may not even know they are struggling with food and body image issues. I have seen firsthand the immense struggle people (both men and women, young and old) go through to fit into the current paradigm of diet culture while jeopardizing their health and well-being in the process. What diet and weight loss talk doesn’t highlight is the strain it leaves on your relationship with food and self-esteem and is a breeding ground for the emergence of eating disorders.

What You May Not Know

Approximately 24 million Americans suffer from an eating disorder and it is counted among one of the deadliest mental illnesses, second only to opioid overdose according to ANAD.¹ The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) reports a systemic increase on the prevalence of eating disorders over a study period – a 3.5% for the 2000-2006 period to 7.8% for the 2013-2018 period.

These statistics only reflect those that have identified with having an eating disorder and may have been willing to receive treatment. Eating disorders thrive in isolation and there are a vast majority of the American population, (not only in the US but worldwide) suffering with this disorder in silence that have not been included in the data shown above. There are also people who have minimized their disordered eating behaviors as a way to not feel out of control with food or their bodies and have not yet acknowledged it as being an issue or more over, how to deal with it.

Historically, eating disorders have been associated as a “white woman’s” dilemma as research and potential treatment options were exclusively directed to this population. However, what you may not know is who else is affected:

• BIPOC (refers to black, indigenous, and people of color)
  • are significantly less likely than white people to have been asked by a doctor about eating disorder symptoms,
  • are half likely to be diagnosed or receive treatment, and
  • are 50% more likely than white teenagers to exhibit bulimic behavior, such as binge eating and purging.²
• LGBTQ+
  • Gender dysphoria and body dissatisfaction in transgender people is often cited as a key link to eating disorders,
  • Gay and bisexual boys are significantly more likely to fast, vomit, or take laxatives or diet pills to control their weight, and
  • non-binary people may restrict their eating to appear thin, consistent with the common stereotype of androgynous people in popular culture.³
• People with Disabilities
  • Women with physical disabilities are more likely to develop eating disorders.⁴
• People in Larger Bodies
  • People in larger bodies are half as likely to those in smaller bodies to be diagnosed with an eating disorder and commonly struggle with bulimia and binge eating disorder.⁵
• Athletes
  • Athletes are more likely to screen positive for an eating disorder and have a higher rate of engaging in excessive exercise than non‐athletes.
  • Athletes may be less likely to seek treatment for an eating disorder due to stigma, accessibility, and sport‐specific barriers.⁶
• Veterans
  • 13% of male military members and 21.7% of female military members are affected by body dysmorphia disorder.
  • A survey of 3,000 female military members found that the majority of respondents exhibited eating disorder symptoms.⁷
• Children & Young Adults
  • 42% of 1st- 3rd grade girls want to be thinner.
  • 81% of 10-year-old children are afraid of being fat.
  • 46% of 9-11-year old’s are “sometimes” or “very often” on diets.
  • 35- 57% of adolescent girls engage in crash dieting, fasting, self- induced vomiting, diet pills, or laxatives.
  • In a college campus survey, 91% of women admitted to controlling their weight through dieting.⁸

Most anti-diet practitioners are practicing intuitive eating, a well-studied approach that encourages people to tune into hunger and fullness cues and embrace satisfaction in eating to help them determine what, when, and how much to eat. It’s a mindfulness-based practice that helps you get back in touch with your body to nourish it well and build self-trust around making food choices and knowing your bodies individual needs.

The anti-diet movement takes into consideration what diet culture does not…. that health and attractive bodies come in different shapes and sizes, with differing needs that the body is able to handle and self- regulate, if only we would trust it enough to let it do its job. Health is so much more than just losing weight. One’s health and well- being are affected by so many factors such as social, environmental, financial, biological, psychological, physiological factors, that aren’t taken into consideration when the focus or measure for health gains are centered around weight loss. The POV of ‘diets don’t work’ come from those caught in the cross hairs of a diet-imposed mentality that have experienced a never-ending cycle of depleted mental bandwidth, low physical energy and constant thoughts around food and their bodies that have robbed them of time and energy they could have spent doing what is important to them and with those they care about… and are just tired.

Wanting to Lose Weight… At What Cost?

Wanting to lose weight isn’t a problem all and of itself but the idea that “thinness” somehow equates health and morale value – is. Diet culture supports discussions on losing weight as a means of achieving optimal health, however the reality is that true health can be achieved at any body size, and yo-yo weight changes can be physically damaging to your health. Generally speaking the problem for most people isn’t losing weight, it’s keeping it off and is usually the point of contention where people find themselves on that dieting hamster wheel over and over again. Research shows that 95% of people who diet regain the weight back and more.

I heard Bishop TD Jakes say once, “if you can’t sustain what you attain you need to reframe.” I find this so fitting to many aspects of life but particularly to a dieting mindset. If you find yourself on a hamster wheel of despair gaining and losing weight, exhausted from the efforts without promised results touted by diet culture, you might want to think about reframing your beliefs to re-establish your connection to food and your body again, so your methods toward healthy living are not at the cost of you but instead – in support of you.

Has the Anti- Diet Movement Gone to Far?

The answer to this question ultimately lies in the eyes of the beholder. From my POV, no. It is more like a movement creating space in a once heavily monopolized arena of a diet culture-y way of thinking and offering another way. A way that acknowledges people (period) aside from their weight, offering (I know for many) much needed relief in knowing there is nothing wrong with them and offering inclusive health and fitness alternatives that promote re-establishing one’s connection to their body, healing their relationship with food and obtaining a healthy self POV for a more pleasurable, sustainable and successful experience in advocating positive health outcomes.

References:

1. ANAD (the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders)
2. (BIPOC )Deloitte Access Economics. The Social and Economic Cost of Eating Disorders in the United States of America: A Report for the Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders and the Academy for Eating Disorders. June 2020. Available at: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/striped/report-economic-costs-of-eating-disorders/.; Becker, A. E., Franko, D. L., Speck, A., & Herzog, D. B. (2003). Ethnicity and differential access to care for eating disorder symptoms. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 33(2), 205-212. doi:10.1002/eat.10129
3. (LGBTQ+) Eating Disorders in LGBTQ+ Populations. (2018, February 21). Retrieved February 22, 2021, from https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/general-information/lgbtq; Lauren Muhlheim, L., PsyD, CEDS. (2020, June 20). Eating Disorders in Transgender People. Retrieved February 22, 2021, from https://www.verywellmind.com/eating-disorders-intransgender-people-4582520
4. (People with Disabilities) Disabilities and Eating Disorders and Their Connection. (2020, September 04). Retrieved February 22, 2021, from https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/blog/connection-disabilities-eatingdisorders#:~:text=While%20there%20is%20little%20research,likely%20to%20develop%20eating%20disorders
5. (People Living in Larger Bodies) People Living in Larger Bodies & Eating Disorders. (2017). Retrieved February 22, 2021, from https://nedc.com.au/eating-disorders/eating-disorders-explained/people-living-in-larger-bodies-and-eating-disorders/;Nagata, J. M., Garber, A. K., Tabler, J. L., Murray, S. B., & Bibbins-Domingo, K. (2018). Prevalence and Correlates of Disordered Eating Behaviors Among Young adults with Overweight or Obesity. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 33(8), 1337-1343. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-018-4465-
6. (Athletes) Flatt, R., Thornton, L., Fitzsimmons‐Craft, E., Balantekin, K., Smolar, L., Mysko, C., . . . Bulik, C. (2020, November 30). Comparing eating disorder characteristics and treatment in self‐identified competitive athletes and non‐athletes from the National Eating Disorders Association online screening tool. Retrieved February 22, 2021, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eat.23415
7. (Veterans) Mobbs, M. (2018, November 20). What’s Eating Our Veterans? Retrieved February 22, 2021, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-debrief/201811/whats-eating-our-veterans
8. (Children & Young Adults) Collins, M., H.S.D., M.P.H. (1991). Body figure perceptions and preferences among preadolescent children. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 10(2), 199-208. https://doi.org/10.1002/1098-108X(199103)10:2%3C199::AIDEAT2260100209%3E3.0.CO;2-D; McNutt, S. W., Hu, Y., Schreiber, G. B., Crawford, P. B., Obarzanek, E., & Mellin, L. (1997). A longitudinal study of the dietary practices of black and white girls 9 and 10 years old at enrollment: the NHLBI Growth and Health Study. The Journal of Adolescent Health, 20(1), 27–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1054-139X(96)00176-0; Gustafson-Larson, A.M., & Terry, R. D. (1992). Weight-related behaviors and concerns of fourth-grade children. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 92(7), 818–822. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1624650/; Boutelle, K., Neumark-Sztainer, D., Story, M., & Resnick, M. (2002). Weight control behaviors among obese, overweight, and nonoverweight adolescents. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 27(6), 531–540. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/27.6.531; Noordenbos, G., Oldenhave, A., Muschter, J., & Terpstra, N. (2002). Characteristics and treatment of patients with chronic eating disorders. Eating Disorders, 10(1), 15–29. https://doi.org/10.1080/106402602753573531