3 Steps to Kicking Diet Culture Out of Your Life
It takes big steps to get rid of the diet culture influences in your life. But getting rid of the influences will only leave a hole that needs to be filled, so here are some helpful areas to clean out and positive steps to replace those with.
Unfollow
There are tons of accounts on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, and Twitter? (Do people still use Twitter?) that are super unhelpful in building a healthy relationship with food and your body. Because diet culture focuses on only your physical appearance and having goals to be in a smaller body, social media is the perfect place to spread the virus-nature of diet culture.
It’s where people show edited photos of themselves in tight leggings and crop tops, not showing their real selves. It’s the place people share their Keto recipes or whatever other diet trend is new. It’s the place where Noom and Weight Watchers advertise.
Let’s not let them input that negativity into your life. When we remove these negative influences, we are better able to focus on building a better relationship with food and our body through positive steps like intuitive eating and gentle nutrition.
Instead, find some intuitive eating or body positive accounts to follow. Anyone who really focuses on respecting your body, what it does for you. Or, try accounts where people don’t focus on health at all. Maybe follow some traveling accounts - my mom loves follow accounts about Scotland and the beautiful photos people post about it. Maybe try an account that encourages you as a mom or parent. Whatever it is, let’s follow after people going in the same direction we want to walk.
Record and Rebuke
Let’s be honest, it’s hard to tune out the diet voice in the beginning. It definitely gets easier over time, but it’s not easy in the least bit. The best way to really put these voices in their place is to recognize them. Often times you get negative thoughts when you’re hungry, after eating, and after looking in a mirror. Be on guard during these times and really focus on where your thoughts are.
When you do get a negative thought, write it down and really dig into how it made you feel, as well as why its message is incorrect.
When we correct and reframe our thoughts, we are training our neurons in our brain to have a new path that is healthier for mind, body, and spirit.
When we write why it’s incorrect, let’s write a truth about us - a positive truth, whether that’s “My tummy held my baby for 9 months and it’s amazing!”. “My arms help me hug my niece or nephew.” “I am fearfully and wonderfully made!”
Clean Out
Clean out those Keto and low-calorie cookbooks. Often times we have these things laying around, whether it’s a cookbook, magazine, or book that preaches diet culture. It’s best just to clean out these things, you can burn them if you really want to! When we keep these things nearby, it’s telling ourselves that there is always a way back. When we are trying to make lasting steps toward whole-person health, it’s best not to look back and get distracted or discouraged.
When cleaning out, let’s replace those with yummy recipes for gentle nutrition, or books about respecting our bodies or magazines that encourage us to be our true selves.
You determine what is allowed in your mind, whether it’s what you watch, read, or listen to.
Sometimes you can’t block everything that’s thrown your way, but you are in control of quite a bit, so make the most of it, friend!
What step are you wanting to take next in your health journey to nourish mind, body and soul? Let me know in the comments below or send me a message!
