What Is Diet Culture? Understanding Its Impact on Health and Wellness

If you were to google “diet culture” you could find a general definition stating something like this “Diet culture is a societal norm that ranks thin bodies as superior to other body types, and values thinness above health.” But how are we supposed to know the difference between caring about our health and caring about thinness when the two are constantly equated? And how are average people supposed to know when a piece of advice is rooted in diet culture or in science?

History & characteristics 

First, I want to give you some information on the roots of diet culture to help you get a better understanding of how deeply intertwined it is with our society. In ancient Greece the ideal body looked a lot different than it does today, and having fat was considered beautiful. Later, in the 19th century, culture made a dramatic shift in what was thought of as beautiful and thin. Soft bellies and rolls were out, and thin was in. Corsets reached peak popularity as culture deemed it was increasingly important for women to be extremely thin in order to be beautiful.

Author Sabrina Strings explains the connection between the transatlantic slave trade and fatphobia in her book Fearing the Black Body It is no coincidence that this was the time period when fatness shifted from something to admire, into something to fear. Our medical system perpetuated this by using flawed data and focusing primarily on white men, leaving out valuable information from other races and genders. 

In the 1920s, corsets became a thing of the past, but thinness persisted as the ideal. Curves were unwanted. Then, in the 1950s the hourglass shape became the ideal body type. Once again, curves were desirable.. But only if they fit into the hourglass shape, and only if they weren’t “too much.” Women were still expected to maintain thin arms, and a small waist. 

When we look back at the way body standards have changed, we find that none of these shifting expectations for people’s appearances were really about our health. 

Health vs. Thinness

Health has been linked to thinness for centuries now, but evidence shows us that the two are distinctly different. Here are some key things to understand in order to better navigate diet culture. 

1. Body shape and size are majorly influenced by genetics. 

We all know that our genes determine factors of our appearance like hair color, eye color, and even our height. But, did you know that studies have shown that your body  size and shape are also majorly determined by your genes? Spending your life working  against your body’s genetic code by dieting to fit the current ideal body type won’t improve your health, and it can actually make it worse.

2. Health is a complex state of overall being.. Thinness is just a size.  

Your health is determined by a ton of different factors all working together. This includes things like stress levels, sleep quality, financial status, genetics, access to food, and environmental conditions just to name a few. Diet culture today would have you believe that pursuing thinness is the best thing you can do for your health, but what happens when the pursuit of thinness increases your stress, ruins your sleep, and leads to nutrient deficiencies? 

Signs you are being influenced by diet culture 

The influence of diet culture is still prevalent today. It may be even more prevalent than ever thanks to the internet and social media. We have more medical knowledge and research available to us than we ever have before, but that has not made diet culture any less pervasive. So here are some ways to recognize if you are being influenced rather than informed. 

1. Check your sources: Social media influencers are not necessarily qualified to talk about nutrition and health, and diet culture messages get tons of engagement so make sure you follow creators that post information they are qualified to share. 

2. Check yourself: We all grew up living in diet culture, and that means we are probably holding onto a belief we picked up at some point in our lives that just isn’t true. For example, you may have had someone tell you “don’t eat right before you go to bed because you can’t burn it off” or “snacking will make you gain weight.” Both of these statements might have sounded reasonable at the time, but they are both untrue and unhelpful. 

3. Check your emotions: This is another good way to filter out diet culture messages in the media. Posts and articles that evoke a strong emotion tend to get better engagement so news outlets and influencers try to make you feel something. If you see a post or read a news article that leaves you feeling guilty, ashamed, or unhappy with your body, that means the message was probably rooted in diet culture. 

Need Support? We’re Here to Help

As you can see, diet culture has been a constantly changing influence on societies for a very long time. And unfortunately, beauty standards still come first in a lot of ways when measured against health.

If you want to learn more about how to prioritize your health without the influence of diet culture, a registered dietitian can help you navigate the sea of diet culture messages to sort out what is true and what isn’t.