It might seem crazy, but 2022 is less than two months away! Every New Year, millions of Americans pledge to to go on a diet as their new years resolution. Often the reason for this is the excess of sweets and other baked goods available in bulk during the holiday season. But while being eating right and taking care of your body is one thing, extreme dieting is quite another. Unfortunately, this rise in Diet Culture has also led to many unhealthy fads and eating habits that influence our health and relationship with food.Understanding the dangers of Toxic Diet Culture is key to cultivating a healthy lifestyle and relationship with food.
The Dangers of Toxic Diet Culture
It’s never a bad thing to want to improve your eating habits. Unfortunately, Diet Culture trends has a dark side.
Toxic Diet Culture is defined by the Alliance for Eating Disorders as “Any programs that encourage weight loss, require restricting yourself, and suggest cutting calories […] as well as programs that advertise weight loss pills and shakes”. Diets that encourage consistent “weigh-ins”, calorie counting, or restrictive eating can severely damage people’s relationship with food. They can also demonize normal hunger pains and cravings. This can lead to even more disordered eating.
In addition, many programs that contribute to Toxic Diet Culture will advertise by claiming near-immediate results, or easy targeted slimming of a particular area. Often times these supplements have no nutritional value and can even be harmful.
Why We Opt For no Supplements
We’ve talked previous on the blog about why we don’t use supplements. Dietary supplements, and specially fitness supplements, are often extremely high in certain ingredients (usually protein), and can actually be damaging to liver and kidney functions. Additionally, most supplements and pre-workout shakes or mixes aren’t federally regulated. When tested, several studies over the past decade found concerning ingredients in supplements tested, including heavy metals and other toxins.
In addition to consuming supplements you don’t need, many times Toxic Diet Culture leads individuals to cut out foods they actually need. Many times well-meaning people will cut out foods unnecessarily in the name of healthy living. Fad diets that require participants to excessively monitor caloric intake or cut out whole groups of foods often become so restrictive that people can struggle to get the nutrients they actually need.
The real cost
Unfortunately, there is tangible cost besides a subscription fee. One of the biggest dangers of toxic diet culture is that is can create unhealthy obsession and can severely affect our relationship with food. Toxic Diet Culture can wreck havoc on both our mental and physical health. Instead of being seen as fuel, Toxic Diet Culture produces a fear of food and a need to control every aspect of ones diet.
Intuitive Nutrition and Healthy Living
Intuitive Nutrition (also known as intuitive eating) focuses on listening to your body. Unlike diet culture, intuitive nutrition focuses on cultivating a healthy relationship to food. It’s important to be able to see food for what it is: fuel. Food is meant to be enjoyed, not feared. Instead of being restrictive, Intuitive Nutrition helps you listen to your body’s needs and respond accordingly. It helps you ask ” what does my body need?” and follow that prompting. These cues can be as simple as: if you’re still hungry, you should eat. If you’re full, you should stop. Listening to your body and following it’s needs is key to this approach.
If you’re looking for a personal or group fitness gym in Tacoma that can help you meet your fitness goals while supporting a healthy diet, our trainers at Organically Grown Muscle can help! At Organically Grown Muscle we practice Intuitive Nutrition as part of our personal training regime. As part of our program, our trainers help tailor-make a nutrition plan that cultivates a healthy relationship with food without being restrictive.
Contact us today for more information on our personal training opportunities!