What Does it Mean to be “Anti-Diet”?
The anti-diet movement is a reaction to the harmful effects of diet culture. Diet culture is the pervasive belief that everyone should strive to be thin, regardless of their health or well-being. It promotes unrealistic and often unattainable beauty standards, and it can lead to disordered eating, body image issues, and mental health problems.
Anti-dieters challenge this diet culture narrative. They believe that people of all sizes can be healthy and happy, and that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to eating. They focus on intuitive eating, which is a practice of listening to your body's hunger and fullness cues to eat what you need, when you need it.
Benefits of an Anti-Diet Approach
There are many benefits to an anti-diet approach, including:
Improved physical and mental health
Reduced stress and anxiety
Increased self-esteem and body confidence
A more positive relationship with food
A more sustainable and enjoyable approach to eating
How to Get Started with an Anti-Diet Approach
If you're interested in trying an anti-diet approach, here are a few tips to get started:
Challenge your diet beliefs. What are the messages you've internalized about food and weight? Are they realistic or helpful?
Start listening to your body. Pay attention to your hunger and fullness cues. Eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full.
Give yourself permission to eat all foods. There are no good or bad foods. All foods can be part of a healthy diet.
Make peace with your body. Accept your body for its size and shape. Focus on what your body can do, not what it looks like.
An anti-diet approach is a more sustainable and enjoyable way to live a healthy life. It's about making peace with food and your body, so you can live a full and joyful life.
Quotes from Christy Harrison's book "Anti-Diet"
"Diet culture is a system of oppression that tells us that our bodies are wrong and that we need to change them in order to be worthy of love and respect."
"Anti-diet is not about eating whatever you want, whenever you want. It's about learning to trust your body and giving it the food it needs to thrive."
"Anti-diet is about making peace with food and your body, so you can live a full and joyful life."
Resources:
Project Heal: https://www.theprojectheal.org
The Eating Disorders Coalition: https://www.eatingdisorderscoalition.org/
The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders: https://anad.org/
The National Eating Disorders Helpline: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/help-support/contact-helpline