Food is one of our basic needs. It does not have to be too complicated. Another hand, its intake is somehow related to our body image. This is the place food gets complicated. So much research is taking place, about losing weight, from the start of civilization.
Every year there is a new paper about the facts of losing weight. And without doubting anything we start to follow that ritual. This is how diet culture is ruling us. We are going to break down how was it then, how is it now, and how it is affecting us.
Definition:
It is something that a majority of people in culture do to prioritize their weight loss, before their well-being. Media, influencers have made us feel like our body is not enough. Toxic modeling society is the main culprit of this. These skinny women set us through an unrealistic expectations. The perfect picture of a women’s body changes every year.
With that ideal, the way of feeding yourself changes every year and people start to follow it like blind. It is called the diet culture. Each time there is a new fad and everyone follows that fad like a pro, and after someone when they see different health issues they go for another one.
The 70’s fad:
We have the craziest ones in the’70s. At that time industrial revolution was at its peak. And companies were advertising their products as weight loss magic pills. And people were so crazy overweight loss; they were ready to do programs like the master cleanse, cookie diet, starvation. Even the sugar ones. Even they make consuming sugar desirable and a tool for losing weight.
The ’70s were heavily influenced by models and their lifestyles. And their lifestyle was horrible. They used to starve themselves to death. Every once in a while people went through crashes in the 70s.
The 80’s fad:
The 80s was all about cutting the food groups and restricting yourself to a point of starvation. The ’80s had so many celebrities and celebrity doctors to follow. The 80’s era was heavily inspired by the ’70s that continued to shine.
Everyone used to eat cabbage, grapefruit, and cheese all day long. Liquid cleanses were a thing in the ’80s. In the name of a healthy lifestyle, they used to cut food groups and make an ingesting habit out of it.
The 90’s fad:
The ’90s were all about macros. Either it was low in fat or low in carbs. The companies then were using some resources that showed the weight loss benefits out of a low-fat diet. Industries were brainwashing commoners that fat was bad for their health instead they put so much sugar in their products.
Also at that time food was so much available in the packet, and everyone was so much busy. That is why they had to eat that. Because of that obesity and diabetes was burning question in the 90s.
Now:
So many developments we have seen till now, but the toxic diet culture is still there. It is an era of Instagram models. They showcase their perfect body and their lifestyle for once. Then people make it their lifestyle decision. “What I eat in a day” is the now most overrated trend. Also, so many ingesting patterns are followed. The keto, paleo, whole 30, etc.
Also, you cannot be made at today’s food choices of the society. Because all the programs are mostly wholesome. But t is the effects, that it has upon us is poisonous. The only thing people follow that is kind of restrictive is calorie counting. People consume an insane amount of low calories during the day in this program. Despite being very calculative, restricting stuff is never the answer to a healthy lifestyle.
Diet culture is toxic:
It is that statement that is true for any era. We all have different cultures and different feeding habits. When an influencer from different culture tells us what we are consuming since the day we were born, is not healthy enough.
Surely we are going to freak out. Also, when a person makes himself restricted to eating for a long period. His body craves nutrients and then he eats more than before. So it is never sustainable as well. That also comes with mental disorders.
Diet culture and eating disorder:
It is the main culprit of the eating disorder. For the last some decades, we have seen so many cases of eating disorders. Not only that but also the representation of body image changes every year. And everyone cannot cope with that. Which makes them fall for restricting themselves and ultimately they get eating disorders.
Also, some of us get so much used to not feeding ourselves, at some point, they get afraid of food. This toxic behavior has taken so many for disordered eating of so many kinds. That is why it is high time we prioritize our body and soul.
Fads and mental health:
Our mental health is so much compromised right now. We take so much pressure and do not at all think about our mental health. Different eating styles take a huge toll on mental health. Everything that we do without the will of our body, and our mind counts as stress. And every stress intricately harms our mental health.
Not having the food you used to consume since childhood is a really big stress on our body. Also in the name of weight loss, we do so many food restrictions and adaption that we don’t want. All of this creates a big hazard to our mental health.
Some thoughts:
If there are people there will be opinions. But not every opinion will work on us. We have to know for ourselves what we want. And have to know ourselves deeper. Then have to decide if you want to do this, or if you have to do this.
Society takes the job to brainwash us now and forever. But it is us who can decide if we want to feel just included or feel healthy and secure. And restricting food for weight loss is one of these brain washings also.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs):
What is diet culture and why it is bad?
It can be defined as, the way to eat, that is all people of society are following at that moment. It put us in the restriction of consuming food that is so harsh that our physical and mental health gets bothered at a very toxic level.
What is an example of diet culture?
The grapefruit diet, keto, paleo, whole 30 is all kinds of fads that make up a toxic eating habit.
We all are the product of diet culture?
Yes, we are, to date at least. We have been eating our whole life as society tells us to. When the industries make a fat-free product we go fat-free. When they make carbs free we go carbs-free. We are not listening to our body to the fullest at all and making us all a product of it.
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