Episode 267: 5 Nutrition Truths to Undo Your Diet Culture Brainwashing

“We need food to survive. We become more food-seeking when our access to food is limited.”

Diet culture brainwashing runs deep. You’ve spent years hearing messages about needing to eat less, exercise more, earn your food, and control your hunger, and those messages start to feel less like diet culture and more like facts.

The thing is, you can’t reject a belief that you don’t even realize you’re carrying with you. And if we never stop to question these beliefs, they can keep us stuck struggling with food, blaming ourselves for feeling out of control. So today we are doing some unbrainwashing. I’ll walk you through five nutrition truths to help you recognize some of the diet culture beliefs that may still be hanging out in your brain, and how to shift those beliefs to create healthier eating practices.

When we understand what is actually happening in our body, we can start pushing back against the messages that keep us stuck. Because the more you can notice diet culture for what it is, the more opportunities you have to reject it, connect with your own body and its needs, and build a relationship with food that actually feels good to you and is sustainable.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why your metabolism is working around the clock, and what that means for your body’s energy needs
• How eating enough and eating consistently supports a healthy metabolism
• Why the popular 1,200-calorie diet is not enough for most adult women and how diet culture has normalized undereating
• What really happens when you go too long without eating, including why intense hunger, food cravings, and rebound eating are normal biological responses
• Why eating and exercising exactly like someone else will never guarantee the same body, and how embracing body diversity can help you build trust with yourself

It’s time to start challenging the myths that keep you stuck. When you recognize truths about how your body actually functions, you can create a relationship with food that feels freeing instead of restrictive.

Resources:

• Grab the Hunger & Fullness Scale Guide at DietCultureRebel.com/hungerfullnessscale and take your next step toward building trust with your body and food
• Connect with me over on Instagram at @diet.culture.rebel

Struggling with food, but not sure where to start?

You don’t have to feel 100% ready to get support. If you’re tired of obsessing over food or feeling stuck in the diet cycle, my team of Registered Dietitians is here to help. We offer one-on-one nutrition counseling—and we accept insurance! Spots are limited, so head to https://dietculturerebel.com/insurance to see if we’re covered in your state and learn how to get started.