why you should ditch diet culture in 2025
Diet culture is everywhere. Sometimes it feels impossible to go a day without seeing another social media influencer denounce gluten, or hearing an ad for half-price weight-loss drug on a podcast, or watching a video that praises a certain body type. The truth is though–restrictive eating isn’t the way to build healthy and sustainable relationships with food, and weight loss drugs alone are not the best option for most people–nor do they address the underlying condition.
What is restrictive eating?
Restrictive eating is limiting your intake or avoiding certain foods or food groups with the belief that it will make you healthier or more physically fit.
Another way to think about restrictive eating is dieting. The restriction can start small, like never eating ice cream. Or it can be more extreme, like never dining out or eating any foods at group gatherings because of not knowing the sources of all meal ingredients.
Why is restrictive eating not ideal?
Since restrictive eating is so limiting, it often leads to a reduced intake of important nutrients. This can cause vitamin and mineral imbalances (1). For example, not eating dairy could reduce calcium intake. If this important mineral isn’t replaced with other dietary calcium, like tofu or dark leafy greens, people might be at risk for bone mineral deficiencies and fractures.
Trying to inhibit intake can actually trigger overeating (2). To put it another way, if we didn’t allow ourselves to eat chips for years, there’s a high likelihood that when we finally open a bag, we’d eat the entire thing rather than the handful or two we might have eaten when we had the initial craving.
Restrictive eating occasionally leads to unhealthier eating patterns. It is known to be a risk factor for disordered eating or eating disorders (3).
What about weight loss drugs?
When prescribed by a caring doctor, weight loss drugs like GLP-1 agonists might be helpful for people with Type 2 Diabetes struggling to manage their blood sugar, or for those with obesity. These drugs increase insulin efficiency for better glucose uptake and slow gastric emptying to promote feelings of fullness. But they are not a quick fix and they are not the only piece of the puzzle.
GLP-1 agonists come with possible side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, and constipation. Or, the more rare pancreatitis or gastroparesis (both dangerous and uncomfortable) (4). And, because they increase satiety so effectively, people often report decreased enjoyment of food. GLPs are also new, so there isn't research yet gauging their long-term effects.
Another possible downside is that taking weight loss drugs can cause someone to hyper-fixate on weight over health. Healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes.
When trying to be healthy and nourished, it’s helpful to keep these 3 things in mind
Diet culture is everywhere, but it is okay to turn it off, or down.
Are you tired of seeing posts from that one influencer about her all-protein, high-liver diet? Us too. Research suggests that higher Instagram use is associated with restrictive eating, and “unhealthy obsession with eating healthy food,” which, depending on the influencer, may not actually be healthy) (5). There is nothing wrong with muting, or unfollowing, someone. Also, when you are collecting nutrition information, do so from someone creditable, like a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.
A healthy diet holds space for your favorite dishes.
A healthy, balanced diet is flexible, and includes whole foods like legumes, whole grains, plenty of fruits and vegetables, and healthy proteins and fats (like extra virgin olive oil or avocado). Even favorite foods you think may not fit in a balanced diet may be included in moderation. For example:
There is no need to say goodbye forever to your beloved fried chicken. Enjoying this southern delicacy once a month is perfectly fine. Or, you can adapt the dish and include it more often.
Our crispy chicken tenders with homemade honey mustard sauce are lower-in-saturated fat, ready in about twenty minutes, and just as juicy and tender as classic fried chicken.
Think you need to stop eating pasta? Not true! Even white flour pasta is okay to eat in moderation. Or, mix it up:
Try using higher-fiber pastas in your weeknight meals, like chickpea pastas or Barilla Protein Plus. These complex-carbs will digest more slowly and help keep your blood sugar steady.
Another option is adding fiber to your pasta, which morphs pasta from a simple carb to a heart-healthy dish that will keep you full longer. Lemony pasta with chickpeas and parsley or pasta e ceci (pasta with chickpeas) are two of our favorite pasta recipes.
Think of enhancing, not restricting.
Sometimes it’s easier to create a balanced meal, plate, or snack, when you think of adding something, not taking away.
Want to make a plate healthier? Adding the chickpeas to the pasta above is a great example. Or, consider adding lentils, healthy fats like walnuts or avocado, chopped apples or pears, or chicken to a salad.
Thinking of adding rather than subtracting helps to put you in the right mindset. Plus, adding legumes, healthy fats or proteins might help fill you up sooner, and will help keep you fuller longer than just eating a simple green salad.
This also works when eating out. For example, you can order the fried chicken you just spotted at your favorite restaurant, serve yourself an appropriate portion, and add veggies like a side salad or collard greens and a whole grain like brown rice or legumes like beans to create a healthy meal. This shifts the balance of your meal to healthier because you’re naturally eating less fried food (a reasonable portion) including vegetables for vitamins and minerals, and fiber through whole grains or legumes.
The bottom line
First, enhancing, rather than thinking of restricting or removing is key. Second, every food can be included in a well-rounded diet. There are ways to make less-healthy options more-healthy options. Third, it’s okay to turn off or turn down diet culture around you if it doesn’t make you feel good. Fourth, weight-loss drugs aren’t for everyone and lower food satisfaction. Fourth, restricting may inspire unhealthy habits, trigger overheating, or cause nutrient deficiencies. Remember, finding balance and enjoying what you eat is key!
FAQ
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Diet culture is everywhere. According to UK-based body image researcher Nadia Craddock, it is societal expectations, “Telling us that there's one way to be and one way to look and one way to eat and that we are a better person, we're a more worthy person if our bodies are a certain way,” (6). Fad diets are part of diet culture, too.
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Fiber helps keep your gastrointestinal system and gut microbiome healthy, helps fill you up, and helps with blood sugar maintenance.
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Batch cooking or batch-buying are great ways to make enhancing meals easy!
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Written by Kirstin Jackson
Kirstin Jackson earned a B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics in 2024 from San Francisco State University, and a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from UC Berkeley in 2006. She is currently working on her M.A. in Family & Consumer Sciences and completing her Dietetic Internship at SF State. As a future dietitian, Kirstin is passionate about helping people realize their best relationships with food, and achieving their nutrition health goals. She has special interests in diabetes, kitchen nutrition, and weight-neutral care. When not interning, Kirstin teaches cheesemaking and cheese pairing classes. In her spare time she cooks, reads, hikes, lifts weights, and watches the Great British Baking Show.
This post was reviewed by Kelly Powers, MA, RDN. Kelly is a Registered Dietitian and Culinary Nutritionist who takes a holistic approach to nutrition and health. She’s a recipe developer with a food blog highlighting whole foods, simple recipes, and her life in San Francisco. Kelly is the creator of Weeknight Dinners, a weekly meal plan program that helps people get back in the kitchen and feed themselves well. Kelly specializes in meal planning, the Mediterranean diet, and sustainable behavior change, helping her clients reach their health goals while improving their relationship with food. She’s also a nutrition consultant for health and tech startups, food companies, and brands she believes in.