Trust Your Gut - Eat for Satisfaction Tune out the Hype

Diet culture is so heavily ingrained in our everyday lives. It can be exhausting to stay positive about your own body when you have a constant deluge of images, ads, and messages trying to sell you on products or services that will “fix” your diet or health.  The healthiest thing we can do for ourselves is tuning that shit out.  But with so many different ad campaigns and influencers out there the volume and noise can be hard to ignore. So, how can you tune it out?

Step 1: Identify Which Messages are Positive and Which Ones are Negative

Quick Disclaimer: This series explores Intuitive Eating from a chef’s perspective. This is not meant to provide specific medical advice. If these topics interest you, please consult a registered dietitian and/or healthcare provider for personalized guidance and education.

Sifting through the multitude of messages out there can be daunting. With so many negative comments out there, they can start to feel just normal, not negative. Once they feel normal, we may start listening to them. Understanding which messages will have a positive impact and which will have a negative impact is imperative to completing the following steps.

1. Signs that the content may have a negative impact

   1. If they only use one specific body type in their advertising

   2. If they have a “One health fits all” mentality

   3. If the ultimate goal is weight loss

   4. If they make unsubstantiated claims with no proof to back it up

   5. If they stress ‘quick results’

   6. If they are not educating, only selling

   7. If they use fear of weight stigma to incentivize change

   8. Food Avoidance

   9. Labeling Foods as ‘Good’ or ‘Bad’

2. Positive content will include at least one of the following

   1. Self Love

   2. Health as it relates to physical, mental, and emotional well-being

   3. Gentle Nutrition

   4. Personal, individualized goals

   5. Health over aesthetic

   6. Acknowledgement that this is a long-term goal

Step 2: Banish the Negative

1. Unfollow on Social Media

   When we notice an account posting many negative messages, just click unfollow. Do they post a cute cat video from time to time and you don’t want to miss out? I promise you, there are plenty of cute cat videos out there that aren’t mixed in with negative body image messages… we won’t miss their content.

   But what about the ads? Did you know: on Facebook, we can “Hide Ad” to no longer see that specific ad. We can also “Hide all ads from this advertiser” if you notice a certain company consistently posting negative content. We can also easily hide ads on Instagram, too. Just look for the three little dots in the upper right hand corner of each post.

2. Traditional Media

   We do not have as much control over preventing negative messages from the tv, radio, or magazines. We can flip the channel or the page as soon as we notice it, but we still saw it. Acknowledge that it is negative and not welcome in our lives and keep step 4 (below) in mind.

3. Friends and Family

   Now, we don’t recommend banishing our friends or families for making negative comments about body image. Many of the things our loved ones may say such as “I feel so fat after eating that large meal.” or “You look like you lost some weight, good for you!” or “I wish I could join you, but I can’t eat [insert ‘bad food’] here” are not meant to carry a negative weight. However, within each of these statements is a representation of diet culture and fat phobia. Health is extremely personal and is unique to each person. The exciting part of these interactions is that we have the opportunity to inspire a positive change. We can educate our loved ones about body positivity and eating for satisfaction.

Step 3: Embrace the Positive

1. Lets fill our news feeds with positive influences - body positivity, food positivity, and healthy inspiration. Follow accounts like @i_weigh @feelgoodeating @Evelyntribole @intuitiveeatingnurse @creatingpeacewithfood @break.the.diet.pod

2. Listen to Podcasts like RD Real Talk, The Love Food Podcast, and Intuitive Eating for the Culture.

Step 4: Turn the Intended Negativity into Your Own Positivity

Here is a strategy to use when you encounter a negative message. Say to yourself (out loud, if possible) “That message was not meant for me. I love my body and I love myself.” Then list three things you love about yourself. They can be anything about you, not just your physical being.

For Example:

• “I have really pretty eyes.”

• “I love my sense of humor.”

• “I’m having a great hair day today.”

• “I can do more push-ups today than I could 3 months ago.”

• “I am a great listener.”

Next, smile and take a couple deep breaths. Give yourself a hug or a high-five for being awesome! Signs of diet culture are never far away and we can’t completely avoid them. However, by making a conscious decision to listen to or ignore the messages we can begin creating a happier world around us. Train your internal monologue using this strategy and remember: if you wouldn’t say it to a friend, don’t say it to yourself.

Step 5: Practice and Be Kind to Yourself

Practice doesn’t make perfect, it makes permanent. Each time we see negativity and choose to tell ourselves, “This doesn’t apply to me. I am happy with my body. I love the food I choose to eat. I show myself gratitude in my movement and exercise. I am happy being me.” we win! The more often we choose the positive road, the easier it will become. And there will be many times when we allow these negative messages room in our thoughts. When this happens we must be gracious and forgiving of ourselves. Perfection is an unattainable goal. As long as we are proud of our progress and love ourselves, we will be in a more positive, healthier, and happier mindset.