The Anti-Diet Movement and "Big Food"

July 24, 2024

Table of Contents

What Is the Anti-Diet Movement?
Why You Shouldn’t Rely on Social Media for Dietary Advice
The Benefits of Working With a Registered Dietitian

Amid the constant emergence of fad diets all competing for our attention, anti-diet culture is on the rise. Anti-diet ideologies are among the biggest trends of recent years, and according to The Washington Post, global food marketers have caught on. The article claims that influencers and Big Food companies are co-opting anti-diet messages to profit from the trending culture. Major food brands take advantage of the hype and use the anti-diet movement to endorse their products.

What Is the Anti-Diet Movement?

The anti-diet movement started in the 1960s as a means to fight back against weight discrimination and the widespread obsession with thinness. Weight discrimination and a societal obsession with weight loss have fueled significant problems within our society, including low self-esteem, negative body image, depression and overall decreased quality of life. While diet culture fosters these issues, anti-diet culture aims to abolish them.

The anti-diet process involves promoting size acceptance, ending weight discrimination and respecting body diversity. It emphasizes balanced eating and fulfilling exercise and aims to lessen the cultural obsession with weight loss. The principle is based on intuitive eating approaches that rely on the body’s unique needs and natural cues.

The Anti-Diet Movement vs. Intuitive Eating

Intuitive eating is a non-dieting approach to changing eating habits by trusting your body to make the right food choices without food shaming or the influence of dieting practices. While food freedom and intuitive eating are linked to lower risks of heart disease, certain events surrounding the anti-diet culture warp the ideology.

The Intuitive Eating approach encompasses 10 principles, including honoring hunger and fullness, making food decisions without the influence of diet culture, respecting your body’s needs, exercising for reasons other than weight loss, and more. Intuitive Eating and food freedom acknowledge that the nutritional value of an apple and a slice of apple pie are not the same, but they do have the same moral value; you are not a good or bad person based on your food choices.

The primary concern is that many anti-diet influencers have exploited the intuitive eating culture and seem to be making claims that aren’t backed by nutritional science. For example, some claim that snacking on sticks of butter is a healthy means of losing weight. However, in reality, overconsumption of butter is linked to numerous adverse health impacts.

The effects of diet-related misinformation can be harmful. Misinformation can guide people to consume unfulfilling foods, and it can also prevent people from seeking lifesaving medical treatments in favor of following a special diet they’ve stumbled across online.

So, there’s a distinct difference between the co-opted anti-diet movement and the intuitive eating ideology. While some influencers seem to encourage overindulgence or diets not backed by science, intuitive eating ideologies encourage food freedom. The intuitive eating approach suggests that you don’t have to cut your favorite foods out of your diet — instead, you can enjoy those foods mindfully.

Why You Shouldn't Rely on Social Media for Dietary Advice

Social media is rife with wellness content of every kind, from easy recipes and seemingly promising workout regimes to medical and nutritional advice. However, as mentioned, not everyone with access to a platform has the credibility to hand out advice, especially when the advice is of a medical and nutritional nature.

While misinformation and the rise of fake social media doctors can make it extra challenging to identify whether a source is accurate, even credible professionals in one field may not be experts on the topic of nutrition.

For example, medical professionals, such as general practitioners, may take to social media to offer viewers dietary advice. However, only a small portion of their education involves nutrition. Registered dietitians are credentialed health care professionals who specialize in the science of nutrition and the practice of developing eating plans to complement health needs. These professionals complete their training and qualifications to earn their titles through the Commission on Dietetic Registration. The career path of registered dietitians is centered around supporting health and wellness through food, making them a better resource for nutrition advice.

The Benefits of Working With a Registered Dietitian

Following a nutritional eating plan can be tricky — even more so with the ever-increasing abundance of fad diets and misinformation prowling around on social media platforms. Whether you’re intrigued by the ideology of intuitive eating and enjoying food freedom or hoping to boost your health, a registered dietitian can provide expert guidance and offer several valuable benefits.

1. Personalized Nutrition Plans

Registered dietitians are well-versed in tailoring nutritional plans that consider your individual health needs and your goals. With extensive insight and understanding of the science of nutrition, registered dietitians customize their nutritional recommendations based on your specific needs and goals.

Working with a dietitian can help you manage health conditions, heal your relationship with food or optimize athletic performance. A dietician will develop a nutrition plan that considers your current health and nutritional status to meet these goals.

2. Expert Nutritional Guidance

As mentioned, registered dietitians are highly experienced professionals. Working with a dietitian gives you access to evidence-based guidance regarding what to eat, when to eat and how much to eat. A dietitian can also recommend foods to enjoy in moderation to help you reach your goals. Moreover, these professionals can help you understand food labels so that you can prioritize products with fulfilling ingredients.

3. Improved Healthy Outcomes

Working with a registered dietitian can also improve health outcomes and offer long-term benefits. These experts can help you manage conditions like diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, heart disease and several others through nutrition plans that cater to your individual needs.

Choose Doherty Nutrition for Nutritional Guidance

Doherty Nutrition offers individual nutritional counseling sessions, and our team of experts can tailor a nutritional plan to your needs. Our dietitians specialize in medical nutrition therapy, diabetes, sports nutrition, eating disorders and more. We also use an evidence-based, intuitive eating approach to support food freedom and the real benefits the ideology has to offer.

During the first sessions, we’ll evaluate your past medical history, discuss your eating habits and diet history, and assess your overall relationship with food. Follow-up sessions will help you manage your nutritional plan and monitor your progress. We also offer meal planning guidance to help you navigate meals.

We offer our expert services in several locations, including Austin, Chicago, Fort Worth, North Dallas and Southlake. Additionally, our telehealth services ensure our services reach a broader demographic.

Start Your Healthy Eating Journey With Doherty Nutrition

At Doherty Nutrition, we understand the complexities of nutrition and how it affects every aspect of mental and physical wellness. Our registered dietitians are ready to work with you to help you achieve your nutritional goals. Get stared online to book a personalized nutrition counseling session.

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RD, LD
Habla Español
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Rachel Arnold

MS, RD, LD
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Cassidy Storts

RD, LD
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Brittany Thiel

RD, LD
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Danielle McAdoo

RD, LD, CDCES
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Kacilyn Helton

MCN, RD, LD
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Kelly Minarick

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Senior Dietitian

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Licensed in TX

Business Development Manager