Understanding Diet Culture & Supporting Loved Ones with Disordered Eating
Diet culture is everywhere, often disguised as health advice but ultimately focused on shrinking bodies rather than promoting true well-being. For those struggling with disordered eating, this pervasive messaging can be especially harmful. Understanding how to detect and avoid diet culture is key, as is knowing how to support someone in your life who may be struggling.
I spoke with Shena Jaramillo, a Registered Dietitian specializing in eating disorders, to get her expert insights on this topic. Shena works extensively with teens and adults facing food and body image issues.
Her approach is shaped by her own journey from disordered eating to recovery and her academic background in psychology, anthropology, and nutrition. As she puts it, "It really takes one to know one. It's hard to understand the mental piece of eating disorders unless you've been there."
Detecting & Avoiding Diet Culture
What is Diet Culture?
Diet culture prioritizes weight loss, body size, and appearance over health and well-being. It often disguises itself as health advice, but its focus is typically on restriction and control rather than nourishment. Shena explains it simply: "If it comes with a set of rules, it's probably diet culture."
For example, Shena warns against phrases like "cut carbs to be healthy" or "don't eat this, only eat that." These messages are more about malnutrition than actual well-being.
She also points to trends like extreme weight loss medications (e.g., Ozempic) and the use of Body Mass Index (BMI) as trends that contribute to diet culture and can promote unhealthy relationships with food. "Body mass index itself is total garbage," she says. "It has no significance or relevance in the health space."
These tools and trends often reinforce the idea that smaller bodies are inherently healthier, which can push individuals toward unsustainable and dangerous behaviors in pursuit of weight loss.
Diet culture's focus on shrinking bodies rather than promoting true health often ignores the mental and physical consequences, leaving people trapped in a cycle of dissatisfaction and harmful habits.
Shena emphasizes, "Diet culture is very creative. It will hijack any good idea and turn it into something about malnutrition rather than health."
Recognizing and avoiding diet culture is key to foster or maintain a healthy relationship with food and your body.
What is NOT Diet Culture?
Not all health advice is diet culture, though. Shena advises to look for information that uses an "add but never take away" approach.
For example, a source where information is presented like, "you can get more vitamin C in your diet by having these types of food, and that could boost your immune system," is more likely to promote long-term health than one that lays out a strict plan of foods to include and avoid. Health-promoting advice focuses on what you can include to nourish your body, without introducing unnecessary restrictions.
Sorting Through Social Media
Social media is a major source of diet culture messaging, but there are ways to identify credible information. Shena advises, "if weight is the main focus—or really any focus—it's probably diet culture." Look for advice that centers on overall health, not weight loss, and avoid content that imposes rigid rules.
How to Help Someone with Disordered Eating
Given that we are all steeped in diet culture, it's not surprising that many of us have loved ones who appear to be struggling with disordered eating. But what can you do to help?
Supporting as a Friend or Family Member
Approaching someone you suspect may have an eating disorder requires sensitivity. "The eating disorder thrives on secrecy," Shena explains. "If you push too much, the person may recluse themselves and stop sharing completely." Instead, gently offer resources, such as dietitians or therapists, and let them decide when they're ready to seek help.
Creating a safe, non-judgmental environment is key. Shena advises expressing concern through "I" statements, and using observation statements rather than accusations. "Say something like, 'I've noticed you're not coming to as many social events that involve food. Is that something you want to talk about?'" she suggests.
Having a list of resources ready, such as local dietitians or support groups, can also help.
Supporting as a Parent
For parents, the approach can differ, especially with minors. If a child is showing signs of extreme restriction or rapid weight loss, immediate action may be necessary. "With children, I wouldn't even have the conversation," Shena says. "Get them to a dietitian or doctor right away."
Professional intervention is critical in severe cases. "We can't think about it from a conversational perspective when it's that extreme. Anything we say as non-experts can invite the eating disorder to become more secretive or even exacerbate it."
Professional Help is Often Needed
Knowing when to involve a professional can be life-saving. Signs like severe restriction, rapid weight loss, or reclusiveness are red flags. Shena emphasizes that eating disorders are "not really about food" and often require a multidisciplinary approach involving dietitians, therapists, and medical providers.
Fostering a Culture of Compassion and Awareness
Understanding diet culture and its harmful effects is the first step toward creating healthier relationships with food—both for ourselves and the people we care about. While it may feel overwhelming to unlearn the beliefs we've been steeped in for years, small shifts in mindset and language can make a big difference.
Whether you're navigating your own healing journey or hoping to support someone else, know that you don't have to have all the answers. Simply offering a listening ear, validating someone's experience, and pointing them toward professional resources can be incredibly powerful.
As Shena reminds us, "This isn't about doing it perfectly. It's about showing up in a supportive, non-judgmental way."
By rejecting rigid rules and focusing on nourishment and well-being, we can help build a culture that values true health—physical, mental, and emotional—over appearances.
Shena Jaramillo is a registered dietitian specializing in the treatment of eating disorders including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, orthorexia, ARFID, and more.