Food Talk
A classmate says, “I was bad today—I ate dessert at lunch.
What is diet culture?
Why: It labels food and eating behavior with moral language, which can lead to guilt and shame.
If I don’t follow what I've planned exactly for meals, I’ve failed.
What is diet culture?
Why: It promotes all-or-nothing thinking and perfectionism, rather than flexibility and self-compassion.
"Girl Dinner", the tiktok trend. Diet culture, y/n? Why?
What is diet culture? “Girl Dinner” can reflect diet culture by glamorizing minimal, snack-like meals that often lack sufficient nutrition. It reinforces gendered expectations that women should eat less, presenting under-eating as aesthetic.
In the 1990s, a lot of food was labeled “fat-free,” and people were told to avoid fat. How is this diet culture?
It taught people that fat in food was bad, even though our bodies need it to be healthy.
Answers may vary.
Someone says, “I can eat this because I was good all week.”
What is diet culture?
Why: It attaches eating permission to behavior, instead of honoring hunger or preferences.
My body needs and preferences might change, and that’s okay.
What is not diet culture.
Why: This reflects body trust and adaptability—key pieces of recovery and self-care.
This social media term describes a parent—usually a mother—who exhibits and passes down disordered eating habits and diet culture beliefs to their children.
What is an Almond Mom? Although often meant as satire, they normalize and trivialize restrictive eating patterns passed down generationally.
In the early 2000s, many people stopped eating bread and pasta because of a low-carb trend. How is this diet culture?
It said carbs were “bad,” instead of seeing them as an important source of energy.
This staffs first car was a Volkswagen beetle.
Who is Chelsey?
All foods can have a place depending on how I feel and what I need.
What is not diet culture.
Why: This reflects flexibility and respect for individual needs, rather than rules or labels.
I shouldn’t feel proud of myself unless I’m controlling what I eat.
What is diet culture?
Why: It ties worth to food control rather than identity, values, or well-being.
In the 2020s, some influencers started talking about food freedom and listening to your body.
What is not diet culture.
Why: It focuses on self-trust, variety, and honoring what your body needs—mentally and physically.
Waist trainers became popular on social media to help people change the shape of their stomachs. How is this diet culture?
It promoted uncomfortable tools to try to make bodies fit unrealistic beauty standards.
This staff ONLY takes red eye flights.
Who is dietician Maddy?
Do I like how this food tastes and how it makes me feel?
What is not diet culture.
Why: This reflects curiosity, self-awareness, and attunement to body signals—key parts of a non-diet approach.
Bodies are supposed to look different and do different things.
What is not diet culture.
Why: It celebrates body diversity, which diet culture often ignores or tries to erase.
Other's sharing "before & after" photos of their bodies. Describe how this is diet culture.
Before and after photos relate to diet culture by emphasizing weight loss and physical transformation as the primary measure of success and self-worth.
Diet culture can put lives at risk. T/F
True.
Diet culture promotes extreme and often harmful behaviors—like starvation diets, “detox” products, and obsessive food rules—that can lead to eating disorders, malnutrition, heart complications, and even death. It also fuels shame and mental health struggles, especially among young people, by tying worth to appearance and body size.
This staff used to work at a cemetery, digging graves.
Who is Kiersten?
I have to eat the same safe foods every day or I feel off.
What is diet culture? (with care)
Why: This may reflect a learned pattern from diet culture’s emphasis on rules and fear, rather than safety or satisfaction.
Health is about how I feel, not how I look.
What is not diet culture.
Why: This reframes wellness through an internal lens instead of appearance.
Fits: They reflect diet culture by focusing on appearance and body goals over health, often showcasing restrictive or curated meals to achieve a specific body shape.
Not fit: includes eating balanced meals that honor hunger and consistent nutrition, enjoying all foods without guilt.
Why are diet culture TRENDS harmful?
Because trends change rapidly, they can trap people in a cycle of yo-yo dieting, confusion, and body dissatisfaction—making it harder to build a consistent, healthy relationship with food and self.
This staff is a mother to 28 house plant babies.
Who is Sarah?