Why You Should NOT Diet in 2020 (or ever)

Nutrition, physique, diets, mental health, wellness, you name it. They have all had their time in the media and public spotlight. While it is beyond amazing that more and more conversations are being had concerning health and wellness, it is not amazing that fad diets and eating disorders are at an all time high. Conversations about health and wellness can oftentimes become troublesome and misleading.

Diet culture – the glorification of excessive thinness and certain body shapes/sizes that have been deemed healthy and inspirational by society. Diet culture and propaganda lead society to believe that there is a one-size fits all body that all must achieve to be “accepted”, “normal”, and “worthy”. Such beliefs are usually paired with the idea that this “perfect” body/being must be attained at whatever means necessary, and that nothing should be considered “off the table”.

Diet is a term that is often used interchangeably for two very different ideas. First, there is the concept of diet as whatever you eat from day to day. Second, there is the concept of diet as a specific way of eating or avoidance of a food or group of foods in order to lose weight or reach some other goal. The term diet on its own didn’t start out as something bad, but the term has become negative as the ideas and mindsets around food have become negative.

While the diets (the food that we eat) that we have as humans are a basic need for survival and completely necessary, dieting (eating or avoiding certain foods in order to achieve a certain goal) and going on diets are not. I am not the first one to say that diets are bad, and I certainly will not be the last. The reasons that I feel we should not diet have been said before. That being said, I am not here to say that my ideas are the right ones or are better than those of anyone else. I have had unique education and past experiences that have led me to believe what I believe today. I would also like to highlight that I am in no way saying that all diets are bad. I realize that there are people, myself included, on restricted diets for medical reasons and that is perfectly fine and unique to each individual! I am also not here to say that my information should replace that of your medical provider, and believe that if you have any concerns at all about your diet or possible diets you should contact them and get your questions answered.

There are many reasons that I believe dieting is unnecessary, but I have narrowed it down to my top five!

1. Dieting is not sustainable
   1. This is probably the number one reason that any health/wellness educator would give if asked why they don’t believe in dieting.
   2. Before you start a new diet, whether it be keto, gluten-free, paleo, plant-based, vegan, or whatever it may be, you must ask yourself if you can see yourself being able to comfortably, and happily be able to do that for the next several years. If the answer is no, then the diet is not going to be sustainable for you.
      1. Is the diet going to fit into your existing lifestyle?
      2. Do you feel that you would be giving up things that you like/love in order to follow the diet?
      3. You should not have to alter your lifestyle to fit your diet. Assuming that you already have a healthy lifestyle in place, your diet should fit reasonably into it.
   3. Think about why you are wanting to diet.
      1. If you are wanting to diet to lose weight then perhaps you should look into the habits that you could build and maintain in order to reach your goals.
         1. Habits are what are sustainable and habits are what are going to stick around for the long-term.
      2. Whatever the goal of your diet is, you need educate yourself so that you have the knowledge to build the sustainable and healthy habits that are going to help you long-term.
2. Dieting usually leads to more bad than good
   1. While dieting may give you the results you seek for a short while, those results usually are short lived due to body/metabolism fluctuations and the lack of diet sustainability.
   2. With the accomplishment of desired goals comes feelings of happiness and success, but once the results begin to disappear feelings of guilt, shame, and self-loathing can surface.
   3. Fear of food, restriction, bingeing, and purging are all scary consequences that often times result from practicing avoidance of certain foods/food groups.
3. Saying “yes” to diets often times means saying “bye/no” to enjoyable aspects of life
   1. If you are someone that usually meets some pals at the bar for wings and drinks once a week then going gluten-free and plant-based is not going to be a good option for you.
   2. Often times when people are dieting they will find themselves turning down invitations for outings with friends and family gatherings for fear of “slipping up” or being judged.
      1. If you have to stop seeing your friends or family because of the diet you have chosen to follow you may want to rethink your decisions. (That being said, I realize that many people will medically necessary diets may have to forgo certain outings in order to avoid food contamination)
4. Diets take a huge toll on mental health
   1. If all you can think about is food and how to stick to your new diet there may be some issues.
   2. Eating should not be an all-consuming event.
   3. Your diet should not make you feel upset or like you have failed if you deviate from it once in a while.
      1. Your diet should have room for flexibility and spontaneity!
   4. Oftentimes people will feel like they are better than someone else for eating a certain way and other times feel that they are somehow lesser for eating a certain way.
      1. Your diet should not be compared to that of someone else and it most definitely should not dictate how you feel about yourself or others!
5. Diets get in the way of choosing self-care over self-control
   1. Self-care is a basic human need and want! When we are constantly focused on controlling what goes into our body or what we surround ourselves with we can start to lose track of what we really want and need.

All of that being said, I strongly believe that a diet is a very personal thing. No two people are going to have the same exact diet. We all love different foods and we all have different things that make us happy. It is my personal belief that each and every person should follow a balanced and holistic diet that fulfills the body’s nutritional requirements. It is also important to remember that food is more than nutrition and that it is okay to eat just because you want to eat! It is also okay to eat whatever you want whenever you want (with some moderation of course)!

A diet is something that should make the individual happy and fulfilled. There is nothing worse than sitting down to a meal consisting of something that you absolutely hate, but feel that you should eat anyways! For me, vegetables are not the best thing! I of course believe that vegetables are necessary for all the nutrients that they provide and that they can be made into delicious treats, but you will rarely see me sit down with a bowl or raw vegetables or have half of my dinner plate be filled with them.

Food is freedom and food is expression! Eat what you want and own it! You don’t owe anyone anything and you don’t have to explain yourself if you don’t want to!