A Beginner's Guide to Anti-Diet Nutrition

Anti-diet has become a big buzzword in 2022. It seems that every media outlet is featuring a story on what they are calling the latest “craze.” But what really is the anti-diet approach?

What does anti-diet mean?

Living in modern society, it’s impossible to not be constantly exposed to diet culture. Most diets require strict adherence to rules about what, when, and how much to eat. This approach takes away personal autonomy and leads the dieter to believe that their own bodily cues cannot or should not be trusted to make food and eating decisions. The anti-diet approach looks to change that. Non-diet nutrition takes back that autonomy that might otherwise be lost – it posits that we are all the experts on our own bodies. We innately know what, when, and how much to eat to satisfy our unique bodies.

Skeptics often retort that this approach must, then, be anti-health. Isn’t dieting the way to reach optimal physical health? The truth is diets very rarely help anyone find a place of true wellness. Diet culture has been described by some as actions that display the aesthetic of health, rather than supporting true health in a more tangible sense. The anti-diet way celebrates that health looks different for everyone. What works best for one person will not be the best approach for someone else. What is considered healthful behavior for one person might be harmful to another. So, then, one eating pattern will not be best suited for everyone, universally. This is where the anti-diet approach comes in.

 Where does anti-diet nutrition come from?

For decades, researchers have been thinking about anti-diet nutrition. In the early 2000s, Lindo Bacon* and their team published a study finding that a non-diet approach has more significant health benefits than a traditional dieting approach. The study focused on an emphasis on health-oriented behaviors rather than simply turning to weight loss to be the ultimate solution for all ailments. These health benefits not only were more profound but were also longer-lasting in the non-diet group. Beyond original research, writers like Geneen Roth, Evelyn Tribole, Elyse Resch, and Christy Harrison have published books focusing on an anti-diet approach – and their following continues to grow.

Why an anti-diet approach?

It is well documented that diets simply do not work. Upwards of 95% of folks who diet end up regaining the weight they lost. This is not to say that weight gain is a bad thing but rather to highlight that the main goal of dieting (i.e., weight loss) is not a realistic long-term outcome that nearly anyone achieves. This tells us that it cannot be about “willpower” as the diet industry will often lead us to believe. With such a large majority of dieters proving to be unsuccessful in their weight-loss pursuits, we can see that we don’t fail diets – they fail us.

A big reason for this is that dieting behaviors are not sustainable. In research studies investigating dieting vs. non-dieting approaches, dropout rates among the dieting group have been shown to be substantially higher than that of the non-dieting group. Keep in mind – studies are short-term, so this dropout rate is almost certainly even higher when looking into the longer term. One of the biggest draws of diets often is that they seem to work at the beginning. Users usually do lose some weight… but then, when reality finds its way back in and the luster of a new diet wears off, sticking with a strict regimen is unrealistic and unsustainable. This, too, is a reason that dieting is a great predictor of future disordered eating patterns, or even clinically diagnosable eating disorders. What starts as a diet may turn into intense rigidity, such as saying no to social plans to stick with safer food options at home, obsession with nutrition data of what you consume, and the like. 

Aside from being unsustainable, diets change your body’s chemistry. Most simply put, your body is designed to protect you. When in a state of being under-fed, your body assumes that you are in a dangerous situation. For nearly all of our evolutionary past, continuous access to food was not a guarantee. If there was not enough food coming in, your body could safely assume that there truly was no access to food. Our bodies learned to compensate for this unstable environment – when little food comes in, the metabolism slows down. This ensures that the fuel your body does have is not being burned through too quickly. Our hunger and fullness hormones also shift to make us feel hungrier more often, and insatiable when we do eat. This served our primitive selves to ensure we could eat plenty when access to food did come around.

And last but certainly not least, we have to discuss how much diet culture takes from us. Diet culture is the system of beliefs that perpetuates the thin ideal and the idea that our internal cues cannot be trusted. The diet industry is a multi-billion (yes, billion with a B) dollar industry, and it continues to grow every year. Companies that make up the diet industry are experts in creating problems and insecurities that only they can solve – by selling you their product. Not just money is lost, though. Time and true mental, physical, and emotional health get lost on diet culture. 

 What is the anti-diet alternative?

The most common anti-diet approach, and the one we use here at Chloe Cerino Nutrition, is Intuitive Eating. This approach outlines ten principles that help us get back in touch with our internal cues that are expert at helping us decide what, when, and how much to eat. It rejects the idea that we need external rules to help us make food and eating decisions. Curious about the ten principles? Check out our free downloadable resource here.

It’s important to tread with caution in the current “anti-diet” landscape. Many diet companies have caught onto the buzz of anti-diet and are doing their best to deceive potential customers into thinking their approach is not a diet. Hot tip: counting points or only eating “green light” foods is not listening to your internal cues.

 Where can I learn more?

We are thrilled to announce our upcoming self-paced course all about anti-diet nutrition and ditching diet culture, which will launch later this year. More information will be coming soon!

Aside from that, there are so many outstanding resources to keep learning more about the anti-diet approach. We’ll recommend just a few here to get you started:

Books:

Intuitive Eating, and the companion workbook, by Evelyn Tribole & Elyse Resch

Anti-Diet by Christy Harrison

Podcasts:

Rebel Eaters Club by Virgie Tovar

Maintenance Phase by Aubrey Gordon & Michael Hobbes

Food Psych by Christy Harrison

Finally, it is important to remember that this is hard work. We all swim in diet culture every day whether we want to or not. Wanting or needing support with your anti-diet journey is normal. If you are curious to learn more about our Intuitive Eating coaching services, please contact us so we can answer your questions.

*We stand with Marquisele Mercedes, Lindley Ashline, and all others who have been harmed by the words and actions of Lindo Bacon. While we do not support or condone their behaviors or recommend their books, we acknowledge that the linked piece of research is valuable in demonstrating the positive outcomes associated with an anti-diet approach. We do not support or condone the use of size-based biased words in the title or body of the study linked.