What and what not to say when talking to children to encourage a positive relationship with food.
By Olivia Peduto, clinical dietitian at CHOC
Diet culture refers to society’s obsession with dieting, body weight and thinness. A core belief of diet culture is that being thin is synonymous with being healthy and morally superior. It encompasses a wide range of beliefs, practices and behaviors that prioritize achieving a specific body size or shape over overall health and well-being.
How may diet culture be harmful to children?
Exposure to diet culture’s messages can lead children to develop negative body image perceptions from a young age. Diet culture often promotes restrictive eating behaviors and encourages the categorization of foods as “good” or “bad.”
Children may internalize these beliefs and develop unhealthy relationships with food, leading to disordered eating patterns such as restrictive eating, binge eating or emotional eating. Children’s bodies are still growing and developing, and they have unique nutritional needs.
Diet culture’s focus on restrictive eating and weight loss can interfere with children’s ability to meet their nutritional needs, potentially impacting their growth and development. Diet culture’s emphasis on weight loss and thinness can overshadow the importance of overall health and well-being.
Common diet culture phrases and how to rephrase them
Unfortunately, diet culture language is very prevalent in our modern society, and even kids may use diet culture language to describe themselves Reframing some of the common diet culture phrases can be the first step in removing the language of diet culture from your child’s vocabulary and encouraging a positive relationship with food.
Here are some common diet culture phrases and how parents can rephrase them:
Original: “I need to lose weight.”
Rephrased: “You want to focus on my health and well-being.”
Original: “I’m being good by sticking to my diet.”
Rephrased: “You are nourishing your body with foods that make you feel good.”
Original: “I shouldn’t eat that; it’s so fattening.”
Rephrased: “You can enjoy a balanced diet, including foods you love.”
Original: “I can’t have carbs; they’re off-limits.”
Rephrased: “You can eat a variety of foods, including those that nourish you and give you energy.”
Original: “I have to work out to burn off what I ate.”
Rephrased: ” Physical activity can make you feel strong and energized.”
By reframing these common diet culture phrases, we can shift the focus from weight and restriction to self-care, body positivity and overall well-being.
It’s imperative to recognize the profound impact that diet culture can have on kids’ physical and psychological well-being. From fostering negative body image to promoting unhealthy eating habits, diet culture perpetuates harmful beliefs and behaviors that can shape children’s attitudes toward food, weight and body image from a young age.
As caregivers, educators and advocates, it’s our responsibility to challenge diet culture’s influence and create environments that promote body positivity, self-acceptance, and overall health and well-being for children.
By emphasizing the importance of positive body image and a balanced approach to nutrition, we can empower children to develop healthy relationships with food, their bodies, and themselves, laying the foundation for a lifetime of well-being and self-love.
Let’s work together to dismantle diet culture and create a world where all children can thrive — regardless of their size, shape or appearance.
