Diet culture: A driving factor in eating disorders

Eating disorders are one of the deadliest mental illnesses. Even though 9% of the U.S. population suffers from an eating disorder, there is a shame and misunderstanding about it.

Eating disorders are one of the deadliest mental illnesses. Still, 9 percent of the U.S. population suffers from it. This can be changed through education, a shift in behavior, and spreading awareness. Photo Credit: Pexels

Toxic diet cultures are one of the main causes of eating disorders. At The Renfrew Center, an organization that offers treatment and support at 17 different locations nationwide,  a majority of the work is focused on changing the current diet culture. The Center advocates for a biopsychosocial model regarding eating disorders. It means that an eating disorder has biological, psychological, and social components.

“Diet culture is part of the social piece where our worth is viewed as dependent on our body,” said Erin Birely, the Alumni Service Coordinator at the center.

Bierly said diet culture impacts everyone, whether they are struggling with an eating disorder or not. People are often exposed to it on both social media and in our social lives. Due to the toxic diet culture, a false understanding has been formed of what is and is not healthy, as well as what a healthy body should look like.

“The idea that smaller bodies are healthier and more desirable and that larger bodies are a sign of lack of motivation is not accurate,” Birely said. “Our bodies have a genetic set weight and it also naturally shifts in different points of our life.”

The diet culture focuses on the idea that we have to look a certain way to be accepted. Birely said when we get stuck in a toxic diet culture mentality, we do not realize that our bodies are genetic and that we cannot always control our weight.

Birely highlighted how social media can fight against toxic diet cultures while at the same time also promoting it. She said we must be conscious of what we are exposed to.

“Social media is a double-edged sword. We have to recognize if the content we view is reinforcing our values or not,” she said.

TikTok is one of the social media platforms where the toxic diet is prominent, especially among teenagers and young adults. According to a study from the University of Vermont, food-related content on TikTok contributes to normalizing eating disorder behaviors.

The study found that many videos glorify weight loss, and restriction of food and do not have factual information, which are all major contributors to the toxic diet culture we currently see.

Judy Siegel-Tizkovich, who analyzed the study from the University of Vermont, found the videos on TikTok that young adults consume contribute to a negative body image.

“Helping users discern credible nutrition information and eliminate triggering content may be strategies to address the weight-normative social media content,” she said.

To change the culture of nutrition, Birely emphasized the importance of moving away from seeing our worth in our bodies. She suggested that we instead focus on the qualities that give us our inherent worth as humans.

To change the culture, the Renfrew Center has a unique treatment model called the Renfrew Unified Treatment Model. The model aims to create awareness of how a person’s emotions affect their behaviors.

“The core of an eating disorder is an emotional disconnection and avoidance. We focus on helping people better understand their emotions and what purpose they serve,” Birely said.

To create more awareness of eating disorders and spread information, The Renfrew Center has a yearly awareness week with a unique campaign each year. This year’s awareness week was campaigning “Our Body, Our Truths.”

“This theme focused on rejecting diet culture and embracing authenticity to how we should take care of our bodies,” Birely said.

Leading up to the awareness week, she said there is often a misunderstanding of eating disorders. The awareness week serves as an opportunity for the center to get truthful information out that helps people understand that an eating disorder is an emotional disorder.

“An eating disorder is not something that someone should live the rest of their lives with. It is important to seek treatment when needed. Moving away from diet culture can help us to reach for the support we might need,” Birely said.

By Hedda Jarhall