Client Quote #40: diet talk

A common sentiment I hear from clients once they’ve spent some time in treatment is they start to notice how much diet culture exists in their daily lives. Lunchroom chats at work, family gatherings, parties with friends, or even interactions with strangers can have you run into diet talk. We cannot minimize the role of diet culture in building community, in creating a way to bond with others.

But there are certainly other ways to meet our need for community that don't carry the side effects of fueling the ED plus perpetuating self-blame, self-criticism, guilt and shame. Many people have found great ways to disengage with diet talk by changing the topic, giving the most boring answer possible, setting boundaries, and advocating for anti-diet health approaches to name a few. Part of recovery is learning to disengage in your own style so you’d still feel safe in your community.