Intuitive eating and non-diet approaches to weight and nutrition have been gaining popularity as many people elect to step off the dieting treadmill and change their relationship with their body, and their eating attitudes and behaviours. As these approaches have gained momentum however, many diet programs, companies and influencers have begun to co-opt the language of ‘non-dieting’ to mislead people back into the diet cycle. A number of established weight loss companies have re-branded, and new ‘wellness’ programs have emerged, with strong marketing messages about supporting people to make ‘sustainable lifestyle changes’ rather than focusing on weight loss.
However, when you really look at many of these programs it’s clear that they have not really changed their focus, but have instead become traditional diets in disguise – the new breed of diet industry companies. These so called ‘wellness’ programs continue to promote restrictive eating behaviours, encourage people to monitor their weight, and hold at their core the false idea that thinness equates to health - only now with an added side-serve of ‘wellbeing’.
So how can you tell the difference between an actual non-diet approach and a wolf in sheep’s clothing? One of the main differences between dieting and intuitive eating is the focus on weight loss and changes to body shape which are integral to dieting programs. Intuitive eating however is weight neutral, and focused on healing your relationship with food and your body. Intuitive eating is not about weight loss, it won’t ask you to eliminate any foods from your diet, or to label foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Intuitive eating is a not a hunger-and-fullness diet but rather is about unconditional permission to eat all foods, building body trust and eating foods which feel satisfying and enjoyable. Another main difference between intuitive eating and dieting is that intuitive eating has a strong evidence base supporting its effectiveness, compared to traditional diets which are shown to be ineffective for 95% of people (especially in the medium to long term).
This re-branding of weight loss dieting to ‘wellness’ is dangerous and confusing for so many people. This new generation of diets aims to differentiate themselves from traditional diets by claiming that they are not ‘fad diets,’ that they value ‘wellness over weight loss,’ and some even use the language of eating disorder recovery as part of their marketing campaigns. Yet most of these programs continue to focus on food restriction, monitoring or logging what you eat, and weight monitoring. These programs now commonly offer self-care activities ‘on the side’, and may market themselves with health buzzwords or topics such as gut heath or inflammation. They offer a simplistic view of health and wellness, and a narrow assumption that weight loss equals health.
Studies show that weight loss dieting is one of the biggest risk factors for the development of eating disorders and disordered eating. Yo-yo dieting which is characterised by the cyclic nature of losing and re-gaining weight has been shown to have negative effects on physical health and how you feel about your body. Dieting also promotes the development of maladaptive eating behaviours. When our food intake is restricted, food often becomes our focus, which can cause obsessive thinking about food, and can result in either further food restriction, or episodes of reactive binge eating – where the body tries to gain back some of the energy which has become depleted from restrictive eating.
So how can you tell the difference – how can you differentiate a diet in disguise from an approach which is truly focused on enhancing health and wellbeing?
An approach may be a ‘diet in disguise’ if it:
Encourages you to disconnect from your body by ignoring body signals (including hunger and fullness)
Is focused on changing your body - weight loss or body shape/size
Asks you to count points, macros, or uses approaches like a traffic light system
Uses negative language around ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods, classifying certain foods as inflammatory, detoxifying, guilt-free, or clean
Recommends that you restrict or eliminate certain foods or food groups
Acknowledges that diets don’t work followed by a BUT… (insert dieting behaviour here)
Causes you to feel preoccupied with food and weight loss
Recommends you buy expensive supplements or unusual foods
As an alternative to diet industry programs we recommend an individualised and therapeutic approach to understanding your nutritional needs, and changing your relationship with your body. If you’re ready to make this change, the team of Psychologists and Dietitians at Mind Body Well can assist.