Edward Clayton 
Are you tired of constant encouragement to lose pounds or catch up on every other diet fad? Then, it is time to step back and comprehend signs that tell you that you are in a toxic diet culture.
Well, with all the social media and influencers around, healthy habits get mixed up with unhealthy ones. So do not be anxious; know your warning signs, and surely you will come out of this poison.
Here are seven red flags that you need to keep a check on.
You Are Food and Body-Conscious
Some toxic diet cultures include not being able to control one’s thoughts but constantly drifting between meals, calories, or the body. If every moment is spent reflecting on what to eat and how much has been devoured, then one’s life with food has become rather unhealthy. Food should, therefore, fuel the body and not control it.
You Feel Guilty After Eating
Do you feel guilty eating or snacking on your favorite snack? If so, that’s one sign of diet culture. It’s the time to alter your perspectives of food.
Stop labeling foods “good” and “bad.” One has to learn to feed one’s body shamelessly harmoniously.
You’re Obsessed With the Scale
The number on the scale does not define you, nor does it define your health. If you find yourself stepping on that scale a dozen times in one day, waiting for a different number, you must stop.
Diet culture focuses too much on weight, and your health is so much more than a number. It’s how you feel, not a number.
You Follow Extreme Diets
You have tried every diet, keto or intermittent fasting, and have yet to achieve lasting success. Extreme diets may work short-term but always fail and can often hurt your body in a toxic diet culture.
Healthy eating is about balance, not restriction. Find a plan that works for your body and lifestyle, not some quick fix.
You See Exercise as Punishment
In a toxic diet culture, exercise becomes a form of punishment for eating. It is not good to work out to burn calories to “make up” for your food.
It is about how you should feel good and improve wellness, not about punishing yourselves. Find things you enjoy because they make you feel strong, not guilty.
You Are Following Social Media Influencers Who Promote Fast-Fix Diets
There’s your miracle diet or product that gives you instant weight loss. Stop and think; social media is full of these posts, creating a feeling of missing out if you need to follow the latest fad.
Remember that influencers are often paid to endorse a product that has shown no efficacy or is unhealthy. Instead, invest in those who work for long-term, healthy gains-not fast fixes.
You’re Comparing Yourself to Others
It’s very harmful and unrealistic to compare oneself with how others look. Stay in your journey and keep in line with your goals. What you have in your body is yours and must be celebrated, not compared. You will never compare yourself again when you go to an online casino or sit next to someone, hoping for that luck or result. Success in health or life isn’t competitive or comparative but is found in what works for you and your journey.
Wrapping Up
Be free from such a toxic diet culture, starting with identifying those warning signs. Strive for what is achievable based on realistic and achievable expectations, let alone trust yourself. Know that health does not look the same for everybody; you matter, and the journey should not reflect perfection but rather an improvement.
About Author
