An Unpopular Stance

The term anti-diet dietitian can be a bit misleading for some, and understandably so. In a world where dieting and weight loss are constantly pushed as the ultimate goals for health and beauty, being an anti-diet dietitian might seem counterintuitive. But what does it really mean to be anti-diet, and how does it fit into a more holistic, inclusive approach to health and well-being?

In this article, I’ll break down the anti-diet perspective, debunk misconceptions, and explain why I choose to take a stand that may not be the most popular, but is absolutely necessary for long-term health and happiness.

What Anti-Diet Does Not Mean

Before we get into what being an anti-diet dietitian really stands for, it’s important to address what it doesn’t mean. There are plenty of misunderstandings surrounding this approach, and I want to clear up some of the most common misconceptions.

Anti-Diet is Not Anti-Health

One of the biggest myths about the anti-diet approach is that it somehow rejects health. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Being anti-diet doesn’t mean being anti-health. It’s about rejecting weight loss as the ultimate measure of health and promoting health through habits that support overall well-being in a holistic way (physically, mentally, and emotionally). 

Research has shown that focusing on weight loss as the primary goal can actually harm health in the long run, especially when it leads to dieting cycles (known as weight cycling) or harmful behaviors such as disordered eating (Mann et al., 2007). Anti-diet focuses on supporting Health at Every Size (HAES), which recognizes that health is not determined by size or weight alone.

Anti-Diet Does Not Discourage Healthy Eating

Some people mistakenly think that being an anti-diet dietitian means rejecting the idea of healthy eating altogether. This is far from the truth. Being anti-diet does not mean advocating for an unhealthy or disordered relationship with food. Quite the opposite. Instead, it’s about rejecting rigid diet rules and focusing on a balanced, sustainable approach to eating that works for each individual.

Healthy eating, in an anti-diet framework, means nourishing your body with a variety of foods, without obsessing over calorie counts, food restrictions, or perfection. It’s about adopting an approach to food that supports overall health and well-being, rather than using food as a tool for weight control or aesthetic goals.

For example, anti-diet doesn’t discourage you from eating vegetables or fruits, it encourages mindful eating and listening to your body’s cues. Eating healthy should never come from a place of fear, but from a place of self-care and respect for your body.

Anti-Diet Does Not Encourage Overeating

Another misconception about the anti-diet movement is that it encourages overeating. The Intuitive Eating phrase “unconditional permission to eat” freaks quite a few people out. In reality, anti-diet encourages tuning in to your internal hunger and fullness cues, something often suppressed by restrictive dieting.

When dieting becomes the focus, we can lose touch with our natural signals and either overeat or undereat. Anti-diet dietitians help individuals reconnect with their bodies, so they can recognize when they’re hungry, when they’re full, and when they simply want to eat for enjoyment or comfort.

Being in tune with your body’s signals helps prevent overeating because you learn how to recognize true hunger and fullness, rather than relying on external rules. Intuitive Eating teaches people to eat in response to genuine hunger and stop eating when they are comfortably full, without guilt or shame (Tribole & Resch, 2012).

Anti-Diet Does Not Act as a Scapegoat for Healthy Living

Being anti-diet is not an excuse to avoid adopting healthy habits. It’s not about dismissing the idea of taking care of your body or practicing healthy living. Anti-diet does not promote neglecting self-care or avoiding health-promoting behaviors.

Instead, anti-diet focuses on helping people adopt health-promoting habits without the pressure of achieving specific body goals or weight loss. It encourages behaviors that support mental and physical well-being, such as eating foods that nourish your body, engaging in enjoyable physical activity, getting adequate sleep, and managing stress in healthy ways.

As an anti-diet dietitian, I’m against using diets as a quick fix or a sole method for pursuing “health.” Healthy living involves consistency, self-compassion, and understanding that health is multifaceted, not just about what you eat or how much you weigh.

Anti-Diet Does Not Encourage “Laziness” or Lack of Physical Activity

Some people assume that rejecting diet culture means abandoning physical activity. This is another common misconception. Anti-diet does not discourage movement; instead, it encourages physical activity that is joyful, fun, and rooted in self-care. Also known as joyful movement. 

The idea of exercise in diet culture is often tied to burning calories and weight loss, but anti-diet encourages a more holistic approach to movement. When people engage in activities like walking, yoga, dancing, or sports for enjoyment, they are more likely to sustain those habits in the long term because they’re not doing it out of obligation or for weight loss.

Joyful movement is key to the anti-diet philosophy, as it’s about finding activities that make you feel good and that can be part of a healthy lifestyle, regardless of body size or appearance (Vallerand et al., 2014). Exercise should feel empowering, not like a punishment.

Anti-Diet Does Not Disregard Science

Anti-diet can be seen as unscientific or uninformed, but this definitely isn’t the case. Many of the practices advocated by the anti-diet movement, like Intuitive Eating and Health at Every Size (HAES), are supported by research that demonstrates their effectiveness in promoting long-term health. 

The anti-diet approach is rooted in science, especially when it comes to understanding how restrictive diets impact both physical and mental health. It’s about moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach and focusing on personalized, sustainable practices.

Research has consistently shown that dieting is associated with negative psychological outcomes such as stress, anxiety, and depression (Gibson et al., 2018). Anti-diet, on the other hand, is a science-backed approach that encourages self-trust and sustainable health practices.

Anti-Diet Does Not Discourage Health-Promoting Habits

Lastly, anti-diet does not reject the idea of health-promoting habits such as getting adequate sleep, managing stress, or practicing mindfulness. It’s about focusing on behaviors that improve overall well-being, rather than obsessing over achieving a certain body size.

Diet culture often leads people to focus on extreme, unsustainable behaviors (such as severe caloric restriction or overexercising) that may actually harm their health in the long run. Anti-diet rejects these harmful habits in favor of sustainable, balanced actions that promote both physical and mental health.

This could include practicing mindfulness, improving mental health, nourishing your body with whole foods, and ensuring you have adequate rest, all of which can support long-term health. By making choices based on self-compassion and respect for your body, you create a foundation for health that is not contingent on body size or appearance.

What Anti-Diet Does Mean

Now that we’ve covered what anti-diet is not, let’s dive into what it really is and what it stands for.

Supporting Health at Every Size (HAES)

Health at Every Size (HAES) is a central tenet of anti-diet philosophy. The concept is that health is not determined by weight, and that people can pursue health at any size. HAES emphasizes the importance of body respect and challenges the societal norms that associate thinness with health.

Research has shown that focusing solely on weight loss is not the most effective way to improve health outcomes. Instead, HAES supports practices that focus on improving physical and mental well-being, regardless of body size.

If you want to read more about HAES, check out my article A Weight Inclusive Approach to Health: What is Health at Every Size (HAES)?

Encouraging Intuitive Eating 

Intuitive Eating is another core aspect of the anti-diet approach. This practice invites individuals to reconnect with their bodies, listening to their hunger cues and eating in a way that honors those signals. 

It’s a rejection of external diet rules, which often force people to ignore their own body’s needs. Intuitive Eating encourages freedom around food choices and the elimination of food guilt, allowing people to nourish their bodies in ways that feel right for them.

If you want to read more about Intuitive Eating, check out my article 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating: A Non-Diet Approach to Health

Advocating for Mental Health

An often overlooked aspect of dieting and weight-focused health practices is their detrimental impact on mental health. Dieting culture often breeds anxiety, shame, and feelings of inadequacy. 

By rejecting restrictive diets, the anti-diet community helps to reduce these harmful mental health impacts. As an anti-diet dietitian, I believe that mental health should be just as prioritized as physical health.

Encouraging Joyful Movement

In the anti-diet world, movement is not about burning calories or trying to change your body size, it’s about finding physical activities that bring you joy. 

Joyful movement can include anything from walking or swimming to yoga, dancing, or hiking. Anything that you find enjoyable and sustainable. The focus is on how movement makes you feel, not how much you weigh or how many calories you’re burning.

Promoting a Healthy Relationship with Food

One of the primary goals of the anti-diet movement is to help people heal their relationship with food. Diet culture promotes the idea that certain foods are “bad” and others are “good,” leading to unhealthy food relationships and binge/restrict cycles. 

The anti-diet approach, however, encourages a more balanced relationship with food, free of guilt and shame. People are encouraged to enjoy all types of food, because all foods can fit into an anti-diet approach to health. 

Advocating for Weight-Inclusive Care

A significant part of the anti-diet philosophy is advocating for weight-inclusive healthcare. This means that healthcare providers focus on promoting overall health without emphasizing weight loss or stigmatizing people based on their size. 

In a weight-inclusive approach, healthcare professionals acknowledge that weight doesn’t define health, and they work with individuals to support them in making healthful choices based on their needs, preferences, and health status.

Empowering Individuals Through Education

An anti-diet dietitian’s role is also about empowering individuals through education. By teaching clients about the science of nutrition, the dangers of dieting, and the importance of self-care. 

Anti-diet dietitians equip their clients with the tools they need to make informed, sustainable health decisions. This empowers people to feel confident in their own bodies and trust themselves to make the best choices for their health.

I’m always sharing educational content over on my Instagram page!

Final Thoughts

Being an anti-diet dietitian means more than rejecting restrictive dieting practices—it’s about promoting true, lasting health that encompasses physical, mental, and emotional well-being. It’s about finding freedom around food, embracing joyful movement, and living a life free from the constraints of diet culture.

If you’re tired of chasing unrealistic standards and want to focus on health that supports your whole self, I’m here to guide you on that journey.

Thanks for reading!

Rachel Beiler, MHS, RD, LDN

References

  1. Dalle Grave, R., Calugi, S., El Ghoch, M., & Marchesini, G. (2015). Behavioral treatment of obesity. Psychiatry Research, 223(3), 312-317.
  2. Gibson, L. E., Cima, M. J., & Pritchard, M. E. (2018). Dieting and disordered eating behaviors: A meta-analysis. Journal of Health Psychology, 23(2), 209-220.
  3. Grabe, S., Ward, L. M., & Hyde, J. S. (2008). The role of the media in body image concerns among women: A meta-analysis of experimental and correlational studies. Psychological Bulletin, 134(3), 460-476.
  4. Jeffery, R. W., & Drewnowski, A. (1997). Perceptions of dieting and health: Do they match? Obesity Research, 5(3), 279-285.
  5. Mann, T., Tomiyama, A. J., Westling, E., Lew, A. M., & Samuels, B. (2007). Medicare’s search for effective obesity treatments: Diets are not the answer. American Psychologist, 62(3), 220-233.
  6. Tribole, E., & Resch, E. (2012). Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works. St. Martin’s Press.
  7. Tylka, T. L., & Sabik, N. J. (2010). Health at Every Size: The influence of the Health at Every Size paradigm on the development of a healthy body image. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 57(3), 237-248.
  8. Van Strien, T. (2018). Causes of emotional eating and matched treatment of obesity. In E. van Strien (Ed.), Eating and Weight Disorders: Theory and Practice (pp. 61-75). Springer.
  9. Vallerand, R. J., Fortier, M. S., & Guay, F. (2014). Self-determination and persistence in a real-life setting: Toward a motivational model of high school dropout. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 40(2), 215-226.