We all contain a complex interconnection of mind, body, and soul. The forces that influence one of those areas often have ripple effects in the other areas. This is true when it comes to diet culture and the influence that messages around weight loss and body size can have on our mental, physical, and sometimes spiritual health.
I’m Michelle F. Moseley, LCMHC, a licensed mental health counselor in North Carolina whose specialties include providing weight-inclusive care to individuals who have been impacted by diet culture and other forms of bodily control.
What is Diet Culture?
The term “diet culture” describes the belief that appearance and body size are of utmost importance, and includes the lengths that folks may go to in order to fit within cultural expectations of beauty or health. Aspects of diet culture include things like:
- comments about body size and weight
- criticism of others’ food choices
- labeling food as “good/healthy” or “bad/junk”
- fad diets and encouragement to eliminate entire food groups in an effort to change your body size
- focus on moving one’s body solely as a form of changing its shape, and lack of accessible seating for individuals in larger bodies.
- constant advertising of weight loss medications
Diet culture in the United States is often based on a preference for thin, white, able-bodied individuals who have access to fresh foods. If you were a teen in the 80s or 90s, think about who was represented in magazines and other media. I typically saw tall, thin, white, able-bodied females with long, straight, blonde hair – having such limited representation of the types of people who exist is part of diet culture.
We had a brief period of greater diversity in advertising and media, but the rise of weight loss medications has brought a new emphasis to shrinking bodies.
Effects of Diet Culture on Health
Diet culture impacts all aspects of health. Physical health can be damaged by repeated efforts to lose weight that rely on restricting foods or overexerting oneself in exercise. Mental health can be impacted by the comments of others and the internal judgments one may have about oneself. Even spiritual health can be influenced if an individual feels unworthy due to their negative body image.
Physical Health
Research has shown that 95-97% of diets fail. That is, within 5 years, folks who diet have gained back any weight they lost and generally gain additional pounds from their original starting point. These statistics remain true with the use of GLP-1s for medication when research studies are reviewed thoroughly and sorted for researcher bias (i.e. removing those studies in which the drug manufacturer paid for the study). Check out Regan Chastain’s Weight and Healthcare Substack for more information.
Take a moment to think about those stats. Would you purchase a cell phone that had a 95% chance of failing? That is how the diet industry continues to prosper. They sell a product – meal plan, powdered shakes, exercise regimen, etc. – and prey on folks’ insecurities with their marketing. If their product truly worked, they would go out of business; instead, they are a multi-billion dollar industry!
So, what happens with those diets? Well, when someone drastically decreases the amount of food they are consuming or drastically increases their energy expenditure through exercise, they will initially lose weight. The more extreme the change, the more weight they will initially lose. Their body is in shock.
But bodies are constantly seeking for homeostasis. When you decrease the intake and increase the expenditure, the body figures out a way to make the most efficient use of what it’s getting. Many dieters will refer to this as a ‘plateau’ – that period where the weight loss slows down and folks may even cut their intake more drastically. Your body doesn’t know you’re doing this intentionally and it reacts as though there is famine, becoming extraordinarily good at holding onto whatever you consume to ensure you stay alive.
Over time, your metabolism slows down as your body becomes more efficient at using the small amount of fuel it is receiving. You begin to physically crave high fat and high carb foods because your body needs those nutrients to function. Even if you return to eating a more typical amount of food, your metabolism doesn’t return to its previous state. And almost 100% of the time, you will stop the program because they are not created to be sustainable!
Following weight loss, many folks are left with physical ailments such as gall bladder issues, weakness in bones or muscles, and nutrient deficiencies. Those for whom bariatric surgery or GLP-1s are part of their attempts to change their body size often have long-term illness and/or need to take daily supplements because their bodies can no longer absorb the nutrients they need from food. Diet culture overlooks the fact that the shape and size of our bodies is highly genetic – your body is designed to settle around a certain size and shape and works hard to stay there.
Mental Health
Body image and diet culture impact not only one’s physical health, but also play a role in one’s mental health. Concerns with mental health may take the form of depression or anxiety, of obsessions or compulsions around food, of grieving the body you once had, or of disordered eating and Eating Disorders that require ongoing treatment. Disordered eating, a rigidity around food that doesn’t meet criteria for a diagnosable eating disorder, may show up following incidents of being bullied for one’s body not fitting the ideal that is portrayed in media, or after other experiences of trauma. Eating disorders, as both a concern of the body and the brain, have the second highest mortality rate of all mental health conditions.
Body image concerns can show up as excessive worry regarding body shape and size, or as a constant focus on food – what is allowable to eat, timing of meals, etc. A person struggling with body image or disordered eating may exhibit symptoms of depression, such as withdrawal from loved ones or feelings of shame and failure. Sometimes body image concerns show up in the way a person handles food – rituals around cleaning or preparing foods – or intrusive thoughts about food and body. At times, after experiencing trauma, a person may feel out of control and turn to rigid rules around eating in an attempt to regulate their nervous system.
Mental health is also impacted by microaggressions that perpetuate diet culture. A microaggression is an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against a person, in this case often a person who exists in a larger body. Some examples of microaggressions around body size include: comments regarding appearance or food choices, statements such as “you have such a pretty face”, lack of comfortable and/or stable seating for various body shapes and sizes, and lack of inclusive sizing in clothing. Folks with marginalized bodies, whether related to race, ethnicity, gender, size, shape, or ability, are faced with such microaggressions on a daily basis, which can slowly chip away at their mental health.
Spiritual Health
The impact of diet culture on spiritual health depends on a person’s particular spiritual beliefs and practices. I will offer a few examples that frequently show up within a variety of Christian settings, based on my own experiences and the experiences of my clients.
A person in a marginalized body has an increased awareness of whether a space is safe for them, whether there are indications they will be accepted. This may include looking around to see if there are others who look like you, whether that is skin color, clothing choices, or body size. A marginalized person is likely also considering if the area is accessible to them – are there ramps or elevators available, is the seating such that they can comfortably join with everyone else. For someone seeking to connect with their spiritual beliefs, these aspects of a worship space are part of their spiritual experience.
Expectations around appearance and ability also frequently show up in the words spoken by leaders or the events offered within a church. Male leaders refer to their “smokin’ hot wife” from the front of the church. While this comment may be meant as an acknowledgement of their appreciation for their spouse, it’s frequently heard by other women as another example of how important appearance is, even within their church. Someone once described this comment as a reminder that the “hierarchy of beauty still exists even with God.”
Diet culture is so pervasive within the U.S. that it inevitably permeates spiritual contexts. When folks open themselves up to worshiping and learning in a spiritual context, the impact of diet culture can be felt in the area of spiritual health just as much as with physical and mental health.
Diet Culture and the Church
Those who have leadership roles in a church or other religious setting are in a position to impact the physical, mental, and spiritual health of others in a positive way. How can you help overcome the effects of diet culture?
There are some concrete things you can do within your space(s). Ensure there is seating available for folks of various sizes, shapes, and abilities. This may be as simple as increasing the spacing between chairs or rows of chairs, or may be a bit more involved depending on your setting. If your space has clothing items available for sale or as giveaways, include sizes up to at least 3X (larger if possible) – this will make your items more inclusive and will not go unnoticed by those who are often overlooked in clothing options.
You can also make a few changes in the way you speak to increase the feeling of welcome that folks experience. This might include showing appreciation for your spouse with different phrasing, perhaps emphasizing a unique characteristic or the way they complement you specifically. This can also include emphasizing bodily autonomy and the right for folks to decline hugs or handshakes in your space. For example, rather than instructing attendees to “hug their neighbor” during a service, you may choose to instruct them to ask their neighbor if they would like to be greeted by a high five, handshake, or hug.
Anyone can start making a change in the frequency with which diet culture shows up in their life. Those who have a leadership role of some sort within a group have a platform to improve overall wellness by decreasing the impact of diet culture on physical, mental, and spiritual health.
(Updated 7/22/26: the original version of this post was shared as a Guest Post in January 2023 on the Substack of Travis Jeffords, a North Carolina counselor who has since passed away.)
Michelle F. Moseley (she/her) is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in NC (#12491). She believes ALL people deserve respect, compassion, and access to mental and physical healthcare. Michelle specializes in working with survivors of religious trauma, and with those who have body image concerns, finding there is frequent overlap in these areas. She also frequently supports late-identified neurodivergent individuals as they navigate the grief and relief of a new understanding of self. You can learn more about Michelle by visiting her website at MichelleFMoseley.com or following her on Instagram – @therapy_with_michelle
Sign-up for Michelle’s Monthly Email Newsletter to make sure you never miss a blog post