Best for:
Anyone interested in stopping the desire to be smaller, chasing after diets and such.
In a nutshell:
Registered dietitian nutritionist Spence looks at (and breaks apart) the history of diet culture, and shares her thoughts on ways to have a better relationship with food and your body.
Worth quoting:
“That’s the thing with a diet culture mindset: even though you see how certain aspects are unattainable or unsustainable, the narrative of an ideal body is still perpetuated.”
“In our current #hustleculture, dieting and restricting are correlated with discipline and being as small as you can be, with taking up less space and being obedient. It’s a sign of hard work, of conforming correctly.”
Why I chose it:
I follow Spence on TikTok and love what she shares. I bought this book a couple of years ago when it came out, but finally actually read it and I’m so glad I did.
Review:
What a great book. Probably one of the best I’ve read on diet culture from the perspective of someone trained in nutrition. Her whole approach is basically diets not only don’t work but they aren’t necessary for people to improve their overall health and wellbeing. Moreover, she isn’t just focused on this being an issue for the individual to resolve; she is focused on the bigger picture, including discussion of things like social determinants of health.
The first half of the book looks at diet culture, and how it is perpetuated by the patriarchy. She explores ideas like how ridiculous it is that we all could or should be the same body size, and also has a chapter focused on the elitism of the wellness community. It’s great to read. Infuriating, but great to see it all laid out in one place.
The second half of the book offers suggests for individuals who have spent their life on the diet wheel, or who have gotten off but perhaps are feeling the pull back to it. Her philosophy is not about restriction o removal, but about addition. Getting more sleep. Eating more vegetables. Moving in a way that is for ENJOYMENT, not to ‘earn’ your food. She does talk about intuitive eating, and recognizes it has some positive take-aways, but she takes it a step further and offers her own suggestions she crystallizes into ten principles. The ones that have really stood out to me have been to be really present with my food and actually eating what I want.
It was great to try out on holiday, because I had access to all this amazing Greek food. And I ate it, and I didn’t need to go for a ten mile run to ‘work it off.’ Looking at food as something that is both for fuel but also for joy is something that a lot of fitness and health influencers seem to scoff at, but that’s not the life I want.
I’ll end with one of my favorite take-aways from the book: “The only foods to avoid are those that you’re allergic to, must avoid for medical reasons, or don’t like.”