Are you confused about what non-diet or anti-diet means? If so, you’re not alone. Many people assume that a non-diet dietitian is someone that is anti-health or against vegetables. That couldn’t be further from the truth! 

Non-diet means taking your power back. Instead of bouncing from one diet to the next, a non-diet dietitian can help you tune into your body’s needs in order to develop eating and movement practices free from guilt or shame. 

Non-diet is against diet culture.

There’s a reason why the diet industry is a multi-billion-dollar industry. Diets are designed to fail. When starting a new diet, there may be an initial “honeymoon phase” where it feels easy breezy and you might even see some “results” (which is likely water weight). Over time though, these restrictive behaviors feel limiting and not sustainable. This is when many people go back to their old ways of eating. At this point, a lot of people think they have failed the diet, when in reality, the diet has failed YOU. 

Non-diet is against food rules.

Life is already filled with so many rules, why add the burden of food rules on top of that?? We are all born as intuitive eaters. As babies, we cry when we’re hungry and we spit food out when we’re full. Overtime, thanks to diet culture, that inner wisdom becomes blurry. A non-diet dietitian can help you navigate challenges around food so that you can eat in a way that feels good to you emotionally and physically. 

Non-diet is against making choices based on external factors, such as calories or what you “should” be eating.

First off, our bodies are way more complex than simply “calories in vs calories out” (more on that in a future post!) Choosing to eat something based on the caloric amount is moving you further away from your intuition. When we “should” ourselves around food or body image, we are putting more pressure on ourselves which could lead to disappointment or feelings of defeat if we don’t meet those expectations.  

Non-diet is against weight stigma.

A non-diet and size inclusive approach to health means focusing on behaviors rather than weight or any numbers for that matter (including BMI, which is an invalid indicator of health). Prescribing any form of a diet could lead to weight cycling and developing an eating disorder. As a healthcare professional, I cringe when I hear that someone was told they “just need to lose weight” by their medical provider. A non-diet, size inclusive dietitian will help you find compassionate ways to care for yourself. 

Non-diet is based on evidenced-based science.
Non-diet believes in respect for all people, regardless of their weight.

 You deserve to eat and move in a way that feels best for you.  That’s what non-diet is all about. Redefining health by YOUR standards.