Diet culture spreads a series of beliefs that valorise the presence of a slim and fit body without considering the repercussions this may have on mental health, especially on the onset of eating disorders. Eating disorders include obesity, anorexia and bulimia. They are characterised by the presence of dysfunctional eating behaviours which "result in an alteration in the consumption or absorption of food and a compromise in physical health and psychosocial functioning " (1).

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A rapidly growing phenomenon

The Istituto Superiore della Sanità has expressed great concern about the phenomenon, observing an impressive growth in eating disorders over the last twenty years to the point of speaking of a real mental health emergency due to the devastating effects they have especially on the health and life of adolescents and young adults (2).

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In fact, eating disorders have become the most widespread sign of psychological suffering among young women in the post-modern West and if not treated promptly they can have permanent repercussions or in the most serious cases even be fatal, which is why numerous studies have been conducted to try to understand their causes and the various therapeutic approaches.

Although it has been concluded that eating disorders have multifactorial origins (genetic, psychological, environmental or social), Elena Riva in her book “ Fragile Amazons. The New Eating Disorders of Adolescents ” talks about how anorexic body language has changed with the evolution of cultural models and gender stereotypes.

Diet culture: the early signs

Specifically, the "control of desire built with the ascetic renunciation of nourishment, the disinvestment of the flesh and the hyperinvestment of the mind that characterise restrictive anorexia, has been replaced in the culture of narcissism by the construction of a strong and attractive physique, admired for its athletic and aesthetic qualities" (3).

Most of the clinical histories of anorexic adolescents cited by the author do not seek a body devoid of fat and flesh, but rather a body with marble-like muscles , resulting from the combination of hard training and careful food intake . This has led to the belief that, in most cases, the dramatic weight loss was the result of a "miscalculation" resulting from a lack of a properly balanced diet.

Diet culture and possible repercussions on mental health

Our society is strongly influenced by diet culture, an English expression that literally translates as diet culture which describes “a belief system that values ​​thin or toned bodies over other body types and that links body weight and size to health and social status” (4).

Words like cheat food, fit food, and detox are increasingly popular in Western societies and have become a real trend on social media, which is why many users, especially young people, are exposed to media content about diets, which often inevitably influences them.

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Why does society suffer from eating disorders?

While diet culture was born with the intention of raising awareness about people's well-being, promoting the idea that a lean and toned body leads to better health, this fails to take into account the impact it could have on the mental health of many people.

Defining some foods as "good" and others as "bad" means assigning them a moral value that could increase feelings of guilt after eating, or even just after purchasing, certain foods that are not commonly defined as diet-friendly, risking fueling compulsive behaviors and symptoms of anxiety and stress . This can cause a chain reaction, leading to lowered self-esteem, feelings of unease and discouragement, and possibly leading to a diagnosis of eating disorders.

What impact is it having on young people? diet culture?

Adolescence is a time of intense change, as young people seek to discover their identity and shape their behavior. It's a phase dominated by peer pressure and, in today's society, influencers . These influencers work on social media and are paid based on the material they promote to their vast audiences. More and more companies are asking influencers to advertise their products in order to sell them, and there's currently a huge business in dietary products such as food supplements and fitness foods being promoted every day.

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The problem, however, arises when these products are associated with weight loss without providing healthy information on how to implement a balanced diet, running the risk of labelling some foods as good or bad, when in reality it would be enough to eat them in the right quantities (5).

The hyperstimulation of the Diet culture

Personalized programs by personal trainers are also very common , spreading information about the importance of physical activity, a practice now widely accepted in health care settings. However, the problem arises when workouts become obsessive and when extremely critical and rigid thoughts about one's physical appearance arise. Unfortunately, it has been observed that the excessive amount of media content to which young people are exposed can produce unwanted effects, such as excessive training or overly restrictive diets.

In fact, social network algorithms tend to always show the same type of content, which is why it will be enough to watch a few videos or a few posts about workouts or diet content and the user will be offered many more.

This follows a simple market logic in which the algorithm tends to maximize the activity of companies or influencers , without however considering the effects that overstimulation by media content of this type could have on adolescents and, in some cases, be so strong as to influence their individual identity.

When to worry?

When eating takes on ritualistic and obsessive characteristics , preventing a normal meal, and when fears and concerns about one's physical appearance become unbearable, limiting one's social life. It's important to pay attention when thoughts about diet or exercise become too intrusive or extremely rigid, and when our actions severely limit our lives, such as avoiding weekend getaways because the hotel doesn't have a gym, never going out to dinner with friends to avoid certain foods, weighing ourselves several times a day, and constantly measuring our waistlines. These could be the first warning signs that, if recognized early, could help reduce the onset of (potentially serious) consequences on mental health.

Sara The Strawberry

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