International No Diet Day: A Step Toward Body Acceptance

On May 6th, you may choose to celebrate International No Diet Day by stepping away from diet culture and focusing on nurturing and accepting yourself as you are.

International No Diet Day generally focuses on promoting self-acceptance and body acceptance, resisting commercial diets, and spreading awareness for those affected by eating disorders. To celebrate, consider letting go of restrictive eating patterns and crash diets, cooking a new recipe, and spreading information about the potential dangers of diet culture. A licensed therapist can offer professional in-person or online support to those experiencing challenges with body image and disordered eating.

History of No Diet Day

No Diet Day was created in 1992 in the U.K. by British feminist Mary Evans Young. Young is believed to have started the movement after experiencing challenges with anorexia and body acceptance. The movement began with about a dozen women gathering together and wearing stickers that read “Ditch That Diet.” Since then, No Diet Day has expanded into a worldwide celebration aimed at helping all people accept their body shapes.

In the present day, International No Diet Day is typically sponsored by the National Eating Disorders Association. The aim of the day is primarily to challenge diet culture, help people cultivate a healthier relationship with food, honor those who struggle or have struggled with disordered eating, and raise awareness about the potential dangers of dieting. 

Moving toward body acceptance and diversity

Many people, especially women and young people, struggle with body insecurity at some point in their lives. It can be normal to occasionally be dissatisfied with your appearance — experiencing body insecurity or a poor body image once in a while doesn’t necessarily constitute a mental health disorder — but consistently having a negative body image can take a huge mental toll, increasing the risk for mental health conditions, a poorer quality of life, and disordered eating.

This can be why, contrary to what typical diets preach, embracing body acceptance and body diversity can be so important. Body acceptance can be considered a part of the body positivity movement. While body positivity generally aims to help individuals form positive feelings about their bodies and release the pressures of looking a certain way, body acceptance typically encourages people to accept themselves as they are without forcing any positive or negative emotions about their bodies.

Meanwhile, body shape diversity can celebrate the various sizes and forms of different body types rather than exalting one type of body as perfect or ideal. 

Practicing body acceptance and honoring body diversity can not only fight against diet culture, but it may also improve your health. Research suggests that maintaining healthy relationships with self-compassion and body positivity are often tied to better physical and mental health. 

Some tips for moving in the direction of body acceptance (and away from diet culture) may include the following:

• Focus on nourishing your body, not losing weight. Eating nourishing and nutrient-dense foods can improve your health. Losing weight is not always a healthy option.

• Prioritize self-care. Learn to listen to and honor your body rather than adhering to societal pressures gleaned from media or diet culture.

• Connect with like-minded individuals. If you’re surrounded by people who are fixated on their weight or are very enmeshed in diet culture, you may benefit from spending less time with them and more time with those focused on body acceptance and self-love.

• Find sources of empowerment. Books, lectures, articles, and blogs can all be good places to find encouraging content on body acceptance. 

The dangers of diet culture

Diet culture generally consists of a pervasive series of myths about health, food, and weight. Diet culture can be dangerous for several reasons. One of the primary reasons may be that it usually conflates health with thinness, suggesting that the thinner a person is, the healthier they are. Conversely, diet culture typically perpetuates the concept that the larger a person is, the less healthy they must be. 

This myth may be untrue because it can be impossible to know whether someone is healthy based purely on their appearance. A thin person may struggle with a disease that prevents them from eating enough, like celiac disease, for example. A larger person may eat nourishing, nutritious meals and exercise regularly, yet still carry more fat than others. Some may believe that diet culture inspires people to be healthy and fit. However, research suggests that exposure to idealized food and fitness content usually increases individuals’ dissatisfaction with their bodies.

Because diet culture often equates “goodness” (e.g., moral goodness, physical attraction, and health) with thinness, people often experience low self-esteem if they do not fit into diet culture’s idea of health. This may lead to a negative body image, which can increase the risk of disordered eating.

Research suggests that diet culture may contribute to various mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, obsessive or intrusive thoughts, and emotional dysregulation.

Diets tend not to be a long-term solution for those seeking weight loss. This short-term approach, often known as crash dieting, is generally considered an unhealthy substitute for more permanent lifestyle changes.

Crash diets are typically very low-calorie diets in which an individual might skip meals in an attempt to cut out calories. Breakfast is perhaps the most skipped meal of the day, but studies show that breakfast-skippers are more likely to have obesity than those who don’t skip their first meal of the day. In more extreme cases, crash diets can have fatal effects, potentially leading to cardiac arrest or other illnesses if left unmonitored. 

In general, those who lose weight quickly by crash dieting tend to gain the weight back after their diet ends. In many cases, lifestyle changes are more effective long-term weight loss solutions.

How to celebrate No Diet Day

If you’re interested in celebrating International No Diet Day, one appropriate way to celebrate maybe by giving up your diet or restrictive eating patterns. Even if you only do it for that day, taking a break from restrictive eating patterns and leaning toward body acceptance may help you be less stressed, more positive, and more empowered to prioritize your health rather than weight loss.

Other ways to celebrate International No Diet Day can include the following:

• Spending time with loved ones

• Engaging in a hobby you enjoy

• Cooking a new recipe

• Educating yourself and others about the potential dangers of diet culture

• Discussing your struggles with diet culture and your experiences with body acceptance on social media platforms or in daily life

Mental health support for eating disorders

Most people struggle with body image at some point in life. However, for some people, body image issues can extend beyond occasional dissatisfaction. Research suggests that an estimated 9% of people may have an eating disorder at some point in their lives. If you’re experiencing chronically poor body image, restrictive eating patterns, or an eating disorder, know that you’re not alone. Resources are available to help you live a healthier, more fulfilling life.

One such resource may be therapy. Studies show that therapy, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), can be an effective treatment for various types of eating disorders, including binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa. 

Benefits of online therapy

Choosing the type of therapy that is best suited to your needs and schedule may help you stick with the process. For example, many people find online therapy to be a convenient option, as you can connect with a therapist from the comfort of your home. The perceived distance between yourself and your therapist may help you be more comfortable talking about potentially vulnerable topics, such as body image and your relationship with food.

Effectiveness of online therapy

A 2021 randomized controlled trial evaluated the efficacy of online cognitive behavioral therapy for treating eating disorders. It found that “treatment effects were sustained during follow-up, with generally large effect sizes for the reduction of ED psychopathology and body dissatisfaction, and small to moderate effect sizes for physical and mental health, self-esteem, social functioning, and quality of life.” This generally indicates that those who complete online therapy for eating disorders may experience reduced eating disorder symptoms and improved body satisfaction.