How We Stop Diet Culture (One Choice at a Time)

Published November 25, 2025 | Last Updated December 15, 2025

Diet culture runs deep. We’ve all absorbed messages about “good” and “bad” foods, ideal body types, and how our worth is tied to our appearance. These messages show up in schools, media, locker rooms, dinner tables—and most of all, in our thoughts.

When something is that embedded, it might feel impossible to change. Like trying to “boil the ocean.”

But it’s not. In fact, we know prevention works.

Woman holding out hand to stop

Cultural Change Is Possible—We’ve Seen It Before

Think about sunscreen. Not long ago, it was common to tan with baby oil and reflectors. Then the research came in. Education followed. Sunscreen became the norm.

Or smoking. It used to be everywhere—in homes, cars, even hospitals. Then science showed how harmful secondhand smoke is, especially for kids. People didn’t need to be perfect. They just needed to make small, consistent changes. Today, smoking indoors is widely unacceptable.

The same can happen with diet culture.

It’s Not About Being Perfect. It’s About Being Consistent.

Every day, you have a chance to interrupt harmful messages—and that makes a real impact.

When you avoid connecting food or movement to weight or appearance, you help kids focus on what matters: energy, joy, connection.
When a coach praises effort instead of weight loss, they create a safer space for their team.
When a teacher skips body talk during lunch, kids feel more at ease.
When you change your inner dialogue—from judgment to appreciation—you model what it means to respect your body for what it does, not how it looks.

These shifts may seem small. But they’re powerful. And they add up.

We Can Break the Cycle

Diet culture is passed down. But that means it can also stop with you.

You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to change everything overnight. You just have to be willing to notice, pause, and choose differently—especially when kids are watching.

So no, we’re not boiling the ocean. We’re planting seeds. And those seeds can grow into a world where no child feels like their body needs to be fixed.

Want help navigating tricky conversations about body image? Watch our free 3 Simple Shifts video to learn what to say—and what not to say—to support kids’ health and well-being.

By Lisa Radzak

As Executive Director, Lisa leads WithAll’s strategic growth as a sustainable social enterprise dedicated to the prevention of and healing from eating disorders. Lisa has more than 20 years of experience in public affairs, community relations, and law, and nearly 15 years of experience in non-profit leadership, most recently at Minnesota Public Radio/American Public Media. She is a graduate of Mitchell Hamline School of Law, a member of the Minnesota Bar, and a Minnesota Supreme Court appointee to Minnesota’s Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board. She volunteers with her daughter’s school and with youth sports. Lisa does this work because she knows eating disorders are not a choice; they are deadly, and they are everywhere. She also knows kids are not born with harmful thoughts and actions around food or their body—and it’s our job as adults to keep it this way so they can focus their precious brains and time on things that matter. Lisa finds laughter, all children, and the numerous variations of sparkling water to be delightful.

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