5 Sneaky Ways Diet Culture Shows Up in Your Everyday Life

We often think of diet culture as solely referring to something extreme - like juice cleanses, fad diets, or 1200 calorie meal plans. Whilst these are more obvious examples; the truth is, diet culture can be much sneakier than that. It often shows up in small, everyday ways that make you question your body, your food choices, and your worth.

If you’ve ever felt guilty for eating carbs, panicked about a number on the scale, or “made up” for what you ate with exercise - you’re not alone. Diet culture thrives in those little thoughts and habits!

Here are 5 common ways diet culture might be creeping into your life (even if you’re not on a diet):

1 - You label foods as “good” or “bad”.

Even if you're not following a set diet, putting moral value on food (like "I was so bad for eating chocolate" or "I'm being good today with my salad") is a hallmark of diet culture. This behaviour teaches us that eating should be about control alone - not nourishment, satisfaction, or enjoyment.

Instead: Practice seeing food as neutral. Carbs, fat, and sugar all have a place in a balanced, satisfying way of eating. This is a concept I explore within my signature series, The Anti Diet Method: removing labels so you can start eating with less guilt and more clarity.

2- You feel guilty after eating certain foods.

Guilt is not a food group - but diet culture sure makes it feel like one! If you find yourself beating yourself up after eating too much chocolate or a bigger meal than usual, it’s a sign diet rules are still living rent-free in your brain.

Instead: All foods are okay in moderation and everything we eat does not have to provide us with a “nutrient benefit” each time - There are many other important benefits foods can provide, from emotional to social and much more. Remind yourself: it is okay to enjoy some chocolate or a larger sized meal and no food or action in isolation will undo all of my efforts at once.

3 - You use exercise to “burn off” what you ate.

Movement should be joyful, not a form punishment. When you’re motivated to exercise because you “overate” or “need to earn” your food, it creates an exhausting cycle of guilt and compensation.

Instead: Shift your mindset to moving your body in ways that feel energising and mood-boosting - not as a transaction.

4 - You feel pressure to eat perfectly healthy 100% of the time.

This “all or nothing” mindset is classic diet culture: the idea that if you're not eating 100% clean, you’ve failed. Truth is, food doesn’t work that way - consistency over time matters far more than perfection.

Instead: Aim for flexibility and balance. Nutrition is not a pass/fail subject.

5 - You believe your body needs to shrink to be healthy.

Diet culture pushes the idea that smaller = better. But health isn’t determined by your clothing size. In fact, research shows that healthy habits - not weight alone - have the biggest impact on long-term health and wellbeing.

Instead: Focus on how you feel (mood, energy, relationships, mindset, goals and so much more), not just how you look. Health can come in many sizes.

Ready to Ditch Diet Culture for Good?

If these signs hit home, you're not alone. These messages have been drilled into us for years, so it’s easy to see why they feel so engrained in us. But here's the good news: you can unlearn them.

My FREE Ultimate Guide to Balanced Eating is a great place to start - no rules, just realistic guidance to help you level up everyday meals, to ensure that they are balanced and satisfying to therefore feel more confident around food at meals and snacks. 

Or if you’re ready to go deeper, check out my Anti Diet Method: 21-Day Video Series, where I guide you step-by-step to break free from diet culture and rebuild your relationship with food in a way that actually sticks long term.