Current Trends: Diet Culture’s Effect on Child Development

Jillian Gomez; Dr. LeCroix

PSYC636: Human Development

12/11/2023

Diet culture is a powerful and insidious force that subconsciously affects us all. Diet

culture is a system of social beliefs and expectations that value thinness above all. Putting the

pursuit of thinness above all, those with larger bodies are assumed to be “unhealthy”.

Consequently, those who adhere to diet culture begin to impose shame on those who do not

adhere; this process often can cause guilt, stigma, worthlessness, poor body image/body

dysphoria, and disordered eating. Diet culture is strict and rigid—following dichotomous

thinking, there are “good” and “bad” ways to participate in diet culture. Holding up a veil of

“thin privilege”, fatphobia is engrained in diet culture. Ironic enough, there is no way to hide

from diet culture, as it has now permeated ALL industries (i.e. food industry, weight loss

industry, mental health industry, fashion industry, social media industry, etc.). Many of us may

even engage in certain elements of diet culture and be unaware (i.e. not eating/drinking to fit in a

dress or decrease bloating). Overt behaviors could look like skipping a meal or forgoing a snack

to fit into a dress, while covert behaviors could look like a comment of noticing, “You look

great! Have you lost weight?”. Sneaky and deceitful, diet culture is often disguised as “wellness”

or a “lifestyle change”. In reality, the weight-loss industry profits off of inducing shame and a

sense of worthlessness in its participants while enforcing a weight bias (Willsky, 2023).

Social media has made it impossible to escape from diet culture with endless information

at our fingertips. regarding clothing, fitness, weight loss, and body modifications. In the 90s
whilst an “obesity epidemic” Weight Watchers was created people everywhere have been

conscious about their bodies, with that being said, participation in diet culture is at an all-time

high. About 45 million Americans diet every year, while our country spends around $30 billion

on diet and weight loss products in a year. In all, our society has convinced us that our bodies are

not okay as they are—they are unworthy and need to be continuously modified to fit a thin ideal

(Willsky, 2023).

Since child obesity is a pertinent issue in the United States that can lead to chronic health

problems, it makes sense why a parent would want to help their child lose weight. Unfortunately,

overcorrecting or putting too much emphasis on a child’s body weight can lead to equally

dangerous health problems. Research proves that simply talking about dieting or a child’s weight

can lead to issues—kids who are surrounded by diet talk are at a higher risk of developing eating

disorders (Henke, 2023).

Coincidentally enough, almost 95% of those who diet regain weight within a few years.

Repeated cycles of dieting can increase the risk of heart disease, cause insulin resistance, and

reinforce patterns of disordered eating. Although diet culture is not directly correlated with

eating disorders, they often go hand in hand. Dieting promotes a negative relationship with food

and enhances body dissatisfaction, which both have been linked to the development of an eating

disorder. Additionally, the connection between weight and self-esteem is directly correlated (i.e.

self-esteem is determined by weight). The majority of eating disorders are rooted in restriction

and impact the relationship with our food and bodies, therein, dieting can predispose eating

disorders, rather than “cause” them (Henke, 2023).

A report by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) defined dieting as “a caloric

restriction with the goal of weight loss”. Within their report, they identified that young
individuals who dieted were five times more likely to develop an eating disorder, while those

who followed extreme diets were 18 times more likely. Further, they highlighted results from

Fisher et al., 1995, which revealed that eating disorders are the third most common chronic

condition in adolescents. Alongside negative cognitive and emotional effects, the physiological

effects of disordered eating in children and adolescents can include hypotension, hypothermia,

orthostasis, pancreatitis, bradycardia, gallstone formation, amenorrhea, and many more (Golden

et al., 2016).

In the article “How to prevent obesity without encouraging eating disorders”, Dr. Golden

who is a member of the AAP Committee on Nutrition revealed that the AAP discourages dieting,

skipping meals, or utilizing weight loss medication. They highlight that the focus should be on a

“healthy lifestyle” rather than on weight. He highlights that obesity prevention can be done

“correctly” and recommends a couple of options to prevent weight-related issues. First off, they

urge the promotion of a positive body image, as body dissatisfaction should not be used as the

reason to lose weight. With that being said, next, they encourage families to talk about healthy

eating rather than weight, highlighting the importance of staying active while simultaneously

being nourished. Lastly, they advocate for frequent family meals, as this can provide an

opportunity to model healthy food choices and initiate discourse surrounding what it looks like to

live a “healthy lifestyle” (Golden, 2016).

To clarify these issues, I consulted and critically evaluated some of the research

literature. Recent Canadian data revealed that approximately 50% of pre-adolescent and

adolescent children have a strong desire to be thinner and/or are unhappy about their current

weight or shape. Reasons for teenage dieting are varied, but body image dissatisfaction and

desire to be “thinner” are looked at as motivating factors. The authors poorly define dieting as,
“an intentional, often temporary, change in eating to achieve weight loss”. They define “chronic

dieting” as more than 10 diets in a year—this could include fasting, skipping meals, fad dieting,

self-induced vomiting, and laxative/diuretic use. They developed a list of factors that may

contribute to unhealthy weight control behaviors in teenagers; they list individual factors, family

factors, and environmental factors. Individual factors include being overweight/obese, body

image distortion, low self-esteem, low sense of control over life, vegetarianism, early puberty,

and other psychiatric symptoms such as depression and anxiety—those who have all of these are

more likely to engage in diet culture. Next, familial factors include parental dieting, parental

encouragement/endorsement of diet, parental criticism of a child’s weight, low connectedness to

family, and absence of positive parental role models. Lastly, environmental factors include poor

school involvement, weight-related teasing, peer group endorsement of dieting, and involvement

in weight-related sports (i.e. gymnastics, cheerleading, etc.) (Whyte & Findlay, 2004).

Mahmood et al., 2021 investigated the influence of parental dietary behaviors and

practices on children’s eating habits. Early modifications in dietary habits can significantly

influence a child’s development. Although children are influenced by their home environment

and community, they have limited control over both. Research proves that the home food

environment plays a strong role in shaping children’s food intake, as it determines what kinds of

foods are available and accessible to children. Further, the study revealed that role models (role

modeling) can play a large role in shaping healthy eating habits. Parents have a high degree of

control in modeling their child’s eating behaviors. Children often imitate their parents' behaviors,

including eating behaviors—parents establish more than 70% of their children’s dietary

behaviors by simply being a role models. Several studies prove that parental eating habits and

feeding styles have been significantly associated with children’s food preferences, intake and
consumption, and overall eating behaviors. With that being said, if the role model does not have

a healthy relationship with food, the child is less likely to have a healthy relationship with food.

The authors encourage parents to avoid “excessive pressure or restriction” surrounding food, as

this can affect a child’s acceptance of food/nutrition. In all, a parent’s dietary behaviors can

significantly influence their child’s view of diet, eating, and nutrition (Mahmood et al., 2021).

Given that parents act as powerful socialization agents, they need to be aware of the

effects of their own behavior, especially the unintended effects of such. Parent and child

interaction during feeding varies in the degree to which children are allowed some degree of

autonomy in eating. These interactions influence a child’s food preferences, intake patterns, diet

quality, weight status, and overall growth. Restrictive feeding patterns are more associated with

overeating and poor self-regulation in children. When restrictions are “removed” as a reward, the

child often has trouble exhibiting self-control over the food—they overeat or even eat in the

absence of hunger. In this sense, restricting foods can be counterproductive to a child’s

development and actually increase the need/want to indulge. Coincidentally enough, excessive

parental control over food with limited child responsiveness (Authoritarian parenting style) was

associated with worse health outcomes than more permissive or authoritative parental control.

Authoritarian parents actually have fewer vegetables and fruits at home, and likewise, their

children consume smaller amounts of those foods (Savage et al., 2007).

Further, children’s dietary intake can be influenced by a parent’s parenting style.

Parenting style also Authoritative styles have been linked to more positive health outcomes in

children and specifically, a healthy BMI. Authoritative parents are nurturing and responsive, yet

firm. They look to set limits and rules, while also listening to the child’s point of view (Shloim,

2015).
 Drawing on the literature, the influence of diet culture is pervasive and omnipresent,

infiltrating various industries and perpetuated through social media. While the intention to

address child obesity is crucial, the emphasis on weight loss can lead to equally harmful

consequences, including an increased risk of eating disorders. Diet culture can have various

effects on child development, impacting physical, psychological, and social growth. Diet

culture’s restrictive eating patterns and emphasis on achieving a certain body type/shape, can

negatively affect nutrient intake, growth, body image, mental health, dietary habits, exercise

habits, peer relationships, and many more.

Above all, to protect a child during critical periods of development, it is vital to try and

counteract the harmful effects of diet culture. First and foremost, modeling of healthy eating

behaviors is crucial to healthy child development—this all begins with the parents. By creating a

proper model for the child to follow, they can mirror their behaviors while also making their own

judgments about things like preferences; family meal time is strongly encouraged! Additionally,

the parent should also educate the child on what a balanced diet may look like and have an open

dialogue regarding food and nutrients (food literacy). Based on literature, an authoritative

parenting style works best, as still allows collaboration between the parent and child—disordered

eating is rooted in restriction. Next, it is important to eliminate negative talk surrounding weight

(even parent’s own weight!) to create a more inclusive and diverse idea of what “healthy” can

look like, promoting body satisfaction. In all, modeling healthy eating behaviors, promotion of

positive body image, avoiding restriction, and open dialogue surrounding eating can all be

beneficial in counteracting the negative effects of diet culture.

Food literacy is defined as, “the ability of an individual to understand food in a way that

they develop a positive relationship with it[..] the ability to make decisions to support the
achievement of personal health.”. Food literacy empowers and educates individuals to make

informed choices about what is going in their body and how to get your nutritional needs met.

The development of food literacy in children and adolescents could be critical in protecting them

from diet culture. By promoting healthier, more sustainable diets, with food talk surrounding

bodily-cues or “intuitive eating”, we are moving away from restriction/rigidity and embracing

flexibility surrounding diet. Food literacy fosters a positive relationship with food, emphasizing

nourishment rather than weight loss, and encourages a balanced approach to eating. The

implementation of programs to support the development of food literacy can contribute to

healthy, sustainable eating habits later in life (Ares et al., 2023).

Within literature, one of the challenges faced by such programs are lack of in-depth

understanding of food literacy, specifically related to children and adolescents. Studies are

lacking on education for food-related information, especially in those with an existing eating

disorder. Knowledge is an important factor in changing dietary intake and eating behaviors. If

one is more educated on food literacy, they are more likely to understand the media’s faulty

promotion of diet culture (Ares et al., 2023).

For my proposal of a new study, I would like to investigate food literacy in adolescents

with an existing Eating Disorder (ED) who have previously been in treatment. I would like to

investigate the effects of food literacy on those who have experienced disordered eating. I would

do a qualitative study and address the following: 1) the impact of miseducation/false information

(ex. “starving yourself makes you skinny”) and 2) the impact of overdependence on information

(ex. Restriction/authoritarian parenting style). I believe that miseducation and overdependence

on food literacy may play a large role in reinforcing disordered eating patterns. Currently, there

is no evidence-based information investigating food literacy in individuals with previous ED

treatment. I hypothesize that food literacy is inversely related to an eating disorder—food

literacy can be a protective factor against relapsing from an eating disorder. Lastly, this extracted

qualitative information can give us details about parenting styles related to development of EDs.

New information revealed would be related to protective factors and parenting styles present in

the development of a healthy child with a healthy diet.

 References

Ares, G., De Rosso, S., Mueller, C., Philippe, K., Pickard, A., Nicklaus, S., van Kleef, E., &

Varela, P. (2023). Development of Food Literacy in children and adolescents: Implications

for the design of strategies to promote healthier and more sustainable diets. Nutrition

Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuad072

Golden, N. (2016). How to prevent obesity without encouraging eating disorders.

Publications.aap.org. https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/11111/How-to-prevent-

obesity-without-encouraging-eating

Golden, N. H., Schneider, M., Wood, C., Daniels, S., Abrams, S., Corkins, M., de Ferranti, S.,

Magge, S. N., Schwarzenberg, S., Braverman, P. K., Adelman, W., Alderman, E. M.,

Breuner, C. C., Levine, D. A., Marcell, A. V., O’Brien, R., Pont, S., Bolling, C., Cook, S.,

… Slusser, W. (2016). Preventing obesity and eating disorders in

adolescents. Pediatrics, 138(3). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-1649

Henke, A. (2023). The dangers of diet culture: What parents can do to be a positive influence on

their children. Children’s Hospital New Orleans.

https://www.chnola.org/news-blog/2023/april/the-dangers-of-diet-culture-what-parents-

can-do-/

Mahmood, L., Flores-Barrantes, P., Moreno, L. A., Manios, Y., & Gonzalez-Gil, E. M. (2021).

The Influence of Parental Dietary Behaviors and Practices on Children's Eating

Habits. Nutrients, 13(4), 1138. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13041138 Savage, J. S., Fisher,

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Styles, Feeding Practices, and Weight Status in 4-12 Year-Old Children: A Systematic

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https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01849

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