Unpacking the History of Diets & Diet Culture
Content note: This blog discusses the history of diets and diet culture, including restrictive eating patterns and disordered behaviors. Please read with care and skip this post if this topic does not feel supportive for you right now.
In the ever-evolving world of nutrition, we are constantly bombarded with claims about the “best” diets. Each year, a new “right way to eat” or a “secret” to weight loss emerges, and we are often quick to jump on the bandwagon. In 2022 alone, Americans spent a staggering $135.7 billion on the diet and weight loss industry (The U.S. Weight Loss & Diet Control Market, 2024). But where did these ideas come from, and why do they keep repeating themselves? Understanding the history of diets and diet culture helps us see why so many approaches fail and why weight-focused nutrition continues to cause harm.
What is a Diet?
The Original Meaning of “Diet”
The term "diet," from the Latin "diaita," offered a broader and more holistic perspective than the modern interpretation we’ve come to know. Historically, the term "diaita" was derived from the Greek word "diaitan," which was more encompassing, signifying a way of living rather than one particular behavior over another. In Latin, the word "diaita" was used as a verb meaning "to lead, govern, or arbitrate one's life," indicating a broader scope than just food consumption; it also included aspects of overall lifestyle and daily habits.
How Diet is Defined in Biology and Medicine
In biology, a diet simply describes the variety of foods an organism eats to meet its nutritional needs. For example, black bears eat a combination of roots, berries, fish, insects, and meat to survive and thrive. In healthcare, diet can also describe eating patterns needed for medical conditions, such as gluten-free diets for people with celiac disease.
How Diet Became Synonymous With Restriction
Culturally, the meaning of diet shifted. Today, the word is often associated with intentional restriction for weight loss, marked by deprivation, distrust of hunger cues, and moral judgments around food.
What is Diet Culture?
Diet culture refers to the societal norms and practices that prioritize weight loss as a sign of health and self-worth. It is a pervasive ideology that influences media, personal interactions, and even professional advice from healthcare providers. This system often promotes restrictive eating habits, glorifies thinness, and markets quick fixes as the path to success.
Common Myths Promoted by Diet Culture
Certain foods are inherently superior.
Thinness equates to better health.
Thin individuals are more attractive.
Larger bodies reflect poor life choices.
Personal health and appearance are entirely within an individual’s control
Why Diet Culture is Harmful
This narrow focus on weight overlooks the complexity of health, which includes mental, emotional, and social well-being, and disregards the natural diversity of body shapes and sizes. Research consistently shows that weight is not a reliable indicator of health and that weight loss-centric approaches can cause significant harm, often increasing shame, weight cycling, and disordered eating.
A Brief History of Diet Culture
Although diet culture often masquerades as science-based, it functions more like a belief system. It can be seen in everyday interactions, from social media posts to advice from healthcare professionals, perpetuating the notion that thinner bodies are inherently better.
Early Roots of Diet Culture
Ancient Greek philosophy linked physical appearance to morality and virtue. Later, early Christian traditions framed food restriction as a sign of spiritual purity, reinforcing the idea that controlling the body equaled moral goodness.
Moralization of Food in the 19th Century
In the 19th century, figures like Sylvester Graham advocated restrictive diets to promote health and suppress desires, solidifying the moral undertones associated with food choices. Over time, these beliefs evolved into widespread systems of control, reinforcing oppressive structures like racism, sexism, and classism.
Dieting in the 20th Century
The 20th century saw various diets, often targeting women. From the Fletcherism diet advising chewing food 100 times, the Lucky Diet promoting cigarettes over food when having a craving, to the Drinking Man's diet, permitting meat and alcohol exclusively (echoing William the Conqueror's alcohol-only diet from 1028). All of these diets were not only odd but harmful, disordered, and frankly dangerous.
Despite this, lucrative trends continued. The 1960s presented Weight Watchers, focusing on a points system based on calories, fats, sugars, and proteins. This approach is a way of calorie counting that neglects the physical benefits of nutrients in foods, the psychology and emotions intertwined with food, and the complexities of metabolism (Asp, 2019). The 1970s saw the advent of the Sleeping Beauty Diet, which encouraged excessive sleep (often induced by sedatives) to avoid eating. Linked to numerous health risks, this diet was reportedly used by celebrities like Elvis Presley.
Systems of Oppression Supported by Diet Culture
Anti-Blackness and Racism
Historical narratives used body size to justify racial hierarchies. Larger bodies were stigmatized and associated with Black individuals, perpetuating harmful stereotypes. As sociologist Sabrina Strings highlights in Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia, fatness was framed as uncivilized and undesirable in contrast to white European ideals, creating a racialized bias that persists today.
Patriarchy and Gender Policing
Diet culture has also enforced patriarchal norms, particularly around the policing of women’s bodies. The pressure to conform to thin ideals starts early, with many young girls internalizing weight-related fears. This societal scrutiny, however, extends beyond women and impacts people of all genders, reinforcing a culture of body dissatisfaction.
Thin Privilege and Fatphobia
Alongside oppression, diet culture elevates thinner bodies, granting privileges like easier access to clothing, favorable treatment in healthcare, and societal assumptions of health and competence. These advantages reinforce systemic inequalities while marginalizing larger-bodied individuals.
Dieting in Today’s World
Modern Diet Trends
In more recent years, diets like the Raw Food Diet, Keto, Paleo, and Master Cleanse have gained popularity. Each diet carries its own set of restrictions and health risks, often ignoring the balance and variety essential to the body and only found in food.
Why Diets Keep Coming Back
Reflecting on the various diet trends throughout history, we notice a consistent pattern: the pursuit of an ideal body, and consequently, an ideal diet, is a continuous and futile quest. This historical exploration of dieting trends not only highlights our ongoing obsession with weight loss but also underscores the cyclical nature of diets. Each era has seen its share of diets, often recycled or repackaged, only to be sold to us again. It is a reminder that today's revolutionary diet will be tomorrow's outdated fad. Ultimately, in a consumer-driven market, we face the choice of whether or not to buy it.
Even modern-day cultural eating patterns are often co-opted, labeled, and misrepresented by the diet and wellness industries and the media. Examples include hyperfocus on the Mediterranean diet (there are foods from many other heritages that are also health-promoting) to the growing movement towards unprocessed foods, “clean eating,” meals made only from scratch, and even the campaign to simply “eat right.” Consider your own needs, preferences, history with food and eating, accessibility, and lifestyle to determine what pattern is most beneficial to you.
The idea that any single diet could be universally sustainable ignores that each person has individual dietary needs and a unique relationship to food. This is why a dietitian’s job is so important.
Moving Forward Without Diet Culture
Understanding the history of diets and diet culture allows us to step back from the cycle of restriction, shame, and false promises. Health does not come from chasing the next trend but from building a sustainable, compassionate relationship with food. If you want support unpacking diet culture and rebuilding trust with food, our team at CV Wellbeing is here to help. Reach out to explore care that honors your body, history, and lived experience.
