Why dieting is not about health
Why are slim people profiting from telling the overweight what to eat?
We are sold the idea by scientists/doctors, that dieting and losing weight is about avoiding preventable diseases like heart attacks, cancer and diabetes. Undoubtedly, obesity is a risk factor in all of these conditions. But why do these well-educated folk, seem to stumble upon a mid-life revelation and feel compelled to preach and profit from this realisation? Typically, that poor diet is a contributory factor to a myriad of diseases, and if only we eat better and lose our excess weight then we will avoid said diseases and extend our life-span.
Disease is down to more than dietI
Really?! Yes we may lower our risk factor for certain diseases through losing weight and eating better but ultimately disease comes down to more than diet. Surely these doctors, had the best knowledge to avoid experiencing such a scare, if it is truly down to diet? In the past year, I’m aware of three life-long yoga teachers who have succumbed to serious illness. These ladies are the epitome of healthy living and practice yoga on a daily basis. So even if you eat well and look after your body, you still get sick. And dare I say it, we have to die of something eventually. That is not to say that what they are promoting is not good advice. Far from it - it is inherently sensible to avoid processed sugar, reduce carbohydrates, and eat more vegetables and lean protein.
Weight and dieting are more complicated that healthy eating
Because diet and weight are more complicated then healthy eating. And healthy eating, especially of the realm promoted by scientists within reach for the privileged. As official statistics suggest that obesity increases with deprivation this is a clearly not a workable solution for those in need. Put simply, people who are more likely to be overweight are also less likely to be able to afford the solutions proposed by the patriarchy, however well meant. And perhaps, if those people had been able to access the superfoods heralded, they might not be overweight in the first place. Rather than telling people what to eat, we need to understand the dynamics of diets and that includes motivation.
For many people losing weight is not about improving their health, its about improving their looks.
For the majority of women and a growing number of men, weight and dieting are more about how you look and feel about yourself in today’s image-obsessed, socially-media fuelled society. Most women diet in order to look better, fit into an outfit or feel fabulous in photos. Health is way down the list of priorities. Maybe a health scare might trigger you to think more consciously about what you are eating, but most dieters are prompted to do so by a tight waistband or an terrible photo.
Healthy eating is not the holy grail to longevity
It is not about denying the health impacts of being overweight but we need to stop venerating slimness as the holy grail to health. The social judgement that prevails is that those who are ‘slim’ are therefore ‘healthy’ as opposed to people who are overweight are unhealthy. Understanding the struggle that many overweight people face is vital before taking the moral high ground that disease can be avoided if only we ate better.
I am not suggesting that we should all eat unhealthily but I do feel that promoting disease prevention as a reason for dieting is missing the point. The truth is dieting and eating are about more than fuelling the body lots of people. And if it was as easy as ‘just change what you eat’, 80% of people wouldn’t regain the weight that they lost within 3 years.
