Dessert is Not the Enemy



Today's diet culture loves to create a "bad guy" to blame for all healthcare issues.  Calories, Fat, carbohydrates, sugar, eggs....they've all been victim of this manipulation.  And one that's been pretty consistent for as long as I can remember: desserts.  That's right.   Big 'ol scary DESSERTS. 

I'll give it to diet culture, desserts are a pretty easy target: they are usually higher in calories, fat, and carbohydrates compared to other foods - so the diet industry definitely picked a trifecta for people to fear. 

Now you're probably wondering why a Dietitian is writing a blog - that some would say is encouraging consumption of these typically feared foods.  And I guess they'd be right.  I am telling you to eat dessert!  And here's why:





• It's common knowledge that when someone tells you NOT to eat/drink/think/do something, the preoccupation with that topic will only increase.  Ever hear the example "Don't think about a pink elephant?"  Well, it's no surprise that now you're now thinking about a pink elephant.  Otherwise known as the ironic process theory, it's hypothesized that the more you suppress something (an emotion, thought, etc.) the more likely it is to emerge in your life.  Now bring it back to dieting: If you truly believe you cannot eat a certain food for any reason, your thoughts and human nature are just going to keep reminding you of it.  And dieting myth bust #1: it's not your fault. 
• There are no "good" or "bad" foods.  Our bodies need a variety of nutrients to function properly.  While it's true that a diet of ONLY desserts/sweets would result malnutrition, the same goes for a diet that ONLY includes fruits, or ONLY protein, or ONLY vegetables...you get the picture.  Here's a quote to reflect on:  "You're stomach does not have eyes."  Your body does not care whether it gets glucose from a brownie or a piece of fruit, it's just happy that you're feeding it!  Now of course, there are foods that more nutrient dense than others, providing vitamins, minerals, fiber, probiotics, etc....but our body breaks EVERYTHING we consume into just 3 macro-nutrients - carbohydrates, protein & fat.  Nothing else!  And believe it or not, our bodies are pretty darn smart - they know what to do with the energy you fuel it with & how to run correctly without us micro-managing it.  The crazy thing is: if given the opportunity to be listened to, your body will tell you when it needs more or less of something. 
• Dessert Tastes Good! That's right - I'm telling you to eat something because it is delicious, palatable, mouthwatering, luscious, and YUMMY!  I know this idea is foreign, but just because you enjoy the flavor of food does not make you weak or "less than."  Despite what you may hear in media, your body will not drastically change if you eat sweets; you're not "letting yourself go" if you "allow yourself" to eat chocolate cake.  In fact, what diet culture doesn't want you to know is that by restricting yourself and following their rules, the likelihood of reactive overeating or feeling out of control is much higher compared to if you practiced food neutrality all the time.  

AND THAT, MY FRIENDS, IS HOW THE DIET INDUSTRY KEEPS MAKING MONEY.

They make people believe they THEMSELVES are the problem, when in fact DIETING is enemy #1. I hate to admit it, but their advertising and marketing scheme are straight brilliant - I watch enough Shark Tank to know that to sell an item you need to solve a problem.  And that's what diet culture did: it both CREATED and SOLVED a problem (insert air quotes).  

So this, in addition to countless other reasons, is why I'm passionate about what I do.  As a dietitian, it pains me to look back and see just how weight biased and diet culture is infused in our schooling.  I'm so lucky I had professors and mentors who were forward thinkers, and exposed my classmates and I to anti-diet dietitians, Intuitive eating, Ellyn Satter's work, and so many others...but I've learned through the years that this is somewhat rare in Dietetics.  Even before I was an eating disorder dietitian, I lived and breathed the "All foods fit" mentality - but unfortunately I've worked and learned under many who did not hold these same values.   

Which is why I will keep advocating and screaming at the top of my lungs that no food (including desserts) should be feared.  As health professionals we should be caring about our client's well-being - and continuously promoting diets or weight loss as the main goal has been shown time and time again that it DOES NOT WORK. Let's be the new forward thinkers and stop fear-mongering the public for the sake of "health."  Let's not only take the power away from diet culture, but then in turn empower the public to make their own decisions about what is best for them.  If we truly believed in a preventative healthcare system, we would help people see that they already possess such amazing inner wisdom, if all they would do is LISTEN to it.