The fight against flab consumes the attention of millions worldwide. Each year, an estimated 45 million Americans dedicate themselves to the pursuit of weight loss, fueling a diet and weight loss industry valued at a whopping $72.6 billion in 2021. But what's the true cost of diet culture in a world obsessed with thinness?

"Diet culture basically stigmatizes folks in larger bodies and assumes that a larger body automatically makes someone unhealthy," says Laura Cordella, an ambulatory dietitian. This harmful assumption is just one of the tactics that diet culture uses to promote its toxic message. Other effects include negative body image, low self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, disordered eating patterns, and even physical ailments like blood pressure problems and compromised muscle mass.

Historically, diet culture has been deeply entrenched in belief systems revolving around thinness and discipline. The trail stretches back to the time of the Greeks, where fasting and food restriction were perceived as paths to spiritual cleansing and moral high ground.

So how do we fight back against the prejudiced and harmful dictates of diet culture? Knowledge is the first step. By understanding the manipulative psychological tactics diet culture employs, we can start to disentangle ourselves from its commanding grip.

Suggestions include talking to a dietitian, being skeptical about what you see on social media, rejecting 'quick fixes' and one-size-fits-all diet plans, focusing on whole foods, reframing your relationship with food, and most importantly, cultivating a sense of body acceptance.

You don't have to govern your life by the scales or the size of your waistband. It's time to embrace a healthier mindset and find a nutrition approach that focuses on total well-being, not just the numbers on the scales. Let's kick diet culture out and welcome the whole, healthy, and happy individuals we are meant to be.