Dear Diet Culture Letter: Your Body Needs Carbohydrates

Dear Diet Culture, 

It’s me, Sunday. 

This weekend, as I sat eating some delicious pancakes drizzled with maple syrup and spread with warm butter (which is one of my favorite breakfast foods, btw),  I was thinking about how much you encourage people to eat things they actually don’t want to in the name of “health and wellness.” Which let’s admit it, you and I know is code.

Take breakfast, for example. How many people have you told to only eat “protein and veggies” for breakfast because it’s “healthy” for them? How many people have you told to “stay away” from carbohydrates at breakfast? How many people have you told that carbs will “weigh them down” re: their energy levels? How many people have you tried to scare out of eating carbs? How many people have you told to put butter or coconut oil in their coffee to be “healthier”? Too many to count.

Here’s the thing: the human body needs carbohydrates and telling someone to stay away from or refrain from eating them will only lead to eating to the point of discomfort or to bingeing.

You tell someone to avoid eating pancakes, waffles, pastries, croissants, french toast and more at breakfast, and they will avoid it for some time. But guess what? They will eventually eat it, and possibility with a vengeance because there is a real threat that they may never have it again. This stress of food deprivation and restriction leads many to avoid social situations, going out to dinner,and friends because they fear eating the “wrong” foods. Not only this, your fear mongering leads lots of folks to eat foods that they don’t enjoy but convince themselves that they do, like a carrot pumpkin chia seed sprouted muffin.

While I know you disagree Diet Culture, humans are not naturally “out of control’ around carbohydrates, even at breakfast. What you fail to mention in all of your recommendations is the impact of food restriction, both as thoughts and actions, on the human body and brain. People feel out of control around carbs when they deprive themselves of carbs, in fact the brain is primed to do so from an evolutionary perspective. But you are always there telling people things like, “you see, you couldn’t handle yourself. Now you need to restrict more. Carbs are bad!” And in this way, you keep the cycle going. I see your moves.

So this Sunday I want you to know this, Diet Culture: people are eventually going to find out the ways that you manipulate them into buying your products and fear mongering them around carbs and so much else.

They are waking up to your nonsensical messages and lack of consideration for the social determinants of health that are unrelated to food and movement. They will see how limited and repetitive you are, rebranding yourself but doing the same harmful stuff.

Sincerely,

Sunday, aka your most determined non-diet Dietitian Katherine who wants you to know that your body needs carbohydrates (even at breakfast) and that food is meant to be pleasurable