Even in disguise, a diet is a diet

Criticisms of diet culture are leading its actors to reconsider their message. But let’s not be fooled by these disguises: a diet is a diet, recalls the ÉquiLibre organization as part of an orchestrated campaign for International No Diet Day, which takes place this Friday.

Valerie Simard
The Press

Cutting out carbs, doing intermittent fasting, only eating ice cream on Saturdays, or tracking what you eat using a point system: these are all forms of diet that are often featured today. under the guise of well-being or health, denounces nutritionist and columnist Bernard Lavallée, who has teamed up with ÉquiLibre as part of a campaign to shed light on disguised diets.

“We see terms appearing that will play into [le vocabulaire] of the anti-diet movement, notes Bernard Lavallée. We saw the appearance, for example, of intuitive fasting a few years ago. We are now talking about lifestyle, pleasure […]. The diet industry is going to tell us, “You have the right to have fun, you have the right to eat whatever you want. The important thing is to count your points or to eat from such time to such time. Or on Saturday, you have the right to eat whatever you want; the rest of the week, be careful.” We play with the notion of pleasure, but it is often a limited pleasure. »

However, he continues, any rule aimed at restricting food is a diet. Whether the stated goal is to lose weight, feel good about yourself or be healthy. As a nutritionist, he provides advice, he qualifies, but never lays down strict rules.

If companies and coaches in nutrition today use the veneer of pleasure, benevolence and “without prohibition” to sell their diets, it is because the ineffectiveness of weight-loss diets has been repeatedly denounced by many health professionals. Caroline Huard, alias Loonie, also exposes the consequences of diets on our lives in the podcast show Flat belly — The culture of diets with Loounieavailable on the app OHdio.

“Most people will regain the weight lost in the medium and long term, and it’s not a question of willpower,” points out Andrée-Ann Dufour Bouchard, nutritionist and project manager at ÉquiLibre. “It’s the method that has too draconian restrictions. It also has negative effects on the relationship with the body and food. »

But if the industry has felt the need to hide its diets under golden adornments, it’s because the message is percolating, isn’t it? “I would say yes and no, answers Andrée-Ann Dufour Bouchard. People are more aware that there are negative effects, but despite this, it’s hard not to succumb, not to think that the next proposed diet will be the right one because, precisely, we focus less on weight . These messages of restriction have been anchored for decades and, even if we become aware of them, there are still adjustments to be made in terms of our cognitive and restrictive reflexes. »

Kim Kardashian’s weight loss

And when a Hollywood star claims to have lost 16 pounds in three weeks for wearing an iconic Marilyn Monroe dress for a few minutes, it inevitably sends the message that it is possible. Recall that on the Met Gala red carpet earlier this week, Kim Kardashian told actress La La Anthony for the magazine vogue “I wore a sauna suit twice a day, ran on the treadmill, cut out sugar and carbs completely, and ate only the healthiest vegetables and proteins. »

“It further reinforces how much control we really have over our weight,” explains Andrée-Ann Dufour Bouchard. Whereas, basically, there are so many variables and factors that influence weight, such as genetics, age or gender. Factors over which we have no control. People may think: “I haven’t succeeded yet. It was me again who lacked the will.” »

According to her, this shows above all that weight is a subject that still concerns many people, when we should refrain from commenting (this is the subject of another awareness campaign that ÉquiLibre conducts each fall).

“It struck me how much, no matter what a woman does with her body, it can become a media subject,” says Bernard Lavallée. I don’t want to comment on what she did, but I feel more like commenting on the way the media has shown her as an ideal. The criticisms nevertheless quickly took precedence over the praise. But, there’s no doubt, Kim Kardashian’s weight has been a hot topic in the media this week.

The campaign “Can you recognize a diet in disguise? by the ÉquiLibre organization continues until May 13 on social networks.