How Diet Culture Shows Up More in Warm Weather
Diet culture makes an appearance year-round, however, once the weather begins to warm up, it gets a bit louder. Preparing for the “summer body” and pressure to fit into last year’s summer clothes increase. Diet topics on social media become more apparent: clean eating, fitness trends, and detoxes. “Clean eating” messaging is problematic in many ways. When labelling foods as “clean” or “good,” this insinuates that other foods would be “bad.” A HAES Nutritionist in NYC understands that placing morality on food contributes to a disordered relationship with food and eating behaviors.
Summer detox trends, such as juice cleanses or other detox supplements, are something to look out for and avoid. Working with a Registered Dietitian for nutrition counseling in NYC can support you in navigating pressures from diet culture and set realistic, attainable nutrition goals. Aside from detox trends, fitness pressure, especially on social media, is prevalent this time of year. Just like diet trends, fitness trends change and shapeshift, usually with the focus on weight loss or getting “toned” for the summer. A Registered Dietitian NYC can support you in finding movement that feels good in your body and understand the benefits of movement that are not centered around weight.
What a HAES Nutritionist in NYC Focuses On Instead of Weight Loss
A Registered Dietitian NYC that is HAES®-aligned focuses on health-promoting behaviors rather than weight or body size. A HAES® dietitian understands that BMI is not a determinant of health. Some health-promoting behaviors your dietitian may explore with you could be eating for well-being and engaging in joyful movement. Eating for well-being encourages connecting to your body through identifying hunger and fullness cues and making nutritious yet enjoyable food choices that both satisfy hunger and appetite.
Hunger cues are individual and may look different for everyone, but some common signs of hunger are stomach growling, gnawing feeling or emptiness in stomach, headache, difficulty focusing, irritability, thinking about food, cloudy thinking, tiredness, and more. Fullness cues can be pressure in the stomach, decreased thoughts about food, or increased energy. Some people experience temporary tiredness after eating as well.
A HAES® Nutritionist in NYC believes that everyone, regardless of BMI or body size, deserves access to healthcare and medical respect. A weight-neutral dietitian can help you advocate for yourself in medical spaces and provide referrals for other HAES-aligned providers.
Disordered Eating Triggers That Increase in Spring
As the weather warms up, routines change. It’s lighter longer, people spend more time outside, and social plans may increase. Especially in NYC, outdoor eating and social food events become more relevant. If you struggle with disordered eating or an eating disorder, increased plans around food can be triggering. Whether it be urges to avoid social plans, or urges to restrict before a summer food festival, a Registered Dietitian NYC can help you challenge these urges while staying nourished to decrease isolation and fully enjoy your spring and summer plans.
Warmer weather can also lead to clothing fit concerns. Whether it be fear of not fitting into summer clothes from last year or having to buy new, this transition can be challenging. A registered dietitian can support you through a weight-inclusive lens and promote body neutral behaviors.
How Nutrition Counseling in NYC Helps You Unlearn Food Rules
Working with an RD for nutrition counseling in NYC can help you unlearn food rules. With an intuitive eating approach, an RD can guide you in rejecting the diet mentality, identifying food rules, challenging those food rules through fact checking and exposures to these foods, and increasing flexibility around food. With a gentle nutrition approach, you can learn how to nourish your body with foods that you enjoy while honoring your hunger and fullness. At Nourishing NY, our registered dietitians understand each person’s intuitive eating journey is different, and therefore treatment and care will be individualized to meet your needs.
Choosing a HAES-Aligned Registered Dietitian in NYC
When seeking out a HAES®-Aligned Registered Dietitian NYC, there are important credentials to look for:
- Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist (RD/RDN)
- CIEC: Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor
- CEDS: Certified Eating Disorders Specialist
It’s also important to know that even if an RD does not have a CEDS or CIEC credential, they may still be HAES®-Aligned. Language that signals HAES® could be weight inclusive, anti-diet, body neutrality, intuitive eating, gentle nutrition, or weight neutral.
Some red flags to look out for in your search for a registered dietitian NYC:
- They do not have the RD/RDN credential.
- They advertise weight loss as a primary goal on their website.
- Their approach to health is focusing on weight or BMI.
- They promote dieting with the goal of weight loss.
If you’re ever unsure of a registered dietitian’s approach to nutrition counseling in NYC, it can be helpful to reach out to that provider and ask questions. Some examples could be:
- Do you practice a weight-inclusive approach to nutrition counseling?
- How do you approach disease management, such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease?
- Do you support clients in healing their relationship with food, body, and movement?