Diet Culture in the Workplace

Diet culture is everywhere, however, certain language around food can cause unintentionally negative effects. Let us work together to create a safe space to nourish our bodies without judgement.

Without ill intent, it has become normalized in our society to make comments on other people‘s food choices in public. For example, someone in the café made a comment stating ”wow, that’s a lot of carbs” while I was making a plate to fuel my day. While intentions may be positive, I want to discuss why we should consider refraining from commenting.

If someone is battling negative body-imagine, has disordered eating habits or an eating disorder, this can fuel those challenges. We never know if someone has a medical condition that requires them to make certain food choices or if eating something is their way of improving their relationship with food. We never know if someone hasn‘t eaten in hours or if they are trying to eat to fuel up for a long shift of saving lives.

The big picture is: we cannot know what someone is going through, and it is not our place to pass judgments (positive or negative) on someone else's food choices. Food is personal, so please make sure to treat one another with respect, without judgement. Thank you!

Ariel Rearick is a registered dietitian nutritionist with Barton Health. Barton Dietitians are also available for consultation. Schedule a consultation by calling 530.543.5824 or visit BartonHealth.org.