“Boiling the Ocean?” Why Stopping Diet Culture Is Actually Within Reach
Last post, we covered the subject of diet culture, its prevalence, harm, and how deeply it’s embedded in both our individual and collective psyche. We also explored why it’s so important that we stop passing it down, as our ancestors have, generation after generation. For something so deeply woven into our society, it might seem like an impossible task to unravel.
But here’s the truth: it’s not.
Recently, I was speaking with a kind gentleman about WithAll’s work to stop the harmful generational inheritance of diet culture. He smiled and said gently, “Aren’t you trying to boil the ocean?”
Fair question!
My response: not at all.
Stopping diet culture—and freeing up the mental space it takes up with negative body talk, the false idea of “good” vs. “bad” foods, lifelong dieting, or even eating disorders—can feel daunting.
But ending diet culture isn’t nearly as complicated as it sounds. In fact, it’s entirely possible. And we know prevention works—even when it comes to deeply entrenched cultural habits that cause harm.
Take sunscreen, for example. Once upon a time, people basked in the sun without a care in the world (with baby oil and tin foil! Raise your hand, children of the ’80s and teens of the ’90s!). Skin cancer rates soared. But with research, education, and the simple act of putting on sunscreen, we’ve seen prevention become mainstream. It’s not perfect, but it’s huge progress—and more importantly, it’s now normal.
Or consider indoor smoking. There was a time when smoking in homes, cars, and even hospitals was the norm. Then science confirmed what we now take for granted: secondhand smoke harms children (and the rest of us). The shift didn’t require perfection—just enough people understanding the risks and making small, consistent changes. Today, it’s a social norm to step outside to smoke (or to not smoke at all), especially around kids. That’s massive progress.
We can apply the same logic to diet culture. It’s not about eliminating every harmful body image or nonsense-based message overnight. It’s about recognizing those messages, understanding their impact on young people, and interrupting them—one conversation, one step at a time.
These actions might seem insignificant. But I promise you (based on volumes of research and countless conversations with experts and survivors of eating disorders): they change lives in profound and lasting ways.
It’s the moment a parent, with young people around, stops connecting food choices or exercise to appearance or weight. If instead the parent talks about food and exercise for what they do for us: fuel, energy, joy, connection, my oh my, that MATTERS. That has an enormous impact on a kiddo.
It’s the coach who praises effort and understands that comments about body shape or size don’t improve performance—they only cause harm.
It’s the teacher who avoids food shaming during lunch hour.
It’s each of us recognizing when a joke, comment, or “wellness” tip reinforces a harmful (often ridiculous) standard—and choosing a different response.
It’s each of us stopping the judgmental body talk in our own heads and instead turning our thoughts to what our bodies do for us (you know, help us live our lives). It’s remembering that beauty—true, radiant, self-assured beauty—isn’t tied to a jean size or a number on a scale.
When we shift those everyday choices, especially around kids, we begin to transform the status quo. We create and protect space for young people to grow up without the nonsense we (and our parents, and our grandparents) internalized.
Diet culture is passed down, yes—but that also means it can be interrupted. The generational cycle can be stopped.
So no, we’re not boiling the ocean. We’re planting seeds of change—together. Seeds that, over time, grow into a world where we look back and say, “Wait… tin foil and baby oil?” or “People judged themselves for eating carbs?!”
Change doesn’t require boiling the ocean—just one small, intentional conversation at a time. Start with the three most effective, doable actions that help kids feel good in their bodies (they might surprise you!):
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About WithAll & the Author:
This article is brought to you by WithAll, a nonprofit committed to ending eating disorders by addressing the root causes — including the everyday ways we talk about food and bodies. Lisa Radzak, the author of this post, is the Executive Director of WithAll. After her own experience with an eating disorder, she’s passionate about helping adults name and challenge the diet culture messages we’ve absorbed so we can create a different path for the next generation. To discover more about WithAll and get real-life support for the way you talk to kids about food and body image, visit withall.org.
