10+ Must-Read Books To Help You Give Up Diet Culture For Good
“If you haven’t actually read the book, you don’t get to have an opinion.”
This is something that I say quite often, usually after running my mouth and sharing my unconventional philosophy on food, fitness, and body stuff. When I dare to say things like:
“We weren’t all meant to be skinny.”
“Diets don’t work.“
“Weight stigma is real, and more harmful than weight itself.”
One of a few things happen:
A. People lose their minds and get angry and defensive.
B. People misunderstand what I’m saying, and assume that because I work in the fitness industry I must still be excited about their transformation photos and want to give them a workout to burn off their holiday dinner. Or they think I’m being irresponsible and actually don’t care about health at all.
C. People become genuinely curious and ask to “pick my brain” to learn more.
This leads to some pretty interesting conversations, and I love when people are open to learning more. Seriously. Openminded people are awesome. Curious people are the best. We need to normalize changing your opinion when presented with new information.
This is where I love to recommend books.
The books I share here were instrumental to my journey in giving up diet culture, learning to accept my body, and improving my relationship with exercise. AKA:
- Allowing myself to eat freaking burger on a regular ass bun instead of a lettuce leaf without feeling guilty.
- Not spending hours making “desserts” for holiday gatherings out of almond butter and dates that nobody would eat but me.
- Not spending 20 minutes in the bathroom trying to make myself weigh less by moving the scale 2 inches to the left and stepping on it more gently.
- Being okay if I don’t wake up at 5am to work out the day after Thanksgiving.
- Not crying in my closet while trying to fit into my jeans from 2006.
- Learning to lift weights and do actual badass shit at the gym instead of just using that one elliptical that burns the most calories and leaving.
Sound familiar??
Because yes, I used to do all these things and a whole lot more like them. I was the worst of the worst and didn’t know any better. So if I, the diet culture queen could somehow shift my views so drastically (and for the better!) I’m convinced that anyone can. That sounds a little fitspo-y, I know. But I don’t know how else to put it.
I should point out that it’s possible to do all of these things and still:
- Not completely “let yourself go”.
- Still work out.
- Eat a vegetable on a regular basis.
- Still look after your health.
Wanna know how? These books are some of the ones I recommend often to my clients and friends.
In no particular order. Not an exhaustive list. Subject to change at any point. Not an ad. Just some books that I genuinely feel will help you chip away at your worldview around weight, food, fitness, and health. They’ll maybe even change your life?
Body Respect/Health At Every Size by Lindo Bacon & Lucy Aphramor
Start here if you really want to get a general understanding of the concept of Health At Every Size (HAES). Not to be mistaken with “healthy at any size” “healthy at every size” or “all people are automatically healthy no matter their size”. Both books cover similar material, but Body Respect is slightly better and more up to date. As a society we often conflate weight and health, and these books really helped me separate the two.
Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole & Elyse Resch
Intuitive Eating is something I talk about often. But it’s actually not a weight loss tool. It’s not “the hunger & fullness diet” and it’s not “only eat pizza and donuts because YOLO”. Check out the 4th edition of the book and the corresponding workbook. It won’t necessarily help you lose weight. But it will help you become the type of person who can eat one cookie without wanting to inhale the entire batch.
The Fuck It Diet by Caroline Dooner
This one explains the same concepts as Intuitive Eating from a slightly different perspective and without the official framework. This one is a really fun read, because Caroline Dooner is, in my opinion, hilarious. Check out this one if you’re newer to the concept of anti-diet but wanna be entertained while you learn about it.
Anti-Diet by Christy Harrison
Anti-Diet is combines the best of all the above. It also dives into the history of the diet industry, which is super interesting. She backs a lot of her claims with research, so this is a good one for anyone who loves science and is still a little bit skeptical.
Fearing The Black Body by Sabrina Strings
This is another one that really digs into history. It’s not a light read by any means, but it’s a deep dive into the racial origins of fat-phobia and diet culture. It helps make the important connection between the two, which is an important next step for those struggling to understand why anti-racism work matters in the anti-diet world. It also might help you make the connection if you’re invested in social justice issues like anti-racism, but are struggling to see how diet culture is a part of the problem.
The Body Is Not An Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor
Another book that explores how systems of oppression are connected to the way we feel about our bodies. She shares the concept of radical self-love as a way to find healing and make peace with your body on a deeper level.
The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf
This one was a game changer for me personally, mostly because it made me so angry. Naomi Wolf digs into the history of beauty standards and how they hold women back in society. Learning about this might just be enough to push you over the edge and start rejecting the idea that we’re meant to be pretty and small and quiet.
Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls/Landwhale by Jes Baker
Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls is Jes’s first book, and more of a body positivity 101 sort of resource. I found this book personally helpful in finding perspective as a thin/medium sized woman (aka someone who was never actually a “fat girl” but liked to call herself that). Her next book, Landwhale, is a memoir that builds upon the first and goes further into the ideas of body liberation and fat activism through her lived experience. I also really love her tone–straightforward, witty, and infusing humor into some tough topics.
Dietland by Sarai Walker
This is actually the only fiction book on the list! It’s a quick read that will suck you in and help you learn about diet culture right along with the main character, Plum. Follow her along her journey as a lifelong dieter and writer for a teen magazine who is planning on getting weight loss surgery to becoming a. . .well, I don’t wanna ruin the story. 😉 You’ll have to read it. I hope you do!
Shrill/The Witches Are Coming by Lindy West
If you’re fired up by feminism and want to keep going down this path, Lindy West’s books are both helpful and hilarious. She gives us permission to be loud and take up space–not just physically, but with our opinions too. (The Hulu series Shrill with Aidy Bryant is also SO SO good, if you’d rather just watch.)
This is not an exhaustive list!
Nor is each of these a detailed book review. I could easily dedicate a full blog post to each of these books, and would probably have more to say if I read each of them again. (It’s been a minute for some of these!) This list will continue to grow, but it’s certainly a good starting point.
Maybe you wanna gift someone or even gift yourself a few of these?
Notice I didn’t link to any of them. For good reason. You have google and local bookstores to support right? I’d highly recommend supporting your favorite small business by getting them from a small independent bookstore. If you need some ideas, try Semicolon or Women & Children First (two of my Chicago faves) or Elizabeth’s Bookshop & Writing Centre.
