As obesity rises, so does ‘anti-diet’ advice
The rise of the anti-diet movement, pushed by some food manufacturers and assisted by social media influencers, has raised concern. Sasha Chavkin reports on a combined investigation.
Jaye Rochon struggled to lose weight for years. But she felt as if a burden had lifted when she discovered YouTube influencers advocating “health at every size” - urging her to stop dieting and start listening to her “mental hunger”.
She stopped avoiding favourite foods such as cupcakes and Nutella. “They made me feel like I was safe eating whatever the hell I wanted,” said Rochon, 51, a video editor in Wisconsin. In two months, she regained 50 pounds (22.7kg). As her weight neared 300 pounds (136kg), she began to worry about her health.
The videos Rochon encountered are part of the “anti-diet” movement, a social media juggernaut that began as an effort to combat weight stigma and an unhealthy obsession with thinness. Now global food marketers are seeking to cash in on the trend.
One company in particular, General Mills, maker of Cocoa Puffs and Lucky Charms cereals, has launched a multipronged campaign that capitalises on the teachings of the anti-diet movement, an investigation by The Washington Post and The Examination, a nonprofit newsroom that covers global public health, has found.
General Mills has toured the country touting anti-diet research it claims proves the harms of “food shaming”.
It has showered giveaways on registered dietitians who promote its cereals online with the hashtag #DerailTheShame, and sponsored influencers who promote its sugary snacks. It has also enlisted a team of lobbyists and pushed back against federal policies that would add health information to food labels.
General Mills complies with federal regulations and “works closely with a variety of scientific, health, nutrition and other credentialed experts to ensure we provide accurate, evidence-based information”, said spokesperson Andrea Williamson.
Online dietitians – many backed by food makers – also are building lucrative followings by co-opting anti-diet messages. Hashtags such as #NoBadFoods, #FoodFreedom and #DitchTheDiet have proliferated on social media.
We analysed more than 6000 social media posts by 68 registered dietitians with at least 10,000 followers. The analysis showed roughly 40% of them, with a combined reach of over 9 million followers, repeatedly used anti-diet language.
The majority of those were paid to promote products from food, beverage and supplement companies, the analysis found.
The rapid spread of anti-diet messaging – and the alliance between some registered dietitians and the food industry – has alarmed some in the public health community.
Since the 1980s, the US obesity rate has more than doubled, according to federal data. Nearly half a million Americans die early each year as a result of excess body weight, according to estimates in a 2022 Lancet study.
The anti-diet approach essentially shifts accountability for the health crisis away from the food industry for creating ultraprocessed junk foods laden with food additives, sugars and artificial sweeteners.
Anti-diet messaging
Amy Cohn, General Mills’ senior manager for nutrition and external affairs, promoted the cereal company’s antidiet messaging to a room of registered dietitians at a national food conference last fall, denouncing the media for “pointing the finger at processed foods” and making consumers feel ashamed of their choices.
“You can help derail the cycle of shame,” she said.
During the session Kathryn Lawson, a registered dietitian and director of regulatory and scientific affairs at the food giant Nestlé, tweeted: “People need to feel heard and seen to help break the cycle of shame when it comes to losing weight and eating.”
At least 10 registered dietitians promoted General Mills’ cereals in TikTok and Instagram posts last year, tagging the company in their posts. Some show off personalised Cheerios boxes adorned with their names while denouncing “food shaming” of ready-to-eat cereals.
Ina separate TikTok video published in November 2023, the self-described “antidiet” dietitian Cara Harbstreet promoted the company’s “Big G” cereals, including sugary brands such as Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Cocoa Puffs.
“I will always advocate for fearlessly nourishing meals, including cereal,” she told followers in the video, labelled “#sponsored”, and disclosed that she was working with General Mills. “Because everyone deserves to enjoy food without judgment, especially kids.”
Harbstreet said in an email she was “no longer actively partnering” with General Mills.
Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, who recently co-sponsored legislation to help establish more prominent nutrition labelling on food packages,said food companies’ adoption of anti-diet messaging is especially pernicious.
“I think it is really reprehensible for the food industry to prey on the vulnerabilities of people who suffer from diabetes or obesity or diseases that are caused by excessive sugar, fat and perhaps other ingredients that do them harm,” Blumenthal said. “To tell people they should be proud of eating the wrong things, that’s hardly doing them a service.”
Industry support
This past fall, following a separate Washington Post and Examination investigation, the Federal Trade Commission cracked down on industry trade groups and a dozen nutrition influencers, flagging nearly three dozen social media posts it said failed to clearly disclose who was paying the influencers to promote artificial sweeteners or sugary foods. Numerous food companies continue to sponsor social media ads by outspoken anti-diet dietitians. Dietitian Colleen Christensen posted a video of herself eating Rocky Road ice cream on her TikTok account @no.food.rules, in which she mocks low-calorie alternatives. She has made ads for pancake makers Kodiak Cakes and Premier Protein to her 300,000 followers.
Lauren Smith, who calls herself a “food freedom dietitian” on TikTok, has posted ads for frozen pizza from a gluten-free brand, Banza, and for a high-protein snack company, Lorissa’s Kitchen, to her more than 70,000 followers.
Christensen didn’t respond to requests for comment. Smith said she only partners with brands she uses herself and that align with her nutrition philosophy.
Harbstreet also has posted ads for lowcalorie sweetener Truvia, Barilla pasta and cake icing brand Ask For Whipped, owned by Rich Foods.
Cargill, the parent company for Truvia, said in an email the company does not focus on the anti-diet movement. “We engage with dietitians across diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise,” they wrote.
A spokesperson for Kodiak Cakes said in an email, “We have always seen beyond of-the-moment trends and prioritise the importance of protein and whole grains in a healthy, balanced lifestyle.”
Banza, Lorissa’s Kitchen, Rich Foods, Barilla and BellRing, which owns Premier Protein, did not respond to requests for comment.
The food industry’s close relationship with dietitians was on full display last fall in Denver at the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo, the world’s largest gathering of registered dietitians.
Dietitians waited in line to climb a giant yellow General Mills cereal box and slide into a bowl of plushie Cheerios.