Why do your eating behaviors matter to other people?

When a person starts a new diet, it is often surprising how much resistance they receive from the people around them…resistance from their friends, family, and coworkers. Oddly, people may present strong judgements and feelings about your new eating behaviors. They may act defensive, feel indirectly judged for their own food choices, or they may feel inconvenienced by your food preferences, even if you didn’t ask them for changes or accommodations. Food has been tightly woven into many social interactions —it often plays a part in holiday traditions, celebrations, and in religious practices. Thus, breaking any of the social paradigms around food can be difficult. However, if you draw less attention to your different food choices, you will lessen the social disturbances they may have. If you act more relaxed about your diet, people will be more relaxed about your diet, but when you talk about your diet, you leave it open for discussion. Further, if you complain about your diet to those around you, they usually will be less supportive of your diet. If you don’t make your diet headline news, people will be less tempted to sabotage your diet. Your diet does not need to be your identity. Your diet is just the way you choose to eat.