Abstract

Diet Culture is the pressure and concept in society that thinness is equivalent to health. Diets are promoted as a way to achieve this ideal of thinness and health. However, there are a variety of mental and physical health implications that can easily arise due to fad dieting. Fad diets are unsustainable methods of eating that cut out a large amount of nutrients and are highly unsustainable. The goal of fad diets is typically weight loss. Mental health can be severely impacted by participation in these diets as there is a connection to eating disorders, anxiety, depression, etc. In addition, physical health can also be greatly impacted as fad diets lead to undereating, nutrient deficiencies, and weight cycling. Quality of life and overall health are negatively impacted by fad diets and the pressure to partake in them from society. Therefore, these serious implications must be discussed to prevent harm to people’s health. For the purposes of this research, a survey was conducted asking participants about their experiences with diets and how they were affected by them from a mental health and physical health point of view. Overall, results demonstrated that the mental and physical health of many individuals were negatively impacted by fad diets.

Semester/Year of Award

Spring 2022

Mentor

Randi L. Polk

Mentor Department Affiliation

Language and Cultural Studies, Anthropology, and Sociology

Access Options

Restricted Access Thesis

Document Type

Bachelor Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Scholars

Degree Level

Bachelor's

Department

Language and Cultural Studies, Anthropology, and Sociology

IRB Approval Number (if applicable)

004423

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