Breaking Generational Diet Culture: Eating Disorder Recovery in Murray, Utah
Maybe I'm the First Woman in My Bloodline to Stop Chasing Thinness
Not long ago, I posted something that made me think deeply: Maybe I'm the first woman in my bloodline to eat the milkshake without guilt.
It sounds small. It isn't.
My grandmother spent most of her life dieting. So did my mom. Neither of them was doing anything wrong. They were doing what the culture taught them to do, and what their mothers taught them before that. Somewhere along the line, shrinking became the family inheritance.
How Diet Culture Gets Passed Down
Most of us never sit down and decide to hate our bodies. We learn it, usually long before we have words for it:
Hearing a parent talk about "being bad" for eating dessert
Watching someone we love skip meals, "make up for" eating, or comment on their own body in the mirror
Learning that food has moral value, that "good" foods earn you worth and "bad" foods cost you
Being praised for shrinking, or being quietly corrected for taking up space
Kids absorb all of it. The result is a cycle of body shame and food restriction that can show up as disordered eating, chronic dieting, or an eating disorder in the next generation.
Why This Matters for Eating Disorder Recovery
As a registered dietitian and certified eating disorder specialist, I see this pattern every week. Clients come in believing their struggle with food is a personal failing. Often, it's a learned family script, and a script can be rewritten.
Recovery isn't only about food. It's about:
Unlearning the belief that your worth is tied to your body size
Rebuilding trust with your hunger, fullness, and cravings through intuitive eating and food freedom
Learning emotional skills to sit with discomfort without punishing yourself
Deciding what you want to hand down instead
What Breaking the Cycle Actually Looks Like
I used to think a big dramatic moment would mark the end of diet culture in my family. But breaking the cycle looks surprisingly ordinary:
A milkshake with no guilt
A hike where you don't count steps to see if it was "enough"
A meal you enjoy without calculating how to make up for it later
A body that gets to just be a body, with no punishment attached
Not because I stopped caring about myself, but because I started caring about myself. I decided my life was worth more than trying to make my body smaller.
How We Help at Kayla Jessop Nutrition
In our practice, we encourage clients to ask an important question: What do I want to teach the next generation?
Whether you're a parent worried about what your kids are picking up, or an adult still carrying messages from childhood, you can be the first generation to do it differently. Our approach includes:
Eating disorder recovery nutrition counseling with a registered dietitian and certified eating disorder specialist
RO DBT skills classes to build emotional flexibility and connection
Intuitive eating and anti-diet support for chronic dieters and people healing their relationship with food
We offer in-person eating disorder dietitian services in Murray, Utah and Ogden, Utah, along with virtual appointments for clients across the state.
Ready to Be the First?
You don't have to keep carrying what was handed to you. If you're ready to heal your relationship with food and your body, and maybe change what your family passes down, we'd love to help.
Call us today at 801-210-1416 or visit our website to schedule a consultation.