What Better Way to Spread Anti-Diet Messages Than by Writing Them on COOKIES?

"I started putting quotes on my cookies from people who truly inspired me the last few months. This little project was so much fun that it took on a life of its own. Altogether, I made 18 different cookies."

"If you were to add up how much of your resources you've spent on diet plans, programs, pills, potions, and other diet-related products, what do you think that total would be? But the truth is that you have the perfect body already and regardless of your size (or whatever is holding you back), you're already enough to live your life to the fullest. Your size doesn't determine whether or not you get to become the person that you truly want to be. So stop wasting your precious time and energy obsessing about the foods you are or are not 'allowed' to have and live the life of your dreams."

"In my opinion the growth of new diet trends is alarming. And also the fact that each of these diets claims to be 'the only one.' Where are we heading to? To health? To happiness? I'd rather doubt that."

"Diets are messing with your internal cues and make you stop trusting yourself. Ignoring your hunger is not going to result in weight loss (at least not in the long run) or happiness. But when you say no to diet culture, you say yes to health and caring for your body."

"If you still hope to become lean, happy, and healthy by dieting, you can just as well start to believe in unicorns. The chances of meeting one are probably better than solving your food issues with another diet."

"I was taught that restriction eventually leads to weight loss. I was 12 years old and I was horribly wrong. Our culture blames the individual for the 'inability' to portion control and restrict. But the research is very clear: restricting food leads to increased food obsessions, feeling out of control around food, and can lead to overeating and bingeing. . . . Dieting doesn't lead to weight loss, it actually predicts gaining weight."

"Sharing meals is social glue for humans. Food is a social tool. But if you reduce eating to (healthy) nutrition and macronutrients and calories (and consequently guilt and shame), you take away the important social, emotional, and psychological functions that food has for humans. So, just EAT - because food is more than just nutrients. Food is emotions, food is a comfort, food is a way to feel connected. And that is more than OK – it's by design."

"Let's remember that health and well-being is an integrative approach that considers more than just the food we eat. So stop blaming sugar or any other 'one' thing because demonising a single food is simply dangerous – and causes confusion that risks us cutting out vital foods."

"We are not born with these food judgements. They develop through years of dieting and exposure to messages in magazines, on television or from friends and family. These internal voices monitor your food choices and judge everything you eat (or don't eat) and even if you're not dieting, the inner food police are still present (often unconsciously). By permitting yourself to eat without restrictions, it takes away the urgency to overeat and you are able to make food choices based on health and satisfaction. Once these food police thoughts are gone, you can be interested in healthy eating with no hidden agenda."

"If you're too focussed on 'hiding' and 'fixing' your waist size, it fuels insecurities about body image and can literally kill your confidence. So take a very deep belly breath right now and inhale until that belly of yours is puffed right up!"⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

"It is widely believed that people in larger bodies are personally responsible for their weight because they 'just eat too much' or 'do not exercise enough.' This belief is a fundamental driver of weight bias, stigma and discrimination. Weight might be influenced by our behavioural choices, but it is not directly determined. Gaining weight is more complex than calories consumed and energy burned."

"The thing is, it's impossible to fail at intuitive eating. Unless you're going into it with a diet mindset, failure simply isn't a possible outcome. It's a journey, it's a learning process, it's scary sometimes and it's really hard to break diet mentality, but it's also incredibly rewarding and actually a lot of fun."

"Stressing about food and being oppressed by self-imposed restriction doesn't make you healthier. I had to learn that the hard way. So stop labelling foods as 'good' or 'bad.' There is NO SUCH THING. Or as @chr1styharrison says in her fabulous new book 'Anti-diet:' 'Life beyond diet culture is about having a variety and balance in your food choices, and about getting your needs met, both for nutrients and for satisfaction and pleasure.'"

"If you feel out of control around certain foods, it's probably because you've forbidden yourself to eat it. Letting go of food guilt and eating whatever you want is actually the healthiest food move you can make. So just enjoy your cookie!"