The Bible Actually Warns Us About Diet Culture
As a registered dietitian for Christians, people are often surprised when I say this:
Breaking away from diet culture is biblical.
I know that might sound like a bold statement.
But the more I study Scripture, the more convinced I become that many of the food rules we live by today have more in common with the world than with God.
In Colossians 2, Paul writes:
“Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”
And honestly?
That sounds a lot like modern diet culture.
Don’t eat carbs. Don’t eat after 7 PM. Don’t eat sugar. Don’t eat fruit because it’s “too high in sugar.” Don’t eat bread. Don’t eat processed foods. Don’t eat gluten. Don’t eat dairy.
Don’t eat, don’t taste, don’t touch.
The rules may have changed over the years, but the spirit behind them hasn’t.
Diet Culture Has an Appearance of Wisdom
One of the most fascinating verses in this passage says these rules:
“Have an appearance of wisdom.”
That phrase jumps off the page to me.
Because isn’t that exactly why so many of us follow them?
They sound wise. They sound responsible. They sound healthy. They sound like the “good Christian stewardship” thing to do.
But Paul warns us that these man-made rules often lead to the harsh treatment of the body.
And I see this reflecting on the narrative of the 90’s where it was very much going on, and I also see this every day in my counseling practice.
Women skipping meals because they’re trying to be “good.” Women afraid to eat a piece of birthday cake. Women over-exercising to earn food. Women feeling guilty for enjoying dinner with their family. Women obsessing over every ingredient and every macro.
From the outside, it looks disciplined.
But on the inside?
It’s exhausting.
When we try to stick to these man-made rules: restrict, restrict, restrict, it’s not preventing us from bingeing, overeating, or gluttonous behavior, it leads to indulgence.
Restriction Doesn’t Produce Freedom
Here’s the part that really gets me.
Paul says these rules:
“Lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.”
In other words:
The rules aren’t actually working.
The restriction isn’t creating freedom.
The restriction is often creating the very thing we’re trying to avoid.
This is something we see constantly in nutrition research.
Restricting foods often increases cravings. Food guilt often leads to overeating. The binge-restrict cycle keeps people trapped.
The harder we grip food rules, the more chaotic our relationship with food can become.
Not Everything Online Is Wisdom
One of the biggest challenges Christians face today is that we are constantly consuming nutrition information.
Every day there’s a new expert. A new influencer. A new diet. A new food to fear. A new ingredient that’s supposedly destroying your health.
And if we’re not careful, we can begin placing more trust in influencers than in God.
Just because someone has a platform doesn’t mean they have wisdom.
Just because someone had a personal experience doesn’t mean it’s universally true.
And just because something is trending doesn’t mean it’s biblical.
We need discernment.
Fear Is Not From God
One thing I notice repeatedly in the health space is fear.
Fear of gaining weight. Fear of carbs. Fear of sugar. Fear of seed oils. Fear of aging. Fear of eating the wrong thing. Fear of not being healthy enough.
But Scripture is clear:
God has not given us a spirit of fear.
And Jesus specifically tells us not to worry about what we will eat or drink.
So if fear is driving your health decisions, that’s a signal worth paying attention to.
Because fear and faith rarely sit in the driver’s seat together.
What If We Looked Up Instead?
Right after warning believers about human rules, Colossians 3 tells us:
“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
I love this.
Because so much of diet culture has us looking horizontally.
What are they eating? What workout are they doing? What supplement are they taking? How can I look like them?
But God invites us to look vertically.
To look up. To seek Him first. To ask Him for wisdom. To trust His design. To stop relying solely on our own understanding.
God’s Way Produces Peace
One of my favorite parts of this chapter is Colossians 3:15:
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.”
Paul reminds us that we were called to peace.
Not anxiety. Not obsession. Not constant second-guessing. Not food guilt. Not body shame.
Peace.
And I think that’s one of the clearest indicators of whether we’re walking with God in our health journey.
Does your approach to food produce peace?
Or does it produce chaos?
Because God is not the author of confusion.
You Don’t Need More Food Rules
You don’t need another list of foods you’re allowed to eat.
You don’t need another diet.
You don’t need another influencer telling you what to fear.
What you need is discernment.
What you need is wisdom.
What you need is partnership with the Holy Spirit.
Because eating biblically isn’t about following a rigid set of food rules.
It’s about learning to approach food with freedom, peace, gratitude, and trust in God.
It’s learning to ask:
“Lord, what would it look like to honor You with my eating today?”
Not from fear. Not from pressure. Not from guilt.
But from love.
Because when Jesus sets us free, He sets us free indeed.
He calls us to have a sound mind. To be free of anxiety regarding anything.
Trust in Jesus
He will set you free.