Nina Kaufmann

Harmful diet mentality is deeply ingrained in our culture. It encompasses the pattern of starting new diets (or “lifestyles”) over and over again, “falling off track”, feeling guilty and like a failure, then starting again – founded on the belief that you need to be thin or achieve a certain weight to be able to be healthy, lovable, successful, happy (and more).

Steeped in diet mentality, you learn to believe that you can only be worthy and healthy if you “stick to” many rigid food rules. Diet mentality may show up as you labeling foods as “good” or “bad”, and feeling guilty and ashamed if you eat “bad” foods, or it may show up as counting calories, or weighing and tracking your food.

Why Is Diet Mentality So Harmful?

Diet mentality keeps you stuck in endless cycles of restriction, shame and guilt. Of course, having all these food rules disconnectss you from your body’s natural cues. Instead of noticing and honoring your hunger, fullness and satisfaction, you’re obligated to follow rigid food rules. More often than not, this approach leads to overeating, binge eating, constant food noise, feeling guilty around food, and eventually it ruins your relationship with food and your body – lowering your self-esteem.

Not to mention it takes away the entire pleasure aspect of eating; nobody can truly enjoy their food steeped in such guilt and shame.

Detrimental for your mental and physical health, diet mentality can be difficult to let go of – and sometimes even recognize.

How to Recognize Diet Mentality

Some beliefs that show you’re caught in diet mentality include:

• Feeling guilty after eating certain foods that you’ve learned to label as “bad”
• Believing you must “burn off” what you eat through exercise, or earn your dessert by “hitting the gym”
• Thinking you’ve failed if you don’t stick perfectly to a some meal plan
• Judging your day as “good” or “bad” based on food choices, and letting your food choices dictate the way you feel about yourself
• Avoiding social events because there might not be “healthy” foods available, or studying the restaurant menu before going there to find the lowest calorie option

Recognizing these thoughts is the first step toward letting go.
Take some time, maybe grab a journal and be honest with yourself – ask yourself what motivates you when you’re choosing foods to eat.
Do you consider the taste, the pleasure, or are you primarily motivated by calorie content, fat or carb amount in the foods, and the labels of “good” or “bad” food?
Do you allow yourself to eat foods you truly enjoy, or does eating delicious but “bad” foods make you feel guilty?

And don’t forget exercise; diet mentality is mostly affecting how you approach food but also how you move your body! Try journaling about your motivation behind exercising; do you choose ways to move your body that are fun and bring you joy, or do you work out just to “burn off fat” and deserve your next meal? Is working out something you want to do, or are you hating every moment but feel like you must work out to lose weight?

Mindset Shifts to Let Go of Diet Mentality

Letting go of diet mentality might take a while, and it’s definitely a journey that will require your awareness. Being mindful of your thoughts and beliefs will allow you to choose differently.

Through the process of letting go, please keep in mind that it’s not a linear journey – some days you’ll feel like you’re nailing it, and other days you’ll feel like snuggling under your blanket and disappearing for the day. This doesn’t mean you’ve failed – there is no failing in intuitive eating, it just means you get another learning opportunity.

So let’s consider a couple of useful mindset shifts that might (not to be dramatic, but) change your life:

1. Food has no moral value: Eating a cookie does not make you “bad,” just like eating a salad does not make you “good.” Food is fuel, pleasure, and connection – it says nothing about who you are as a person. Read this article to stop labeling foods as “good” or “bad”. Ultimately, the guilt, shame and stress of labeling foods and all the rules is worse for your long-term health than any ice-cream could ever be!

2. Listen to your body: Instead of asking, “What should I eat?” try asking yourself, “What would feel good right now?” Your body holds more wisdom than any diet plan. Yes, in the beginning this might feel impossible, which is why I deeply recommend working with me – I promise, having a professional guidance will make everything so much easier and smoother! And if you sign up till end of September, you get one session completely for free!

3. Focus on progress, not perfection: As I’ve mentioned, healing your relationship with food is a journey – and not a linear one. Some days will feel easier than others, and that’s completely normal. It’s the way life is, your job is to give yourself as much compassion as you can. With my clients, I always find the best approach to make sure they’re compassionate and gentle with themselves is asking them how would they react if their best friend had such a day. Use that trick!

4. Movement for fun and pleasure: With time, aim to shift from exercising to punish your body and deserve a meal (you never ever need to deserve your food) to moving in ways that feel good, energizing, and sustainable. Best companion on this journey is my very well loved course Body Positivity In Fitness – it will guide you every step of the way.

5. Trust yourself: Work on believing that you can be around any food without “losing control”. I know, this might sound completely unattainable – after all, every single one of my clients thought this “might be possible for other people, but certainly not for them” (spoiler alert: it was possible for them and it’s possible for you too :)). However, the more you allow yourself to regularly enjoy all your favorite foods, the less power they hold over you. With time, you’ll notice it’s much easier to stop eating chocolate when you know you’re allowed to enjoy some later or tomorrow again, if you feel like it.

Embracing Intuitive Eating

Obviously, intuitive eating is the perfect antidote for diet mentality. With intuitive eating, you’ll focus on rebuilding trust with your body, noticing your hunger, fullness and satisfaction and taking care of your health, gently, with kindness.

Intuitive eating offers you a way to nourish yourself long-term, sustainably and holistically – understanding that true health is way more than food!

Want the Best Support On Your Healing Journey?

If you are tired of feeling stuck in the guilt and shame cycle around food, I would love to support you. Working with me is rooted in intuitive eating and self-compassion, helping you reconnect with your body’s wisdom and find peace with food so that you can achieve true, long-term health!

SPECIAL SEPTEMBER OFFER: If you sign up to work with me in September, you get one completely FREE session!

Book a free discovery call with me and let us explore how you can create a relationship with food that feels calm, joyful, and nourishing.

Together, we’ll:

• Unpack and heal the root causes of your food struggles.
• Gently release the harmful diet rules and beliefs.
• Rebuild your relationship with your body and food.
• Learn health and nutrition tools that actually work for you, not against you.

Clients often tell me they go from obsessing over food and feeling like they “can’t be trusted” to finally enjoying meals again; in peace, in balance, and without guilt. And that’s all I want for you, being able to live a full, happy, healthy life!

Book a free discovery call today, and let’s see how intuitive eating coaching can help you feel more at home in your body; no more diets, guilt, or stress.
I offer different packages so working with me can fit your lifestyle and your budget. Check them out here.

SPECIAL SEPTEMBER OFFER: If you sign up to work with me in September, you get one completely FREE session!

Book Your Free Discovery Call Today

What It Looks Like to Work with Me

Each client’s journey is unique, but here’s a bit of a framework on how we’ll work together:

• Free Discovery Call – No-pressure chat to see if we’re a good fit. No strings attached!
• 1:1 Coaching Sessions – In-depth, 60-90 minute sessions focused on intuitive eating, mindset shifts, and practical strategies, individualized for your specific needs.
• Unlimited Messaging Support – Have questions, concerns or breakthroughs between sessions? I’ve got you covered.
• Workbooks and Practical Exercises – Tools to help you integrate intuitive eating into your daily life; whether we’re talking intuitive eating journals, gentle nutrition guides or coping with your emotions tools!
• Ongoing Guidance and Accountability – Support that flows with your needs, every step of the way. I’m here to listen—while I will offer insights and advice, I recognize that you’re the expert of your body and your experience. Therefore, everything we work through will be centered around your needs.

Or in the words of my client, “Nina helped me change my relationship with food in a way I never thought it could be possible. She gave me life long tools to empower myself and my health.“

Book Your Free Discovery Call Today

Take the first step toward food freedom: my coaching packages start at just 97€!

SPECIAL SEPTEMBER OFFER: If you sign up to work with me in September, you get one completely FREE session!