The new year can be full of messages that make you feel like you are not enough, that you must be fixed, that your value is tied to your body, or that control is the way to peace. If you are in recovery from an eating disorder, these messages can be loud and painful. Recognize the lies and hold onto truth and hope in God’s Word. No one and no thing can change what He says.

Diet culture meaning: You are not enough as you are. You need to start over, fix yourself, and become smaller or better.
Reframe: I am already whole in God’s eyes. He says I am enough. Healing is a journey, not a reset button. I will focus on nourishing my spirit, emotions, and relationships.
Scripture: “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”– Psalm 139:14

Diet culture meaning: Your value is based on appearance. Success means shrinking your body. Smaller is better.
Reframe: My worth is not tied to a number. Healthy is relative, and right now my team is defining what that looks like for me. I know my Creator, and I will trust the frame He chose for me rather than the opinions of a society that worships thinness.
Scripture: “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” – Genesis 1:27

Diet culture meaning: Food is good or bad and holds moral value.
Reframe: Food is God’s unique and specific plan for fuel and nourishment. It is neither a punishment nor a reward. There are no good or bad foods. Food is simply food. All foods are safe, unless they are spoiled or I have a medical allergy. I choose to nourish my body well, according to what my team says I need.
Scripture: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” – 1 Corinthians 10:31

Diet culture meaning: Restriction and control will make you worthy or better.
Reframe: God planned for food to bring me pleasure, joy, and nourishment. His grace includes freedom, not control. I know that His plans are for my prospering, and I will trust Him.
Scripture: “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives.” – Isaiah 61:1

Diet culture meaning: You are a failure if you don’t start perfectly. Progress only counts if it’s exact.
Reframe: Healing is not all-or-nothing, nor is it linear. I will do the next right thing. Every step forward deserves celebration and recognition. Recovery takes as long as it takes, and that’s okay.
Scripture: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” – Lamentations 3:22-23

Diet culture meaning: Your body size defines happiness, success, and love.
Reframe: Peace, freedom, and joy come from God’s plan for relationships, self-compassion, and faith, not weight or appearance. I refuse to be controlled by a number on a scale.
Scripture: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” – Romans 12:2

Diet culture meaning: Eating is shameful. Control is necessary to be worthy.
Reframe: Your body deserves food and nourishment, because God said so, and it is His plan for me. God’s creation is good. Trusting God’s plans and the team He has placed around me is honoring and glorifying to Him, not shameful.
Scripture: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” - Jeremiah 29:11

Hold onto these truths this year. Diet culture is loud, but God’s Word is louder. You are loved, worthy, and fearfully made exactly as you are. Healing is possible, freedom is real, and you do not have to walk this journey alone.

At Charis Eating Disorder Care, we walk alongside you in recovery, reminding you that your value is found in God’s love, not in your body, your food, or the pressures of the world.

Here’s to choosing life in 2026. God is so good!