Ep. 79: The Harm of Wellness Culture with Christy Harrison

Christy Harrison, a woman with long brown hair, red lipstick, and a black turtleneck, looks at the camera and smiles.

Anna Lutz and Elizabeth Davenport have a conversation with Christy Harrison, a journalist, registered dietitian, and certified intuitive eating counselor. Christy is the author of a new book, coming in April 2023, The Wellness Trap: Break Free from Diet Culture, Disinformation, and Dubious Diagnoses and Find Your True Well-Being.

They discuss:

  • The definition of wellness culture, how it differs from diet culture, and how the two are connected. 
  • The rise of wellness culture and what led to food and exercise becoming a large part of the tenets of wellness culture.
  • How wellness culture is an entry to disordered eating, and the ways in which this can affect new parents.
  • How wellness culture impacts kids and teens.
  • Advice for listeners to protect themselves and their kids and teens from wellness culture.

Links: 

Christy Harrison, MPH, RD, CEDS is a registered dietitian nutritionist, certified intuitive eating counselor, and journalist who has been covering food, nutrition, and health for more than 20 years. She is the author of two books, The Wellness Trap and Anti-Diet, and the producer and host of the podcasts Rethinking Wellness and Food Psych, which have helped tens of thousands of people around the world think critically about diet and wellness culture and develop more peaceful relationships with food. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, SELF, BuzzFeed, Refinery29, Gourmet, Slate, the Food Network, and many other publications, and her work is regularly featured in national print and broadcast media.