I am going to say something that may make some people uncomfortable: I believe we have been trained to eat for approval instead of energy. Approval from a scale. Approval from a culture obsessed with shrinking bodies. Approval from systems that profit when we feel broken. And when approval becomes the goal, energy quietly disappears.
I refuse to accept the idea that constant fatigue is normal. I refuse to accept that blood sugar crashes, brain fog, and mid-afternoon burnout are just part of adulthood. I believe those symptoms are signals. They are messages from a body asking for stability, asking for nourishment, asking to be supported instead of managed.
The cost of eating for validation
When you eat for approval, your nervous system never fully relaxes. Every meal becomes a calculation. Every bite becomes a negotiation. I have seen how that quiet stress reshapes physiology over time. Cortisol rises. Blood sugar swings. Insulin signaling becomes less efficient. You cannot build metabolic resilience while simultaneously living in metabolic threat.
In Your Body Remembers What You Forget, I wrote about how the body stores what we suppress. Hunger ignored does not disappear. It compounds. Fatigue dismissed does not resolve. It accumulates. When we override our biological cues in pursuit of aesthetics or social validation, we disconnect from the intelligence designed to protect us.
I cannot ignore the pattern: the more rigid the diet culture becomes, the more exhausted people become. That is not a coincidence.
Energy is built, not earned
I want to be clear about something. Nourishing your body is not indulgent. It is not weakness. It is not lack of discipline. Energy is not something you earn by deprivation. It is something you build through consistency.
Metabolic resilience is the body’s ability to adapt — to move between fed and fasted states without crashing, to respond to stress without spiraling, to maintain stable energy without constant stimulation. That kind of flexibility requires adequate protein, balanced carbohydrates, healthy fats, micronutrients, and rhythm. It requires regular eating patterns that support blood sugar stability instead of chaos.
I believe this is why extreme dieting fails so many people. The body does not thrive on shock. It thrives on support. It thrives on steady input. It thrives on safety.
This concern about nourishment is not theoretical. The MAHA Report, Make Our Children Healthy Again, an official federal assessment of rising chronic disease trends in American children, identifies dietary patterns — particularly the increasing reliance on ultra-processed foods — as one of several contributing drivers of declining health. It is an assessment document, not a dietary guide, but its findings underscore something critical: when food quality deteriorates, health outcomes follow. That reality reinforces the importance of returning to real nourishment as a foundation for energy and long-term wellbeing.
Rhythm over extremes
Diet culture sells intensity. Cleanse cycles. Shrinking windows. “All or nothing” eating plans. But I have seen over and over that intensity creates instability. In Detox Nation: Why Cleansing Is a Revolutionary Act, I explained that true detoxification is about reducing burden while strengthening natural systems — not shocking the body into compliance. The same principle applies to metabolism. Consistency builds resilience. Extremes build fragility.
When we eat consistently, include balanced macronutrients, respect hunger cues, and stop moralizing food, something shifts. Blood sugar stabilizes. Cravings soften. Energy evens out. The nervous system settles. And perhaps most importantly, the internal war quiets. I have watched people reclaim clarity simply by eating regularly and adequately.
Reversing the damage
If we are serious about reversing diet culture’s impact, we have to shift the framework entirely. Stop equating your worth with intake. Prioritize protein and fiber to support blood sugar stability. Eat at intervals that prevent extreme hunger. Reduce ultra-processed foods that spike glucose and inflame tissues. Build strength through movement that supports muscle mass instead of punishing your body.
Most importantly, ask a different question. Instead of “Will this make me smaller?” ask, “Will this support steady energy?” That question changes the relationship. It moves you from chasing approval to building resilience.
I believe we will not reclaim our health until we reclaim our relationship with food. I believe we deserve steady energy. I believe metabolic stability is a form of sovereignty. And I refuse to accept a culture that tells us exhaustion is the price of discipline.
With love and truth,
—Donna 💚
Sources & Further Reading
1. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – “Carbohydrates and Blood Sugar”
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/carbohydrates-and-blood-sugar/
2. National Institutes of Health – “Metabolic Flexibility as an Adaptation to Energy Resources”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6093334/
3. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics – “Eating to Boost Energy”
https://www.eatright.org/health/wellness/healthful-habits/eating-to-boost-energy
4. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases – “Insulin Resistance & Prediabetes”
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes/prediabetes-insulin-resistance
