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By: Megan Samuels, MSW, LCSW-C, Eating Disorder and Trauma Therapist  Halloween is an exciting time of year—for kids and adults. Whether it’s the creativity behind costumes, the spooky decorations, or the seasonal treats (hello, donuts with little spider-shaped sprinkles), the whole month of October is filled with festive fun. But lurking behind the jack-o’-lanterns and haunted houses is something that’s not just spooky—it’s harmful: diet culture. Diet culture creeps into our holidays, tricking us into believing that food must be earned, candy is dangerous, and our bodies must shrink to be celebrated. And during Halloween, it shows up in subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways that can dampen the joy of the season. Let’s take a closer look at how diet culture sneaks in during Halloween—and how we can reclaim the holiday as one that’s full of celebration, not shame. How Diet Culture Haunts Halloween 1. Limiting How Much Candy We “Should” Eat One of the most common ways diet culture shows up on Halloween? Telling ourselves or our kids how much candy is “too much.” But research shows that restricting food often increases cravings and makes the restricted food even more appealing (Harrison, 2019). When we encourage people—especially children—to use their natural hunger and fullness cues, we promote intuitive eating and build trust in the body. Halloween is a perfect opportunity to normalize eating candy without guilt or fear. 2. Feeling Pressure to Lose Weight for Costumes Costumes should be about creativity and fun—not conforming to unrealistic body standards. Yet, diet culture often tells us that we need to change our bodies in order to “deserve” wearing certain outfits. If you’ve felt pressure to lose weight for Halloween, ask yourself: Where is this pressure coming from? And what would it feel like to show up in the body you have today, just as you are? Spoiler alert: You’re allowed to celebrate exactly as you are—no size change required. 3. Offering “Healthier” Alternatives to Candy While variety is great, handing out “healthier” snacks like raisins, protein bars, or sugar-free items in place of candy—especially with commentary about sugar or health—can unintentionally send a message that fun foods are “bad.” Let’s break this down: most candy contains carbohydrates and fats—two macronutrients our bodies need. Carbs give us quick energy, and fats help us feel full and support vital body functions. Candy isn’t the enemy—it’s just food. How to Reclaim Halloween from Diet Culture 1. Find Joyful Distractions from Diet Talk If you’re around friends or family members who bring up dieting or weight during Halloween, it’s okay to disengage. Instead, immerse yourself in activities that spark joy: watching a Halloween movie, playing festive music, decorating pumpkins, or dressing up your pet (arguably the best Halloween tradition). You don’t have to explain or justify your boundaries—you can just enjoy the holiday your way. 2. Learn and Share What You Know Knowledge is power. Reading anti-diet books or listening to intuitive eating podcasts can help you better understand the ways diet culture shows up—and how to push back against it. If it feels safe and welcome, share what you’re learning with others. Many people perpetuate diet culture simply because they’ve never been taught another way. A little education can go a long way—but remember, not everyone is ready to hear it, and that’s okay too. 3. Practice Intuitive Eating (and Model It) Halloween is a great time to practice a more intuitive relationship with food. What does that look like? Eating candy without shame. Listening to your cravings and hunger cues. Resisting the urge to label foods as “good” or “bad.” When we trust ourselves around food—and let others see that trust in action—we’re planting seeds for a culture that values body autonomy, not restriction. In fact, intuitive eating has been associated with positive health outcomes such as lower cardiovascular risk, improved body image, and reduced risk for eating disorders (Harrison, 2019). Final Thoughts Halloween should be a time of joy, creativity, and connection—not judgment or guilt. Diet culture has a way of turning something sweet into something stressful—but it doesn’t have to be that way. This year, give yourself permission to enjoy the candy, the costumes, the chaos—and to fully participate in the fun without diet culture whispering in your ear. Because the scariest thing about Halloween shouldn’t be the calories. It’s the lie that your body isn’t good enough. Schedule a FREE 15-minute consultation to explore how eating disorder therapy or recovery coaching can help you to find freedom. 🌟 Available in MD, VA, DC, PA, FL, and CA for eating disorder therapy 🌍 Offering recovery coaching worldwide The Eating Disorder Center is a premier outpatient eating disorder therapy center founded by Jennifer Rollin. We specialize in helping children, teens, and adults struggling with anorexia, binge eating disorder, bulimia, OSFED, and body image issues. We provide eating disorder therapy in Rockville, MD, easily accessible to individuals in Potomac, North Potomac, Bethesda, Olney, Silver Spring, Germantown, and Washington, D.C. We also provide eating disorder therapy in Arlington, Virginia and virtually throughout Virginia. Additionally, we offer eating disorder therapy virtually in Florida, Pennsylvania, and California. We provide eating disorder and EMDR trauma therapy in Rockville, Maryland and virtually throughout Maryland and Virginia. We provide eating disorder recovery coaching via Zoom to people worldwide. Connect with us through our website at www.theeatingdisordercenter.com
References: Harrison, C. (2019). Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness Through Intuitive Eating. Little, Brown Spark.
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By: Jennifer Rollin, LCSW-C, Therapist & Founder of The Eating Disorder Center  At The Eating Disorder Center we provide some eating disorder therapy sessions in our office in Rockville, Maryland, as well as eating disorder therapy virtually throughout Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Florida, and Pennsylvania. We also offer virtual eating disorder recovery coaching with our coaches, worldwide. So What Are The Benefits of Virtual Therapy For Eating Disorders? 1. Convenience. -Virtual therapy clients do not have to commute, sit in traffic, or worry about parking. They simply have to open their laptop or computer on the appointed day and time and log on. This is super convenient especially for those with busy schedules who do not have time for the additional commute. 2. Flexibility. -Due to not having to commute, clients may have more flexibility with appointment times. For instance, even if they are working an office job-some clients chose to do their appointments from their car or an empty room at work during their lunch hour. 3. Accessibility. -Some clients may not live close by to an eating disorder specialist. Accessing therapy virtually enables clients who live in remote areas or not near our office to work with one of the top eating disorder therapists-from the comfort of their own home. 4. Effective. -In our many years of experience providing both virtual and in person therapy we have found virtual therapy to be just as effective in helping clients to recover from eating disorders. -Research also supports that virtual therapy can be just as effective (Hilty et al., 2013; Prescott et al., 2022; Zhou et al., 2021). 5. Ability for additional and creative interventions for recovery. -Another cool thing about virtual therapy is that we can utilize additional interventions that might not be possible in the office. When appropriate and if you are interested, you can take us into your kitchen, fridge, or closet-for instance. We can also do a session while you are preparing food or eating a meal. -And we can do creative exposure therapy assignments for example, taking us into your closet and donating clothing that is too small. 6. Comfort. -Virtual therapy sessions can occur in the comfort of your own environment. You can have a familiar blanket, pet, scented candle, etc. nearby during therapy sessions. -This can be helpful for some clients who struggle to talk about difficult topics. Who Wouldn't be a Good Fit for Virtual Therapy?
An Additional Tip For Virtual Therapy Sessions: If you live in a home or apartment with other people and are concerned that they might hear what you are talking about in sessions-we have a trick to help with that! Therapists frequently use sound machines in their office and they are pretty affordable on Amazon. Simply put one outside of your door (or a loud fan works too) and this will muffle the sound so that you have more privacy. Reach Out For Virtual Eating Disorder Therapy! My own experience as a client: While, I am now recovered from an eating disorder and no longer meet with an eating disorder specialist-I go to therapy to process day to day stressors. As a client I've done both in person and virtual therapy and to be perfectly honest, I've made more progress and also prefer virtual therapy sessions. Now, I think the progress part is related to the provider’s clinical experience regarding the therapists that I saw-in my own experience that mattered more for me as a client than whether it was virtual or in person. However, I am also a busy professional (and mom to a toddler!) and I much prefer the convenience of logging in during the middle of my work day vs. having to commute, drive and park somewhere for my own therapy sessions. This takes up far less time for me and since I've found online therapy to be just as effective-this is my preference. Schedule a FREE 15-minute consultation to explore how eating disorder therapy or recovery coaching can help you to find freedom. 🌟 Available in MD, VA, DC, PA, FL, and CA for eating disorder therapy 🌍 Offering recovery coaching worldwide The Eating Disorder Center is a premier outpatient eating disorder therapy center founded by Jennifer Rollin. We specialize in helping children, teens, and adults struggling with anorexia, binge eating disorder, bulimia, OSFED, and body image issues. We provide eating disorder therapy in Rockville, MD, easily accessible to individuals in Potomac, North Potomac, Bethesda, Olney, Silver Spring, Germantown, and Washington, D.C. We also provide eating disorder therapy in Arlington, Virginia and virtually throughout Virginia. Additionally, we offer eating disorder therapy virtually in Florida, Pennsylvania, and California. We provide eating disorder and EMDR trauma therapy in Rockville, Maryland and virtually throughout Maryland and Virginia. We provide eating disorder recovery coaching via Zoom to people worldwide. Connect with us through our website at www.theeatingdisordercenter.com
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The Eating Disorder CenterWe are a premier outpatient eating disorder therapy center in Rockville, Maryland.
We also provide eating disorder recovery coaching to people worldwide via Zoom. Click here to book your free 15 minute phone consultation! Phone: 301-246-6856 Email: [email protected] Archives
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