The media is partially to blame for disordered thoughts around food and weight. Almost every headline mentions how many calories a person will be having during the Thanksgiving meal -- even calling it “The Great American Cheat Day!” We are literally drowning in diet talk and diet culture all year round. For most of us, Thanksgiving is synonymous with family, festivities and feasting. While the … [Read more...] about The Great American “Cheat” Day”
Eating Disorders & Prevention
We Need Better Eating Disorder Representation
Eating disorders exist in all shapes and sizes, and we need to do a better job of representing people who suffer from eating disorders if we hope to dispel stigma and promote lasting recovery. The issue of eating disorder representation in the media has come up in the last year due to the highly controversial Netflix movie, To the Bone. People in eating disorder recovery circles and the Health at … [Read more...] about We Need Better Eating Disorder Representation
How to Be Anti-Diet in a Diet Culture World
Being "anti-diet" is counter-cultural! When I think about what it takes to maintain my anti-diet truth in this diet culture world, I get really, really mad. I get mad that I have to put in so much effort to protect myself from the world that I live in, and to protect my own mental health and my recovery. And I know that we all feel this struggle and frustration. One of my favorite quotes on … [Read more...] about How to Be Anti-Diet in a Diet Culture World
Finding the Gray: When Intuitive Eating and Eating Disorder Recovery Aren’t So Black & White
Written by Ashley Seruya, B.A. There’s a common refrain in intuitive eating and eating disorder recovery work: when am I going to be done? There’s this enduring idea that there’s an end point; an event or moment that you can look at and say, “Hey, here’s where it all was fixed!” But recovery and intuitive eating work isn’t like that. In fact, I would say life isn’t like that. Not one bit. … [Read more...] about Finding the Gray: When Intuitive Eating and Eating Disorder Recovery Aren’t So Black & White
To the Bone Trailer Chills to the Bone: Trigger Warning for Disordered Eating & Diet Behavior
The movie hasn't been released -- yet the trailer itself has created much controversy in the eating disorder community and press. In the first 9 seconds we see disordered eating behavior. By the end of the 2 minute & 23 second promo we have now seen at least 5 very serious eating disorder rituals, including calorie counting, excessive exercise and fluid intake, difficulty eating, body … [Read more...] about To the Bone Trailer Chills to the Bone: Trigger Warning for Disordered Eating & Diet Behavior
Should I be worried about my child’s weight?
I have seen an alarming trend in my nutrition therapy practice -- repeat customers. These customers are the kids, tweens, teens and families with childhood weight concerns I have worked with over the past decade. Here is what I am seeing -- eating disorders -- lots and lots of eating disorders. Anorexia, bulimia, binge and emotional eating, and unspecified poor relationships with food and body … [Read more...] about Should I be worried about my child’s weight?