Prevention Starts with US!

We are constantly surrounded by diet culture; it has become an industry which thrives on vulnerable people. From the moment we learn to read, we are taught ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods. We’re told what an idea weight is. Social media forces a ‘perfect’ appearance on us.

Clean Eating! Diet Starts Tomorrow! Cutting out all Carbs!

In year five, I had an organisation come into our school and weigh us. The kids who were overweight received a letter forcing them into a fitness program during lunchtime. The shame and embarrassment I felt, when being taken from my friends in the playground to join in on a reenactment of a boot camp, for just being a couple points over the healthy BMI. We were only children, being reprimanded for not looking the same as others. The BMI has been proved to be inaccurate, yet professionals still use it to this day. Even ED clinicians use it to determine if you deserve treatment or not.

Because diet culture has been engrained in us for generations, some of us don’t even realise the damage ‘harmless’ comments can do. I hear people say things like ‘I had a naughty pizza last night’ or ‘I’m being good for now ready for summer’ all the time. Children are like sponges- hearing foods being labelled as good or bad, or even eating being seen as a reward, can have a detrimental effect on how we view food as we get older. As well as how we talk about our bodies. It’s okay to not love how we look, it’s normal to have insecurities. However, we should show appreciation for all our body does for us and focus on the things that we do like about ourselves- on the inside too. Show children that they are so much more than what they look like.

We should teach them the importance of food, and exercise. All food is good; it just varies in nutrients and calories. And you NEED things like carbs and fat to survive. We should be teaching what each nutrient does for our body; why protein is important, why bread gives us energy. Calories have been deemed as the devil for a long time, ever since humankind recognised a calorie deficit is the only beneficial way to lose weight. What we have forgotten, is that calories are actual energy, and what keep us alive. Too much of anything is bad for you but so is too little. Why are we teaching children to be cautious of something that is key to survival?

I saw a post on Instagram recently, titled: If your child is overweight/ underweight. And for both children, the advice was the same, as it should be. No matter your child's weight, you should:

- Prioritise 20-30 min family meals

- Do not discuss weight

- Set a meal and snack schedule

- Teach kids to listen to their bodies

- Start with small portions.

We weren’t put on this planet to shrink ourselves. There is so much more to life than dieting and changing our bodies. I lost the majority of my teenage years to a disordered mindset around food; instead of having fun and being a kid, I stayed in my room avoiding any situations involving food and staring at the mirror wondering why it never feels enough. And as a consequence, I will live the rest of my life battling this mindset.

Yes, eating disorders are more than a diet and wanting to lose weight. It’s a form of control, a safety blanket, comfort, an addiction and so much more. However, changing how we talk about food and our bodies reduces the risk factors of an ED being developed, and sometimes it can start off as an innocent diet in the first place.

Let’s put an end to toxic diet culture and start being mindful how we talk about food. Prevention is better than cure.