Today’s dinner bell far too often rings in stress, anxiety, and guilt rather than enjoyment and peace of mind. Perceived out-of-control eating is a lamentably common experience, giving rise to the concept of “food addiction.” Hyper-palatable fare such as pizza, ice cream, or chips tend to appear as commonly villainized culprits, and proponents call attention to the inability to stop eating these types of foods, feelings of withdrawal in their absence, and heightened neurological activity with their consumption. Since anxiety around food, dieting, and disordered eating run rampant in our culture, critically examining “food addiction” theory in this context ultimately discredits both its framework and implications.
1 Comment
Our culture has added a bitter new ingredient to chocolate cake’s traditional flour, sugar, butter, and salt. As if whisked into the batter and baked at 350 degrees, guilt can divert satisfaction and enjoyment from every bite. When was the last time you attended a celebratory event without overhearing contrite declarations of prolonged workouts, pledges to tomorrow’s 30-day cleanse, or laments about how dessert will negatively affect the body?
Under the guise of health, these comments are pervasive, normalized, and societally sanctioned. From social media influencers to fitness magazines to well-intentioned family and friends, we hear that sugar is unequivocally unhealthy and harmful. Before eschewing your favorite sweet treat in the name of health, here are a few considerations to take into account. Before and after photos readily collect likes, approval, and undisputed praise. A social media darling, they most often display a melancholy figure juxtaposed with a smaller, happier version of him or herself. The passionate caption accompanying the image tells of a life revitalized and of health restored. The underlying message is clear: You, as you are today, are inadequate. Your best self is right around the corner. You are the before photo, and magnificent transformation awaits.
Hypothalamic amenorrhea, or absent menstrual cycles, is far too often missed, misdiagnosed, or misunderstood among medical professionals and athletic communities. Doctors commonly prescribe birth control pills or tell women not to worry about not having a period, but emerging research reveals that neither one of these solutions bodes well for longterm health and wellbeing. A natural and regular period serves many purposes beyond having children, and today's blog explains why.
Our guest blogger, Nicola Rinaldi, wrote No Period. Now What? with co-authors Stephanie Buckler and Lisa Sanfilippo Waddell to help educate women about what's really happening when a period goes missing. Her passionate activism and research guides countless women in regaining their fertility, breaking free from diet culture, healing broken body image, and moving toward authentic, sustainable health. Enjoy a taste of Nicola's wisdom and expertise in Nutrition for Good's first ever guest blog post! How often do nutrition experts sing the praises of kale, quinoa, and chia seed pudding? Rhetoric encircling our nation’s health declares that the chronic conditions ailing us today are chiefly preventable, bolstering the paradigm of personal choice. You can take control of your health, we hear. Just channel that inner discipline and eat your vegetables.
Sitting down to a bowl of coconut milk chia seed pudding sweetened with a touch of organic maple syrup and fair trade dark chocolate cocoa powder, I cannot ignore another pivotal ingredient I taste: privilege. Negative body and diet talk have become a normalized, socially acceptable form of camaraderie among women in our culture. You’d be hard pressed to go even a day without overhearing, reading, or participating in conversations surrounding bodies, exercise regimens, and restrictive diets – those of others and of our own.
These complaints, criticisms, and comparisons rest upon the assumption that a woman’s physical form determines her identity, value, and health. They universalize the understanding that striving to emulate the media’s idea of perfection is both our duty as women and a worthy use of energy, money, and time. To be female, in other words, is to be a work in progress and to be perpetually insecure. In such a climate, refusing to participate in body talk is a courageous and healing act. “She called it a cheat meal, I just called it eating.” The caption’s accompanying image showed his wife lifting a glistening slice of pepperoni pizza from the table, the classic strand of gooey cheese trailing behind. From social media nutrition gurus to your next-door neighbor to this Instagrammer’s wife, many women (and increasingly men) carefully plan and designate specific times to break their strict food rules…to ‘cheat’ on their diet.
We have much to learn from this young man’s comment. His mentality may just bring us closer to a healthier relationship with food, our bodies, and ourselves. At the very least, this perspective begs the question: Is your cheat meal is actually cheating you from moving toward genuine well-being and compassionate self-care? A quick Google search of ‘getting your body back’ yields approximately 129 million results in .56 seconds. Here are a few highlights (or, perhaps more fitting, lowlights):
Do you need to get your body back? The media gives a resounding, "YES!! And purchase our product to do so!" I fully agree that it's high time to get your body back...only not in the way culture insists. When I say I am a nutritionist and certified Integrative Health Coach, many people hear Weight Loss Coach. This association is understandable, considering our culture’s perception of health. The widely accepted ‘weight equals health’ paradigm coupled with the media’s glorification of the thin ideal leads us to believe that, with very few exceptions, losing weight brings forth health, beauty, and well-deserved accolades. Caustic rhetoric encircling ‘the war on obesity’ cannot help but instill fear of weight gain while characterizing people living in larger bodies as unprincipled, undisciplined, and unhealthy. But what does the research say when we treat weight and health as separate variables rather than an inextricably linked pair? Today, let’s find out if the ‘weight equals health’ framework withstands scientific scrutiny to answer the million dollar question: Is thinner always better when it comes to health?
What do yoga classes, horseback riding, and community service all have in common? Liability waivers. From warning that the activity "requires physical exertion" to noting that the company "assumes no responsibility for injury or loss of personal property," liability waivers inform participants of possible risks and damages while absolving businesses from legal action against them. When it comes to restrictive diet plans and rigid food rules, however, rarely are potential hazards addressed. Before starting a new diet, let's imagine what a Release of Liability Waiver might look like for one of our culture's most celebrated pursuits.
|