Would I Feed This to a Friend?
I love this question.
And friend could also be a younger version of yourself, or a child in your life, or a sibling, or loved one, or simply an acquaintance.
When you’re making food choices, think about how you might nourish someone you love.
Think about what it would feel like to assemble an eating experience on behalf of that human.
Would you offer a pal a diet product?
Would you offer them a half-sized portion?
Would you suggest they stop eating before they’re satisfied?
Would you advise that they not eat a thing?
Or insist that they eat something they dislike?
Would you insist they follow meticulous rules?
Would you feed this to a friend if they came to visit your home?
All of my clients are kind humans AND all of my clients have interacted with food in a way they wouldn’t ask or encourage another human to.
Today, when you’re making food decisions, ask this question of yourself.
WOULD I FEED THIS TO A FRIEND?
If the answer is yes, awesome.
If the answer is no, what can you do to make your food choices more friendly?
Sweating is Normal
Sweating is normal.
Sweating is normal.
Sweating is normal.
This is a normal bodily function to help you regulate body temperature. Without this, one might experience heat stroke. Heatstroke is a medical emergency that can cause damage to internal organs and the brain. This can be fatal.
Sweating is better than not sweating.
If you’re comparing your summer body to a previous version of your summer body, and noticing that this one sweats more, I would argue that this one is more efficient at cooling itself off. Neat-o.
Juneteenth
I am sharing this information here, because although our Apple calendars now include Juneteenth as a recognized holiday, it is not yet, a nationally recognized holiday.
Four states, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota (I love you, you will always be home, and your politics devastate me.) and Hawaii, have yet to recognize it.
The US Senate passed a resolution to recognize this holiday last year, but the House has yet to approve it.
Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States.
President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.
This executive order was not enforced in the state of Texas until June 19, 1865.
That is two and a half years late.
This is a day that should be celebrated.
And I can’t help but to recognize the significance of this holiday occurring in the midst of national racial reckoning, and the civil rights movement of our lifetimes.
Where being Black in America is STILL dangerous, and deadly. Where Black humans are oppressed, continually. Where capitalism and racism and white supremacy have disallowed Black humans from realizing the American dream.
Most everyone I’m talking to right now is learning more about racism, is getting involved in one way or another, be it by protesting or reading or talking to their white peers about how to move forward.
Even after the Black Lives Matter protests, we need to stay in this fight.
BLM is a movement with no expiration date.
Black lives are precious.
Black lives are essential.
Black lives are valuable.
Black lives deserve more than 8:46 of your time. Everyday.
Black Lives Matter.
Why am I posting this? Because most of my followers hold white privilege.
Because I was not educated about Juneteenth. And didn’t know anything about it until the holiday showed up on my calendar and I did some research. And because diet culture is a byproduct of racism and is a powerful political relaxant.
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If we weren’t preoccupied with our bodies conforming to a shape established as ideal by diet culture standards, imagine what we could do.
Anti-racism work is anti-diet work.
Here for it.
Follow #juneteenth with me.
Weight Loss is Not Your Purpose
Weight loss is not your purpose.
Weight loss is not your purpose.
Weight loss is not your purpose.
Conflating weight loss with health is foolish, dangerous, based heavily in racist ideals and is patently false.
For those who know me, the * was an instinctive challenge, but the point remains. 🤟
Eating Disorders Do Not Discriminate
“Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.” -James Baldwin
I’ve been an eating disorder dietitian for thirteen years. I’ve worked at all levels of eating disorder care. I’ve had a private practice for almost as long as I’ve been an RD.
I’ve treated thousands of clients.
I can count the number of Black & Brown clients I’ve cared for on two hands. Maybe two hands, twice.
I’ve worked with hundreds of brilliant, lovely, compassionate professionals in the time I’ve done this work.
I can count the number of Black & Brown professionals I’ve worked with on one hand.
This is not to suggest that humans who live in Black & Brown bodies do not get eating disorders. This is not suggest that humans who live in Black & Brown bodies are not practitioners with the same degree of dedication to the treatment of eating disorders that my white colleagues and I have.
This IS to suggest that something needs to change.
In caring for clients with different racial experiences than mine, I have been curious about their experiences, but nowhere near curious enough. I have asked about what it feels like to work with a thin, white professional, and recognize that I have had no alternative to offer.
I have asked about what food looks like at home, but I’ve provided folx with menus & meal plans (long ago) & portion sizes (less long ago) that support consumption of foods that are familiar to ME.
But were not at all culturally informed.
I never discussed this with my white colleagues. And my clients sure never challenged me. My education was more important than my clients cultural wisdom. How insulting. How untrue.
I’m bringing this to supervision. I’m talking with leaders in the eating disorder treatment community. I’ve advised local ED treatment centers to seek input from BIPOC professionals, instead of providing suggestions myself. I’m certain that Black and Brown folx would benefit from ED treatment with and from humans who look like them.
Let’s change the face of eating disorder treatment. Not doing so is leaving far too many unseen, and unsafe, and untreated.
Until a treatment center run by Black and Brown professionals for Black and Brown clients exists, needs will remain unmet. I’m committed to working to change this.
In the mean time, please join me in supporting the efforts of @diversifydietetics.
Restriction is Not Better Than Binging
I cannot tell you the number of humans that I have spoken to who feel one way about the act of restriction and another way about binging.
Other ways this might show up... In glorifying “perfect“ eating, in suggesting that our bodies are not trustworthy, that our bodies must be managed, and that there is one way to do this eating, living, practicing selfcare, but not leaning towards a self-indulgent thing.
What an ENORMOUS lie.
I have a deep disdain for the reverence of one eating disorder behavior and the shame associated with another.
Binge eating disorder is a restrictive eating disorder.
Binge eating and binge eating disorder can affect humans who live in small bodies and in large bodies. Binge eating is not unique to one age group, one ethnicity, one gender, one socioeconomic class, or one racial group. Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder. And its inclusion in the DSM has made the incidence of breast cancer lower than the incidence of eating disorders.
This is not about self control.
This is not about self control.
This is not about self control.
This is not about self control.
Restricting in an effort to minimize the effect of a binge only leads to further binging.
I think it’s very important to recognize the mechanisms that support our utilization of food as a means of navigating the planet. For many of my clients, food has been THE way to cope in times where other skills were unavailable. And perhaps, in this moment, you are finding this method of interacting with food to be calming, soothing, supportive. Brilliant.
This is not shameful, this is resourceful.
Let’s stop idealizing one eating disorder behavior in lieu of another.
Suffering is suffering.
I Feel Uncomfortable in my Body, AND
You might feel uncomfortable in your body.
What if instead of using feeling uncomfortable as an indication that you need to do a thing to try to change a thing, you used feeling uncomfortable as a pointer to get curious about why you feel what you do? What you need in the moment? Perhaps you need to set a boundary? Or close your browser? Or turn off your phone? Or to breathe or scream or cry?
Body discomfort is challenging, and self-care can persist, nonetheless.
This is an opportunity for neuroplasticity. This is an opportunity to change patterned responses.
Reframe to change your brain!
What else would you add to this list of responses to the statement:
“I feel uncomfortable in my body, AND _____________”
Show Up in Ways That You Can
I’m having conversations with clients, both white and Black, who are expressing the sense that their struggles, their very human experiences, are not relevant in this moment because this moment is so significant.
INHALE
I am not arguing or disputing the significance of now. This is a long-overdue moment of racial reckoning.
A country coming together in the middle of a pandemic to loudly express that Black lives matter.
The civil rights movement of our lifetimes.
Happening. Right. Now.
EXHALE
Your voice, your participation, your presence in this moment is important. But in order to have a voice, a presence, you must first take care of yourself.
And I’m not talking about glamorous self-care.
I am talking about boring self-care: Eating. Enough. Satisfying food. Energizing food. Soothing food. Sleeping. Moving, if you’re able or desiring to. Taking medication. Attending to your mental health needs. Taking a stand, or saving your energy so you can do so at a later date.
All of us are needed in this moment, and this moment is not the end of the effort that will be required for anti-racism efforts. Anti-racism efforts are not a trend.
Trends go out of style. This cannot.
Show up in the ways that you can.
But know that prioritizing your mental health, your healing, your recovery, right now, whatever that looks like, will make it possible for you to stay in this effort.
There is no shame in having need.
Not right now.
Not ever.
I see you.
Have an Issue with Another Human's Body?
Facts:
No one owes you an aesthetic.
No one owes you a shape or size.
No one owes you their food choices.
No one owes you physical activity.
No one owes you being pretty.
No one owes you their health status.
No one owes you being sexy. Or attractive. Or ANYTHING.
Body judgments are circulating. Despite this pandemic. Despite living through the civil rights moment of our lifetimes. Despite having ALL OF THE MORE IMPORTANT things to be focused on.
ENOUGH.
Even if you’re only seeing humans online, body judgements are uncool and unhelpful and are ultimately, a you issue.
If you’re noticing yourself getting caught up in the physical appearance of others, take a giant step back. That’s on you. ✌️