For people who struggle with their body image and relationship with food, food trends and the latest and "greatest" diets can be compelling. In fact, that is exactly the reason why these trends become trends in the first place.
But what doesn't get talked about is the actual cold hard facts about how these diets really affect your body and leave you feeling. Something might promise to help you lose weight, and you might actually lose the weight, but that doesn't mean it has happened in a healthy way.
Let's start by defining disordered eating. Disordered eating is used to describe a range of irregular eating behaviors that may or may not warrant a diagnosis of a specific eating disorder, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia, orthorexia, or EDNOS- Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified. That being said, the symptoms of disordered eating are absolutely essential to examine. Symptoms may include:
- Frequent dieting, meal skipping, or anxiety regarding certain foods
- Chronic weight fluctuations
- Rigid rituals and routines surrounding food and exercise
- Feelings of guilt and shame associated with eating
- Preoccupation with food, weight, and/or body image that negatively impacts the quality of life
- A feeling of loss of control around food
- Using exercise, food restriction. fasting, or purging to "make up for bad foods" consumed
Any of these symptoms can have an extremely detrimental effect on a person's health (and that means both mentally and physically), and not only that but also on their quality of life as a whole. While all of these symptoms are extremely important to acknowledge, I specifically want to focus on "rigid rituals and routines surrounding food and exercise", or, even more specifically, restrictive dieting.
When it comes to restrictive dieting, there are many different forms that it can take. It can be present in the form of refusing to eat certain foods, or types of foods, at all whatsoever, or it can take the form of restricting caloric intake rather than foods themselves. In either situation and in every situation, restrictive dieting is not a good way to go about making a change.It is all about balance. Your body needs certain proportions of different types of foods in order to function properly, and if you are depriving yourself of something on that list, you will quite literally not function, or at the very least not function correctly.
For example, a very (unfortunately) common diet is one which cuts out carbohydrates. The reason why so many people take this on is that they assume it will lead to weight loss, and ultimately, it probably will. BUT this weight loss will not have been obtained through a method which provides your body with sufficient nutrition, and therefore sufficient energy. There is a reason why carbohydrates are part of what we eat as human beings. Carbs provide us with the energy necessary to get us through the day, and if you cut these out of your diet, you will be left feeling drained and honestly quite miserable. The same can be said if you cut out other types of foods. Your body needs these things.
Rather than cutting out a certain type of food entirely, what you should be doing is finding and maintaining a balance, and identifying the specific foods in each category that you should and shouldn't be included in your diet. For instance, carbohydrates are incredibly important, but if you are focusing on your health and weight loss is your goal, maybe cut out refined carbs, such as cakes, donuts, and white bread. Instead, shoot for whole wheat or whole grain bread and oats. These carbs take longer to be broken down by the body and therefore leave you feeling fuller for longer while providing more sustained energy and nutrients. Simple, refined carbs such as cakes and white bread digest more quickly, so you left with less energy and for a smaller period of time, and ultimately these options also do not provide as much nutritional value as their alternatives.
As another example, let's take fatty foods. A lot of weight and body image-conscious people generally find themselves afraid of eating fat-heavy foods, but once again, it is a matter of identifying healthy fats and differentiating them from fats which do not benefit our bodies in any way. Rather than opting for processed foods full of saturated fat, choose avocados, nuts and seeds, and beans. These provide healthy fats that give you energy, keep you full, and help you absorb certain fat-soluble nutrients and antioxidants.
A popular way of eating when it comes to building muscle and cutting fat is upping your protein intake while lowering your carb and fat intake. While this may help your cause, generally speaking, it is a bit of a flawed logic. If your protein intake is too high, and you don't balance this with the amount of exercise necessary to fully utilize that protein, your body won't have anything to do with all the extra food you have consumed, and ultimately that protein will be stored as fat. Additionally, if your body is not getting enough calories from other nutrients, extra protein will be used for energy, and protein usually is not what your body uses to supply energy.
Unfortunately, many people struggling with body image issues will look at models, for example, and find themselves feeling discouraged and inferior. The fact of the matter is that so much of what you see in terms of the wildly popular Victoria's Secret models, tiny Brandy Melville models sporting the brand's one-size-only clothing, and really anyone with a very small figure and therefore small features is due to genetics and a naturally fast metabolism. Yes, some people really are born that way. Even more so, though, it is a huge misconception that a person should starve themselves in order to achieve the same level of fitness that a model has obtained (before I go further, though, let me remind you once again that genetics play a huge part in the as-tiny-as-possible body type. For some, this is simply unattainable no matter what combination of diet and exercise is used. In fact, if being as tiny as you can possibly be is what you are striving for, there is probably already an underlying issue, or an underlying issue is on the way).
In fact, most models actually stress the idea of 70%/30%, or sometimes 80%/20%. This means that 70% of your diet is clean, healthy eating, and 30% of the time you allow yourself to "cheat". Personally, I despise the term "cheat day" and all of its associated terms, because I feel that these carry a negative connotation that is meant to leave you feeling guilty and ashamed. Rather than calling it "cheating", I believe in treating yourself and rewarding yourself for what you've accomplished thus far. Anyone on a weight loss journey is employing hard work both mentally and physically, and hard work deserves to be rewarded. Whether that reward takes the form of eating your favorite dessert that day, going easy on yourself in terms of working out, going out for dinner, or snacking on one of your so-called "guilty pleasure" Netflix binging foods, you deserve to treat yourself. And I don't think treating yourself needs to, or even should, come with the "guilt" that seems to be common afterward.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to truly learn and understand the concept of balance. Balance working out with giving yourself a break when your body and mind are begging you to do so. Balance eating clean with treating yourself. Balance your carb, protein, and fat intake to ensure that your body is getting all essential nutrients and sustained energy. Find your balance. If a balance is something that you are really struggling with, do some research, or even talk to a nutritionist. It never hurts to get advice from someone who knows exactly what they are doing, especially if you fear you are not nourishing your body the way you should be.
If you fear that your relationship with food is become or has already become unhealthy, or you are fearing for a loved one, you can find an eating disorder hotline here. An online screening tool can be found at this link, and an online counseling program, Better Help, can be found here.
Even if you never thought you had a problem with food, but are now realizing certain aspects of your diet may not be benefiting you as much as they are harming you and draining your energy, it's time for a change.
It is time for a change.
