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Diet culture isn’t the only cause of eating disorders ... but it sure as hell has a lot to answer for! It’s #eatingdisordersawarenessweek here in the UK and I’ve been reading and sharing some great posts and thoughts on this topic from others all week. I wanted to contribute to this conversation by sharing some thoughts on diet culture. Because, believe it or not, I have previously heard an ED professional say “diet culture doesn’t cause eating disorders” 😬 don’t ask me why they might think that, let alone say it - your guess is as good as mine. And I’m not disagreeing with the fact that eating disorders are complex, don’t have a causal mechanism that we know of thus far, and often with multiple factors which may have led to the development of an eating disorder likely varying person to person. But I’m not willing to let diet culture get off so lightly! I really like @chr1stharrison ‘s definition of diet culture, summarised below: “A system of beliefs that 🔹 worship thinness and equates it to health and moral virtue... 🔹 promotes weight loss as a means of attaining a higher status... 🔹 demonises certain ways of eating while elevating others... 🔹 Oppresses people who don't match up with its supposed picture of ‘health’” (For Christy’s full definition of diet culture follow the link below). ✨ Because when restriction, dieting and over-exercise are so normalised, it becomes relatively easy to start on the slippery slope of disordered eating - often in a bid to get “healthier” (the underlying meaning = be thinner). ✨ A culture of dieting and commenting on food and bodies makes it really tricky to notice when someone is struggling with their relationship with food (particularly if they don’t meet the assumed body standards of someone with an eating disorder - because eating disorders can occur at all shapes and sizes - it’s weight stigma which co-occurs with diet culture which is perpetuating the myth that there’s a particular way that you need to look to have an ED). {cont. below}

Thought I’d repost this lovely little reminder by @esther.lauren today 💕 Whether you love this day, hate it, find it tough or are completely nonplussed by it - this reminder is for you. • • • {image description: the words ‘you are enough’ written in black on a white background surrounded by little pale pink hearts}. • • • #YouAreEnough #valentines #selflove #february14th

👩‍⚕️ What do you think about healthcare professionals doing sponsored posts?. • 👨‍⚕️ What about Healthcare professionals (HCPs) doing sponsored posts on aspects of health which are potentially outside their scope of practice*?? . • Sponsored posts or # AD posts can be a bit of a grey area for HCPs in general IMO - but I’m really intrigued to know what you think about it too! Pls feel free to share your thoughts on that in the comments below 👇. • I noticed that some doctors who have quite a following on this platform have done sponsored posts on red meat related to ‘ #BlueMonday ’ this week 😬 which seems to have been sponsored by various British meat producers. • First, I just want to be clear; ✨ Doctors (for the most part) do A-MAZ-ING work!! 🙌 there is no anti-doctor agenda here! . ✨ Red meat 🥩 can so be a part of your general diet (using the word diet to refer to what you eat over time here 😉) - in fact, eat what the hell you like - you’re the boss of you! . ✨ And this is not an anti-🇬🇧 farming post either! If we can, supporting them is probably not a bad idea!. • But for some reason or another these posts didn’t sit right with me. And after mulling it over, I think the main reasons are; 1️⃣ #BlueMonday is not a thing 😱 - it’s a marketing ploy supposedly started in 2005 by a travel company to increase the number of holidays sold. As @themindmedic said this week, it trivialises mental illnesses and the fact that HCPs are legitimising it by posting about it and claiming there are things you can eat to combat the effects of #BlueMonday are silly at best and dangerous at worst. • 2️⃣ Doctors, if not adequately qualified in the subject, really shouldn’t be giving out dietary advice. Don’t worry, I know it’s not all doctors (see above point) but some do - both on the internet and IRL. The fact that they have abided by the law/Instagram rules and used the # AD at the beginning is besides the point. The fact that they are being paid for that post means it’s not impartial, and the fact that they are a healthcare professional (and in particular a doctor - due to the power structures still in place within healthcare) means that whatever they say is {cont.}

Monday thoughts from @morganharpernichols ✨. • Comparison is so natural and a helpful human skill when survival was integral on you fitting in with your tribe. But it can have a tendency to run on overdrive, for me particularly when I spend too much time in these little squares. • I’m finding through conversations with a lot of my friends that this time in our 20’s seems to be the time when we need to start challenging that tendency to compare. When we’ve been more or less on similar paths to a lot of our peers through school, now some are buying houses, others have babies, or travelling, or moving cities. And it can take courage to know that their path is not your path and that you’re ok where you are - even if it looks different. • I also know that these musings are nothing new! Just the musings of a nearly-25 year old in a society where your 20’s are seen as the decade to be ‘getting shit done’ 😂 (and everyone told me this would happen!)

Continuing the conversation from the post on @intuitiveeatingldn this evening ... • ✨ Our bodies are meant to change throughout our lives. • ✨ It’s a myth that we’re done growing, developing and blooming once we enter into our 20’s. • ✨ Our beautiful bodies are meant to carry on changing - it’s entirely natural. You don’t need to keep your ‘late teen’ body. • ✨ Plenty of things will play into how and why our bodies change and none of them mean we’re doing anything wrong. • As @tansleytansley put it, “here’s to [our] fluctuating, ever changing, ever blossoming bodies” 🌺. • 📷: @emmadarpino - her page is a treasure trove of beautiful, gentle photos and thoughts on our relationships with our bodies + food 💕

Morning! And happy Sunday 🌸. • I’ve shared a post on the blog this weekend with a few ideas, suggestions, inspirations for snacks - you know, the kind that are actually satisfying and don’t leave you hungrier than when you started?! 🤷🏼‍♀️ With no sad rice cakes in sight!. • FYI there are no serving sizes because I’m not into that - you find what’s best for your appetite - somedays you’ll be hungrier and other days maybe not. • And it’s not an exhaustive list - so I’d love to hear what your favourite snacks are 👇. • • • 📷: @daria.shevtsova

We all need rest ✨ whether that is rest from using your ‘work brain’ (🙋‍♀️ me this weekend), doing something just for the fun and frivolity of it, or physical rest (maybe in the form of a Netflix/sofa session). • As a recovering perfectionist + all-round ‘do-er’, learning to take time to rest and relax was hard - even now I sometimes have to remind myself, “my productivity is not my worth” 💕. • Do you struggle with this sometimes too?. • How do you like to rest + relax? . • 📷: @morganharpernichols

Earlier this week @cr_uk launched an incredibly stigmatising and harmful campaign (after a serious amount of pushback and criticism for their similarly hateful campaign last year, may I add!). • My wonderful colleagues have worked incredibly hard this week to write an open letter to @cr_uk calling for the immediate cessation of the campaign and to emphasise #supportnotstigma #wellbeingoverweight . • An open letter to CRUK has been published on @medium (link in my bio) and a petition has been launched (link also in my bio) and I’d be so grateful if you have a read and sign the petition. • We’re calling for @cr_uk to: ✨Prioritise well-being over weight - deliver health messages that are weight-inclusive and focus on empowering positive health-promoting changes for every body. • ✨ Accurately communicate cancer risk - stop misleading the public by stating “ob****y is a ‘cause’ of cancer” and instead more accurately communicate risk, acknowledging that improvements to health, and reductions in cancer risk, can be made without changes to body weight. • ✨ Make a commitment to end weight stigma - recognising weight stigma as a form of discrimination and taking action to reduce its impact, for example by exploring weight stigma as a barrier to cancer screening and treatment. • ✨ Refocus policy action in the social and environmental determinants of health - research shows that a person living in one of the most deprived areas of England is twice as likely to die from cancer compared to someone living in one of he least deprived areas. • This campaign has negatively impacted people on a personal and emotional level + we want to make sure that @cr_uk understands this impact. • Please consider signing the petition and holding CRUK accountable!

How much do food and fitness contribute to your identity?. • 🤔 Do you pride yourself on being the ‘healthy’ one?. • 🧐 Do you enjoy it when people comment (seemingly positively) on how much you work-out or what you’re eating?. • 👌 Do you put a lot of pressure on yourself (consciously or not) to eat or exercise ‘perfectly’? (P.s. also see prev post about ‘perfection’ )❣️. • Don’t worry if these questions resonate with you/make you feel uncomfortable. I’ve been there too! 🙋‍♀️. • And this isn’t to say that food and movement can’t form a part of who you are - I still love cooking and eating delicious food, for example. But is there currently space for other stuff? Are food and movement the only things you’d include when describing yourself?. • What are your other interests + characteristics? Do you have any hobbies or passions?. • Is this something you’ve considered before?. • • • This snap is from when @thealimentalsage and I spent a dreamy morning reading the Sunday papers over ☕️ + 🍌bread in Edinburgh. • • • #intuitiveeating #intuitiveeatingofficial #thesimplenutritionblog #registereddietitian #nosuchthingasperfect #nondiethealthcare #ditchthediets #joyfulmovement

Your body + what you eat were never meant to be ‘perfect’ 💕. • ✨ There is no such thing as a ‘perfect diet’ - eating a wide variety of foods (including fun foods) with unconditional permission means that we’re far more likely to meet all our nutritional needs than by micromanaging our food intake. • And possibly an even more important message given all the messages about ‘getting ready for summer’ and problematic TV shows: ✨ Our bodies are not static. • ✨Our bodies are meant to change as we get older, our lives change, we have babies, we move house, we get ill, or experience trauma or injury. • Let’s stick a 🖕up at the notion that we should be striving for perfection in any way! . • 📷: @esther.lauren • • • #effyourbeautystandards #effperfection #intuitiveeatingofficial #effdietculture #bodyimage #loveislandsucks #thesimplenutritionblog

Good luck to any dietetics students going on placement this summer! 🍀. • My top tips: 📒 Use a notebook to write down any abbreviations and/or medications you don’t understand to look up when you get a chance. • 🤗 Remain curious - of your own abilities as well as feedback from other dietitians + HCPs. It can be hard to take sometimes, but also so helpful!. • ❣️ Look after your own well-being - whether that’s having fun weekends planned with friends or scheduling in time for a rest!. • Don’t forget about the student resources on The Simple Nutrition Blog, incl.: ✨ A shortcut to estimating nutritional requirements. • ✨ Inpatient + outpatient crib sheets. • ✨ Helpful tips from fellow dietitians (students at the time of writing!) feat. @sarahtrmbll @raachwatt @ollyjhoward @esther.lauren @alicewright96 @harriet_rose94 @minnie_brandt @bex_tux . • Head on over + join us in The Simple Nutrition Network Facebook support group for students and new grads too! 🤓. • • • #thesimplenutritionblog #thesimplenutritionnetwork #studentdietitian #rd2be #dieteticsplacement #studentplacement #dieteticsstudent

Your periods are important!! • It’s #menstrualhygieneday - a global movement with the goal of reducing stigma and taboo around menstruation, improving access to hygienic menstrual products + sanitation for anyone who menstruates. • (FYI - it’s not just women + girls who menstruate - transgender + intersex people may also menstruate ❤️). • And whilst we’re talking about periods I wanted to draw your attention to a topic that I come across a fair amount in clinic ➡️ irregular or absent periods. • If you are not taking a form of hormonal contraception + you are experiencing irregular or completely absent periods (amenorrhoea) this can be such a helpful indicator that something else is going on. • 🤓 Secondary Amenorrhoea = when you used to have a regular period, but you haven’t had a period for at least 3 months. • 🤓 Primary Amenorrhoea = absence of menstruation by the age of 16. • There may be medical reasons underlying loss or irregularity of periods (incl. PCOS). • 😣 But irregular periods + amenorrhoea can also be a warning sign that you’re not fuelling yourself adequately, exercising too much, are under a lot of stress (or a combination of all 3). • ❗️Regardless of your body weight or BMI, if you are not eating enough and/or exercising too much it can affect your period. I’ve heard from so many people, “oh but my Dr told me that my BMI is ‘normal’ so it can’t be that”. • Your body doesn’t care - if it feels under threat - either from under-fuelling, over-exercise or stress it will down-regulate your reproductive hormones - our cave-person brain thinks “what’s the point in getting pregnant if you’re body needs to prioritise survival?”🤷🏼‍♀️. • So now I hear you think - “I don’t want to get pregnant, and I’ve had investigations done and I’m all clear - what’s the big deal?” ➡️ bone health, that’s what!. • I know it may seem more convenient to not have a period, but amenorrhea/oligomenorrhoea (irregular periods) have far reaching consequences for our long term health of which bone health is one - the low levels of oestrogen seen in amenorrhoea significantly increase risk of developing osteoporosis 😳. • So what do we do? {cont in comments}

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