Detrimental Effects of Diet Culture on Disability Community
By Tracy Williams, Tracy's Plate
Diet culture puts unrealistic pressure on everyone—children, teens and adults alike—to live within a narrow range of false and dangerous ideals. It does not matter if you are disabled, petite, tall, man or woman. Fad diets are a component of diet culture, as well as pressures from the media. Fad diets can be unhealthy because they often encourage you to remove a whole food group or conform to a practice that results in calorie and nutrient restriction.
Not giving your body enough energy from food can cause bodily stress with increased constipation risk, nausea and headaches. Social media and traditional media can impact self-esteem and body image by promoting unrealistic standards of beauty and strength, fostering comparison, and leading to feelings of inadequacy. Constant exposure to curated and idealized images may contribute to a negative self-perception, affecting mental well-being.
Benefits of Intuitive Eating
Most registered dietitians know that diet culture can control the food choices of many Americans, so many offer flexibility in healthy food choices, including fun foods. These dietitians understand that society believes that the definition of health for many people is hinged on looks, body shape and size. There is far more to health than what a person eats, their body size or their number on the scale! The relationship between weight, body size and health is complex due to factors of disabilities, genetics and social determinants of health.
Emma Laing, PhD, RDN, national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, advocates for a well-balanced eating pattern that includes intuitive eating. Research has shown that intuitive eating can benefit both physical and mental health, including an improved relationship with food, reduced disordered eating behaviors, a more neutral or positive body image, and better emotional well-being and satisfaction with life.
Honoring one's hunger and fullness cues without strict rules is one way that intuitive eating may benefit health, particularly if one has become disconnected from these internal cues.
Stopping Negative Self-Talk for the Disability Community
Dietitians who are trained in eating disorder treatment realize that body image is one part of a person's overall self-esteem that is connected to physical appearance and can fluctuate widely depending on each person. For some people with disabilities, appearance is of the utmost importance and can impact self-esteem. People who toil with negative body image and negative self-talk are inclined to feel more self-conscious, anxious and isolated.
Dr. Laing believes that abrupt or gradual changes in cognitive and physical function that occur with specific disabilities, like pain, loss of balance and emotional distress, can negatively affect body image and quality of life, especially if the person has a loss of identity.
She also advocates for avoiding labels of good or bad foods, healthy or unhealthy foods, junk food and clean eating when discussing healthy habits with friends and family. She promotes that food brings people together in ways crucial to well-being, such as feeling connected, honoring cultural traditions and experiencing joy with eating.
Building Robust Body Image
Dietitians who are trained in eating disorder treatment persuade clients and the public to eliminate external messages that might make them feel guilty or negative about how their body looks.
A few minutes of scrolling on social media can lead to a skewed perception of your body shape and size. The goal should be to fill their social media with images, quotes and messages encouraging self-compassion and body diversity.
People can also choose to unfollow, mute or block accounts that make them feel negatively about their bodies or that promote nutrition or health advice by non-credentialed influencers. We can also stop following accounts where only a thin standard of beauty is the only measure of health.
Dr. Laing advocates for the principles of body acceptance and neutrality. She realizes that some people struggle with concepts, especially if they have a chronic illness or disability or are recovering from an eating disorder.
The truth is that people do not need to love every inch of their body to respect and care for it. She believes we can change our thoughts about our bodies to best care for them versus changing our bodies to mirror our thoughts. She knows feelings can change on a whim, so showing yourself compassion is essential.
Coping Skills Instead of Emotional Eating
Dietitians who see clients with eating disorders also help people with emotional eating. Dietitians help their clients with negative behavior accompanied by shame or weakness they wish could be fixed. Eating habits are meant to change in response to our surroundings, inner thoughts and feelings.
Dr. Laing encourages the community to focus on eating patterns of nutrient-dense foods over time that significantly impact our mental or physiological health versus a single meal or snack that might offer few nutrients but satisfies an emotional need.
She wants consumers to understand that triggers of emotional eating can result from negative feelings, such as loneliness, stress, anxiety, sadness, anger or grief. Emotional eating can also lead to happy emotions, like joy or excitement, or daily situations like boredom. If you struggle with emotional eating, there are trained professionals who can help you cope with your feelings more healthily.
Contact your primary care doctor, a trauma-informed mental health professional or a registered dietitian for nutrition advice and support. A provider who specializes in disordered eating might be warranted. Use the Find a Nutrition Expert tool to find an RD. The ANAD (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders) can also offer support and referrals to experts who can help. You might also want to connect with FEAST (Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment for Eating Disorders) and Project Heal.
About the Author:
Tracy Williams has a degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from Dominican University. She is a food advocate, disability advocate and mental health advocate. She has moderate cerebral palsy and other chronic conditions and will be speaking at the upcoming Abilities Expo Chicago in June. Connect with her on www.tracysplate.com.
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