Tag Archive for: social media

Social Media: Is it Helpful or Harmful When Practicing Intuitive Eating?

There are many different places that people find out about the world of Intuitive Eating. These include:

  • A family member
  • A friend
  • A HAES aligned health professional
  • The internet
  • Social media**

Nowadays, social media is the new way of sending and receiving all kinds of information—from keeping tabs on your long distance friends to being up to date on the latest news.

Social media is here to stay and while on one hand it may appear to be a very fun and engaging place to be, it’s important to understand the “not so fun” side of social media.

In terms of Intuitive Eating, social media can send many mixed messages—both helpful and  harmful to your Intuitive Eating journey and understanding of Intuitive Eating.

How Social Media is Helpful 

1.It gives a voice to qualified well-educated people to speak on important Intuitive Eating and other nutrition-related topics.

Social media gives Registered Dietitians and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselors a place to promote real, evidenced-based information about Intuitive Eating. Meaning, it allows Intuitive Eating to be represented CORRECTLY.

It also gives them a place to advocate against diet culture and for a more non-diet approach when it comes to mending relationships with food and your body.

2.It provides a starting point, or baseline, for Intuitive Eater newbies.

As mentioned before, especially nowadays, many people come into the world of Intuitive Eating because of social media posts they see online, or information they see circulating on their newsfeeds.

With this being said, social media provides just a starting point, providing baseline information, for Intuitive Eating newbies to being their journey toward mending their relationship with food and body.

Check out Intuitive Eating Basics, a self-paced course to give you a taste of Intuitive Eating and begin to reject your diet mentality and reconnect with your inner signals.

3.It helps challenge, tackle, and stand up against the toxic messages of diet culture.

With many influential RDNs and other Intuitive Eating Counselors and experts on social media, this allows for

4.It provides an environment for Intuitive Eaters to share stories, feel supported and connect with others going through similar experiences.

Social media can provide a large sense of community, accountability and relatability—especially for those who are struggling or just starting out on their Intuitive Eating journey.

How Social Media is Harmful

1.There’s lots and lots of mixed messages.

 Social media can be a confusing place filled with misinformation. While one account is telling you one thing, another account could tell you the exact opposite—so beware!

My recommendation to you is to only consume content from qualified “social media influencers”, like Registered Dietitians, Certified Intuitive Eating Counselors, and other health care professionals that are HAES aligned (Health at Every Size) and are committed to weight neutral practice.

2.You might be influenced to listen to (and follow) the “wrong” social media voices.

With so many different kinds of accounts to follow on social media, there are bound to be ones that claim to be supportive for your Intuitive Eating journey, but in reality are not.

Be sure to follow accounts that support a non-diet approach, align with your personal Intuitive Eating values, and advocate against diet culture.

3.It enables anyone and everyone to create a “brand”.

 Anyone with a phone and a WIFI signal can create a social media platform and claim to be an expert in just about anything! Be cautious with following accounts that simply have a lot of followers, or generate a lot of likes, thumbs up, etc.—this does NOT mean the information they are sharing is valid, correct or helpful for you!

4.It promotes diet culture messages but claims they’re Intuitive Eating.

The messages of Intuitive Eating are often misinterpreted or twisted by diet culture.

For example, social media accounts that…

  • Claim Intuitive Eating is a way to lose weight
  • Push the thin ideal
  • Promote a certain way of eating
  • Claim a way of eating or living is a form of “lifestyle” or for “wellness”

>>>All of these examples are diet culture in disguise!

 

Do your due diligence. Check out the accounts you follow, look into the people behind the accounts, and be alert to misguided information.

 

For up to date, reliable information on Intuitive Eating, check out my website here. 

 

 

5 Ways to Embrace Your Body

We have all been in the position where we’re standing in front of the closet, and although we see numerous clothes, there is nothing that looks appealing. So, you reach in and grab the closest item and just throw it on. Then you realize that outfit doesn’t look good, and the next thing you know you have tried on almost everything in your closet before reluctantly settling on something.

 

When you are uncomfortable with how you look, it is often hard to find clothes that you feel empowered in. Body acceptance is not an easy journey for most people. Even for those who do feel comfortable in their skin, often there will be days when they will go back and forth between how they feel about themselves.

 

How often do you look in the mirror and find yourself criticizing how you look?

 

“If I could just lose ten more pounds, then I would definitely be happier!”

 

This is not uncommon! In fact, several studies have found that 86% of all women are dissatisfied with their bodies and wish to lose weight to “feel better/happier about themselves.”

The Reasons for Body Dissatisfaction 

  • Bullying and teasing
  • Childhood traumas
  • The social media culture—Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, etc.
  • Other forms of media—magazines, television, computer ads, etc.
  • The culture we live in which is rooted in dieting and weight controlling behaviors to manipulate our bodies to appear a certain way.

In today’s society, many people use size and weight as a definitive element of their identity, personality, and a way of defining their self-worth.

 

For example: 

  • Not purchasing a pair of jeans because they don’t fit in the small size that you want
  • Saying no to a social event because you don’t fit into a certain dress or don’t feel good in your here-and-now body.
  • Using the scale as a way to determine your mood for the day

 

Loving your body and appreciating it takes time. No amount of exercise or dieting will help you achieve that goal. Only when you change your mindset can you truly feel comfortable with yourself.

 

There are some steps that you can take to help learn to love the body that you have.

 

Here Are 5 Ways to Embrace Your Body  

 

1. Acknowledge the Work it’s doing 

Your body has gotten you to the place that you are at today. Through many years of labor and hard work, you have survived and that’s all because of your body. It has even taken you through a pandemic! When you are feeling down on yourself, just try to remember all the wonderful things your body has accomplished thus far.

 

2. Say No to Negative Talk

When you feel yourself about to say or think something mean about yourself, rephrase your thoughts. Instead of focusing on all the negative, think about the positives instead. This also goes for what other people are saying about their bodies or yours.

 

Prioritizing your self-care can help with your perspective and self-talk.

 

3. Incorporate Joyful Movement

This does not mean exercise for weight loss, instead, move your body to help you feel good. Find a movement you enjoy and do it. Exercise releases endorphins, which can elevate your mood and help you see things in a positive light.

 

4. Create a more body positive newsfeed.

Start by doing a deep cleanse of your social media accounts, then fill it with all different body shapes, sizes and colors!

Remember: thin bodies are not the only bodies out there. Filling your newsfeed with all shapes, sizes, and colors will help change your perception of what is “normal” and allow you to learn to accept and love all bodies (even your own!)

Once you’ve rid your social media of all things “perfect” and “unrealistic” watch your “standard of beauty” will quickly change!

 

5.Embrace Intuitive Eating

Say no to dieting and all the empty promises. Understand the underlying reasons why you turn to food for reasons other than hunger, why you eat mindlessly, and commit to taking a different approach to eat. Commit to learning to become an Intuitive Eater, learning to identify gentle hunger and comfortable fullness as your guide to starting and stopping a meal. Learn to cope with your emotions with kindness and not food.

Don’t wait to find the love your body deserves, try to embrace the wonderfulness of you now!

 

Need support? Contact me to set up a free consultation now.