Dedicated to the individual. On Fridays, continuation of the story.
For those who are tired of controlling their diet, calories consumed, and physical activity. For those who have lost faith in diets and the help of various specialists. However, he...
What we're exploring: What kind of diet do people with eating disorders have?
What's New: What motivates a person with an eating disorder?
What we learn: What impact does promoting nutrition have?
1. "The emergence of the weight-loss industry actively encourages abnormal eating behaviors, including food restriction and calorie counting, and the promotion of highly processed "diet foods." (Ayton A, Ibrahim A. 2020). [1].
2. The central feature of psychopathology is the overestimation of weight and body shape and control over them (Ibid.).
3. The emergence of the weight loss industry. First in the USA, and then in other countries, obesity reached epidemic proportions (fr. 4.5). In response, public health, educational, scientific, and medical institutions have stepped up their efforts to educate the public about the health consequences of obesity (fr. 4. 6; 5. 7; 6. 9). As a result, people who care about their health have developed a fear of obesity (fr. 4.2). Research has shown a link between the obesity epidemic and the rise in eating disorders: "Eating disorders contribute to the development and maintenance of obesity, and vice versa" (da Luz FQ, et al. 2017). [1, 2]. But long before that, in the early 1900s, the cult of thinness began to emerge in the United States. Even then, thinness began to be associated with an advantage in economic, ethnic, and religious status. In the late 1960s, the fashion industry began to promote the image of a thin and fragile girl, which was embodied by Lesley Hornby (Twigs), better known by her nickname Twiggy. Compared to her, many women seemed very plump. Entrepreneurs took advantage of this situation by starting to produce food products for weight loss. Since 1977, the cult of thinness has intensified thanks to the books of some evangelical Christian authors. In their books, they deified slimness, revived the "deadly sin of gluttony," demonized obesity and thereby condemned all overweight people. (Lelwica, M. 2011) [3]. For more than 100 years, previous US history has created a cult of thinness, and religious dogma has instilled a morbid fear and guilt for being overweight. The above circumstances created the conditions for the emergence and flourishing of the weight loss industry. With its enormous financial resources, the weight loss industry promotes a so-called "diet culture" that "encourages abnormal eating behavior" [1, 3, 4]. So what does diet culture mean, or what is the diet for people with an eating disorder?
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4. Dietary culture. As we see, the source of abnormal eating behavior is "diet culture." Therefore, it is important to consider the question of what a "food culture" is in a little more detail. An article by the University of Melbourne researchers Dr. Natalie Jovanovski and Tess Jaeger characterizes "diet culture" as: "(i) ever-changing food myths that revolve around an external locus of hunger and conflicting health messages; (ii) a moral hierarchy of bodies that maintains an elusive ideal of thinness that often masks the fear of fatness; and (iii) a culture driven by systemic and structural factors." (Jovanovski N., Jaeger T. 2022) [4]. Based on such a precise description, the reasons for abnormal eating behavior become clear. Ultimately, this behavior was shaped by the diet culture promoted by the weight loss industry.
