Stronger than I look.

Here to talk about nutrition and any other interests I may have.

[sugarandspinach]

Parents can change the tide

There is an epidemic of poor body image. I admit I am not the best in this category. I see my flaws. I look at them in the mirror and I know that others can see them too. There is, however, one person who should never see you compare yourself to others and beat yourself up over your flaws. Your child. Whether you have a son or a daughter, you can influence how they see others. No matter what you do, they will see the media created standards of beauty that are personified in movies, TV, and magazines. However, the real ideals set in a child's mind can be created by you. If they see a parent forever looking at their flaws and comparing themselves to others and judging others based on their looks, they will grow up doing the same. If a child sees their parents love all their flaws and all their curves and never caring what anybody looks like or is dressed like, a standard of common respect and love is instilled in that child. Anyone can be beautiful and it rarely has anything to do with how they look. 

Now, every parent should create a sense of importance in health for their children, but make exercise fun. Make eating healthy about doing right for yourself. Not about dropping a dress size or looking good for those pictures at your cousins wedding. Believe that you look good and your children will believe you do too. And they do. And everyone does. The judgement doesn't have to exist. We are at a crossroads and can do something to change it. I say it's worth the effort. 

[sugarandspinach]

Binge eating disorder is a new DSM-V. Before it was classified under eating disorder-not otherwise specified. Binge eating disorder is characterized by compulsive overeating in which people consume huge amounts of food while feeling out of control and powerless to stop. The symptoms of binge eating disorder usually begin in late adolescence or early adulthood, often after a major diet. A binge eating episode typically lasts around two hours, but some people binge on and off all day long. Binge eaters often eat even when they’re not hungry and continue eating long after they’re full. They may also gorge themselves as fast as they can while barely registering what they’re eating or tasting. Key characteristics of this disease are :

-

Frequent episodes of uncontrollable binge eating.

Feeling extremely distressed or upset during or after bingeing.

Unlike bulimia, there are no regular attempts to “make up” for the binges through vomiting, fasting, or over-exercising.

People with this condition tend to feel extreme guilt or shame during or after these binges and often try to hide them. 

This is not something to be ashamed of. It is an actual condition and deserves the same treatment as all other eating disorders. 

[sugarandspinach]

Israel's "Photoshop Law" Goes Into Effect | Big Think

As of January 1, underweight models are prohibited from working in runway shows and appearing in print ads. Supporters hope the law will help reverse the growing problem of eating disorders among women and girls.

This is so great! And other countries are starting to follow suit. Australia is allowing photographers to decide if they are willing to hire models under a normal BMI. While it seems ridiculous that this should even have to be a law, when models are getting skinnier and skinnier, models have to keep getting thinner in order to be competitive in their field. Also, designers keep designing clothes that are too small for any one of a normal BMI to wear in a fashion show. The fashion forward look right now is just to be skinny.

If the fashion industry were to reflect a normal and healthy BMI, perhaps the media would be a source of healthy inspiration for young people. 

[sugarandspinach]

The Photoshop Rule

Have you ever looked at a magazine and stared at the impossible perfection of the models in the pages? If you have, you are not alone. Countless women and girls have done the same thing and then, inevitably, compared themselves to the women on those pages. What does that do to a girl's self esteem? Or anyone's? Every new mom I have ever met has mentioned the perfection that was Heidi Klum three weeks after giving birth, with her six pack abs and zero stretch marks. This perfection is something that even the healthy and fit everyday woman cannot live up to and then pictures like the above surface. The cellulite is something society doesn't want to look at. Her waist needs to be smaller. Get rid of the dark circles, skin whiter, boobs perkier. This woman who does not need any more artificial aid than she already has gotten is airbrushed into oblivion. And girls will look at these magazines and pictures online and try to emulate this impossible look. Girls will begin to do whatever is necessary to fit these ever changing and evolving ideals of beauty. If a girl is already inclined to disordered eating, or eating disorders (which we know has many different physiological roots) this small push could cause terrible consequences.

Girls need to have real role models to look up to. Healthier role models. I believe it was Jennifer Lawrence who said (when asked about how she trained to be Katness Everdeen), that she wants to be a healthy role model for girls. She doesn't want girls to say "I want to look like Katniss, I'll skip dinner".  

[f525252-blog]

Pie for dessert is great, savory pie for dinner is better.

Better Chicken Pot Pies via Smitten Kitchen

[stephydyer92-deactivated2015010]

Wow the food on this site makes my mouth water!! Check it out NOW!

[sugarandspinach]

This looks so yummy!

[sugarandspinach]

The Body Project

Have you heard of the body project? No? Well, it's coming to MSU. 

The Body Project is the only proven therapy to decrease the occurrence of eating disorders before they occur. This is a project to challenge the thin ideal in society. Young women get together and are facilitated in discussion by women of a similar age. Other students at MSU and they participate in discussions regarding body image today. Every one is welcome to participate and all women can benefit from the encouragement and judgement free environment that surrounds them in this setting.

Keep an eye out for the dates of the Body Project here at MSU. It may be the first but it certainly won't be the last!!

Check out this link for more information!

http://www.bodyprojectsupport.org/ 

[sugarandspinach]

Over the past 50 years, since electronic media has come into existence, the average television personality has steadily gotten thinner and thinner. Young women tend to look up to the women they see on television, in movies and in magazines. As the women in these media outlets have gotten thinner, incidences of eating disorders in young women has gone up. And even in direct opposite of this, when television shows, or movies, had lead characters that were conspicuously fat, the young women had greater body dissatisfaction. Could this be because heavier women on television and movies are almost always portrayed as the quirky friend, or the crazy fat lady? Women and young girls do not what to think of themselves in that way, and this drives them to be dissatisfied with their bodies and to have the drive to thinness, which often leads to disordered eating and eating disorders. Let's look at Melissa McCarthy. In Gilmore Girls, the overweight, yet extremely talented actress plays the quirky friend. She is however, never made fun of for her weight, her weight is never even mentioned. Her character even (gasp) gets married and has kids and yet her weight is never mentioned. Fast forward to the present day and the same actress is now playing characters that get made fun of for their weight or are stupid and only want to rob fast food restaurants. I think it's time that we stop needing the heavier woman to not be a sex symbol or the love interest. I think it's time that we allow these women to be good role models. Not so overweight girls are unmotivated to change their weight, but so all girls develop a sense of pride and self efficacy and body satisfaction. 

To read the study on electronic media exposure and eating disorders, click on this link!

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2000.tb02856.x/pdf

[sugarandspinach]

Are you encouraging eating disorders?

Social media is everywhere. We are on it right now. Do you know how much an effect what you say and post here has? Every day millions of people are posting on tumblr, facebook, twitter, instagram.... And many of these posts are encouraging the "thin ideal". When you post a picture of a model in a bikini with a BMI below the normal weight and it gets 150 likes, you are showing people what the new attractive is. Did you know that both men and women are influenced by what they see on these platforms? Women are more likely to display symptomatology of eating disorders after viewing social media. It turns out this is a very strong positive correlation. The more social media was viewed, the more the women had symptoms of disordered eating, drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction. Men are not immune to the effects of social media on body expectations. When men viewed social media, they were more likely to create a positive association with personal thinness and dieting. They were also more likely to show favor for dieting and thinness in women. Magazines are the worst from of media for this trend. 

Speaking of advertising in magazines, did you know that children are more likely to be obese or overweight if they view television shows with commercials advertising high-fat, high-sugar foods. This means things like Hulu and Netflix are less likely to cause the same response as channels like Disney and Nickelodeon. There are so many problems caused in the name of advertising. 

Here is a link to an interesting article about the effects of media on body image. 

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1997.tb02692.x/abstract