I just had the most amazing experience that every woman (and man) should have in his or her lifetime. For one of my nutrition classes, we were asked to attend a seminar being held at the school. I could only attend the afternoon portion, as I had an O-Chem exam...
Well, I definitely lucked out on which time I could go because it was all about eating disorders. Ever since going through a mild disordered eating phase of my own, I have been constantly searching for more information about intuitive eating, self-esteem, and achieving overall balance of the mind/body/spirit. I have also felt for awhile that I would like to lean towards one of my specialties as an RD in eating disorders. This workshop helped me to learn what that could possibly be like!
The first hour included a talk about how to approach disordered eating. It is so important, here and anywhere, to not judge people. No one knows about a person's past and just because they look a certain way, that does not mean that they are healthy, unhealthy, lazy, happy, or any other adjective that we prescribe to people based on how they look. What is important is health. When we align our eating habits with love, compassion, and care for our bodies, we end up eating and exercising in a way that is perfect for our body. No one fits a certain mold, so why should one person's eating and exercising habit work the same way for a different person? The best answer I can come up with is that it can't.
During the next hour, there was a panel of 3 women (one was a 14 year old girl!) who had recovered from an eating disorder and one woman who had been battling with an eating disorder for 50 years. Luckily, she is going through her recovery very very well and is at a healthy weight. From listening to these women's stories, I gained so much insight and respect for others whom go through a similar battle in their life. I feel so rejuvenated in my own life just from hearing their stories! It truly is all about balancing your life. One of the women said that she got to her healthy weight (from being overweight with an eating disorder) by eating croissants/peanut butter/and other foods that are typically "off limits" when someone is on a diet.
This proves and proves again that diets don't work. Living is not about depriving our bodies from what they want, it is about finding full bliss and reaching your own personal full capacity and loving yourself and all that is around you. I can only hope to one day help others to overcome their fear of food and to learn how beautiful and wonderful they really are.
Always remember, you are beautiful and you truly make the world a better place.
Luana ola!
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