It’s Halloween this week. Hard to deny all decorations and pumpkin everything. Of course, I embrace this as I love the colour orange!
Alas, Halloween can bring stress and shame/guilt. But guess what, you should have a little fun as well. If the goods from your children, the store or your own supply happen to get digested, well then it did and I surely hope you’ve enjoyed it!
This diet culture we currently live in (and it’s been around a while) is starting to really wear on me. Negative body image and negative self-talk are all too real. And it really is prevalent and its sucks for those affected by it (for the person & for those who love them wholeheartedly – I speak from a place of knowledge).
There are physical consequences that I see as a result of the diet culture (moving to punish, poor posture, decreased strength, decreased endurance). And for those affected and deeply entrenced, the mental health component is truly out of my scope of practice.
I do try to help bring awareness though. For those who know me, I will be vocal about negative self-talk and degrading behaviour regarding diet/ food. It may not seem kind- but it’s genuinely to help change the behaviour.
Let’s remember this piece of advice from Maude, Registered Dietitian
Weight is not a behaviour. It is not something we control.
We can certainly act on our lifestyle factors that might (or not) affect our weight: enough sleep, nurturing our mental health, being active, eating wisely, fostering a fulfilling social circle, being mindful and present, slowing down…
If you are getting stressed about losing “self-control” and “indulging too much” in Halloween candies and chocolate, let me ask you: why? What would your life be like if you didn’t stress about food?
Not sure where to start….ask your GP, or come see our Registered Dietitians and our Registered Psychotherapist.
And for parents out there wondering how to manage their kids Halloween candies, Maude wrote a blog post on that topic: https://familyandconutrition.com/candies/
So put up your hand if you are with me….
