(CNN) — “I have a few spots for anyone who wants to lose 20 pounds by the holidays!” No dieting, no exercising or cravings! »
Advertisements for diet and exercise programs like this began appearing in my social media feeds in early October 2022, often accompanied by photos of women pushing shopping carts. lots of Halloween candy intended to represent the weight they no longer carry with them.
Whether it’s intermittent fasting or “cheat” days, diet culture is spreading wildly and growing particularly among young women and girls, a population group that may be particularly exposed to social pressures. and misinformation.
The fact that diet culture all over social media Targeting adult women is bad enough, but such messages also trickle down to tweens and teens. (And let’s be honest, a lot of it also speaks directly to young people.) This couldn’t come at a worse time: there has been a notable increase in eating disordersespecially among adolescent girls, since the start of the pandemic.
“My mom is obsessed with (seeing) her Facebook friends lose tons of weight without diet. Is it really real? The question came from a teenager who later revealed she was considering hiring a health coach to help her eat “healthier” after seeing her mother overhaul her diet. Unfortunately, the coaching she received is part of a multi-level marketing scheme that promotes rapid weight loss through calorie restriction and the purchase of expensive meal replacements.
Is this real? Yes. Is it healthy? Unlikely, especially for a growing teenager.
Later that week, another teenage customer asked her about a healthy eating movement she’s following on Pinterest. She had read that a clean, strict vegan diet was better for her and for the environment, and assumed it was true because the pinned post led her to a health coaching blog. It seemed legit. But a thorough analysis of the blogger’s credentials, however, showed that the healthy eating practices they shared were not actually developed by a nutritionist.
And another teen, fresh off a week doing the “what I eat in a day” challenge – a video trend on TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms where users document the food they eat in a particular time frame – told me she had decided to temporarily deactivate her social media accounts. For what? Because the time she spent restricting her diet while pretending to feel full left her exhausted and unhappy. She had discovered the trend on TikTok and thought it might help her adopt healthier eating habits, but she ended up becoming obsessed with calorie intake. Still, she didn’t want her friends to see that the challenge made her feel bad even though she had spent an entire week promoting it.
In any given week, I answer many questions from tweens and teens about the food culture they encounter online, in the world, and sometimes even at home. But as we enter the winter holiday season, the pressure of a shame-based diet culture, often wrapped in toxic positivity to appear encouraging, increases.
“As the holidays approach, diet culture is in the air as much as lights and music, and it’s certainly present on social media,” said Dr. Hina Talib, adolescent medicine specialist and professor associate professor of pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. in the Bronx, New York. “It’s so widespread that even though it’s not aimed at teenagers, they absorb it by flipping through it or hearing their parents talk about it.”
Social networks are not the only place where young people meet harmful messages about body image and weight loss. Teenagers are inundated with so-called “healthy eating” content on television and in popular culture, at school and when participating in extracurricular or social activities, at home and in public spaces like shopping malls. or grocery stores – and even in restaurants.
Instead of learning how to eat to fuel their bodies and brains, today’s teens are receiving the message that “healthy eating,” to give just one example of a potentially problematic dietary trend, results in a better body – and, by extension, increased health. happiness. Diets removing all carbohydrates, dairy, gluten and meat-based proteins are popular among adolescents. However, this state of mind can trigger food anxietyobsessive checking of food labels and dangerous calorie restriction.
An obsessive focus on losing weight, toning muscles, and improving overall appearance actually runs counter to what teens need to grow at a healthy rate.
“Adolescents and pre-teens are grow into their adult bodies, and that growth requires weight gain,” said Oona Hanson, a parenting coach based in Los Angeles. “Weight gain is not only normal but essential to health during adolescence. »
The good news in all of this is that parents can play an active role in helping teens craft a more emotionally healthy narrative around their eating habits. “Parents often feel helpless in the face of TikTokers, peer pressure, or broader diet culture, but it’s important to remember this: Parents are influencers, too,” Hanson said. What we say and do matters to our teens.
Model a healthy relationship with food
Take a few moments to think about your own eating habits. Teenagers tend to imitate what they see, even if they don’t talk about it.
Parents and caregivers can model a healthy relationship with food by tasting a wide variety of foods and trying new recipes for family meals. During the holiday season, when many celebrations can involve gathering around the table, take the opportunity to model shared connections. “The holidays are a great time to remember that food nourishes us in ways that could never be listed on a nutrition label,” Hanson said.
Train yourself to confront unhealthy body talk
The holiday season is full of opportunities to gather with friends and loved ones to celebrate and create memories, but these times can be anxiety-inducing when nutrition shame arises.
When extended families gather for holiday celebrations, it is common for people to comment on each other’s appearance or how they have changed since the last gathering. Although this is usually done with good intentions, it can be awkward or upsetting for tweens and teens.
“For young people going through puberty or bodily changes, it is normal to be embarrassed or self-critical. For someone to say, ‘You’ve evolved’ is not a welcome part of conversations,” Talib warned.
Talib suggests practicing comebacks and topic changes in advance. Play out responses like, “We don’t talk about bodies” or “We’d rather focus on everything we accomplished this year.” And be sure to check in and make space for your tween or teen to share their feelings of hurt and resentment over such comments, at the appropriate time.
Develop digital literacy skills
Open and honest communication is always the gold standard for helping tweens and teens understand the messages and behaviors they internalize. When families talk about what they see and hear online, on podcasts, on television, and in print, they normalize the process of critical thinking – and this can be a really wonderful shared bond between parents and children. adolescents.
“Education media literacy skills is a useful way to frame the conversation,” says Talib. “Talk about it openly.”
She suggests asking the following questions when discussing people’s messages regarding diet culture:
● Who are they?
● In your opinion, what is their perspective?
● What do you think is their message?
● Are they a medical professional or are they trying to sell you something?
● Are they promoting a fitness program or supplement that they sell?
Talking about it to tweens and teens throughout the season — and at any time — brings a taboo subject to the forefront and makes it easier for your kids to share their inner thoughts with you.
The-CNN-Wire
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This updated story was originally published in November 2022.
