There’s a common misconception that in order for a girl to be beautiful, she must have a flat tummy and zero cellulite. It leads people, especially girls, to obsess over their eating habits, driving them to cut a lot of their food intake, skip meals, and over-exercise. It all comes from the fear of the physical, social, and even romantic “consequences”. The terror of looking bad from gaining a single pound; the shame they’re going to feel when they go out in public where every eye is watching; the idea that no one is going to want to be with them if they don’t have a supermodel type of body. And that, my friends, is called diet culture.
In said culture, cutting all sugar and carbs and only consuming low-calorie foods, is the definition of being “healthy”. When in fact following such restrictions will not only cause a severe lack of nutrition but will also lead to a case of eating disorder. Not to mention, it will rob you of your happiness. In 2017, the National Institutes of Health did a study proving that your eating habits have just as much effect on your mental health as they have on your physical health. There’s a traditional diet in southern Europe called the SEAD (Southern European Atlantic diet). In this diet, the staple foods are fish, red meat, pork products, whole grain bread, vegetables and potatoes, dairy, and wine. Many studies have shown that the SEAD plays a good role in both, physical and mental health. In terms of physical health, Molecular Psychiatry proved that the SEAD may lead a person towards a healthier gut and lower risks of several cardiovascular factors and myocardial infarction. In terms of mental health, the National Library of Medicine confirmed in 2023 that the SEAD plays a role in the decrease of depression risk across the European population.
The truth is that it’s all about balance. You must respond to the signals your body is sending to you. Give it all the nutrition it needs and satisfy your cravings. Otherwise, you won’t last three days before you find yourself elbow-deep in a Nutella jar.
Further, we don’t consider that there is such a thing as genetics and body types. Every human-being in this world is born with their own. That’s why there are tall and short people, blonds and redheads, and people with different bone structures. Everybody is one of a kind, unique even. If there’s anything we, as people, tend to do, it’s to compare; and one of the things that triggers people the most in diet culture is social media. As I said before, everyone is different, so comparing yourself to somebody on social media will only pressure you to fit into certain beauty standards, that are in reality impossible to fit into. Which will negatively affect your mental health.
Speaking of mental health, anorexia and bulimia nervosa have become a real mental health crisis. As explained by a report done by Italy’s National Institute of Health in 2021, it was estimated the same year that 20 million people in Europe struggled with one of these disorders, especially teenagers and young adults. Nevertheless, it’s more common for women aged between 15 and 25 to endure a phase of compulsive eating, sometimes it even starts at a younger age. If we put it in context, it’s probably because women in this age group are the most pressured by society’s beauty standards to have a perfectly shaped figure with a tiny waist.
By definition, a healthy diet is a well-balanced meal plan, to keep your body fuelled, healthy, and satisfied. It’s not at all about cutting chocolate or minimizing your food intake for the day. If you were driving a car on a highway and it suddenly signaled that the tank was almost empty, you wouldn’t think twice before you started looking for a gas station. You shouldn’t ignore your hunger cues, because that’s your body telling you that it needs its fuel to be able to keep going. Listen to your body.
by Aïda ZAHER
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