How Teachers Can Promote Anti Diet Culture In Schools
It’s no secret that diet culture has fueled an unhealthy obsession with food. The anti-diet movement has taken the world by storm, causing people to ditch diets and embrace their body image. Even with all of this success, how can this movement reach the next generation of students?
By: Regina Colie
The Problem
Many students learned about the various food groups from a nutritional lesson in elementary school. Vegetables, fruits, grains, protein, and dairy were visualized by colors in a pyramid, which has become a plate in recent years. "Schools have long incorporated nutrition lessons developed by the United States Department of Agriculture into their curriculums: In the 1980s, children studied a "food wheel," which became the Food Pyramid in 1992 and was replaced with MyPlate in 2011." (Sole-Smith, 2020). Kids are taught from a very early age what foods are considered "good" and "bad." In school, kids are trained to evaluate their weight by teaching them how to count calories and watch foods that adults would consider "sugary."
Unfortunately, children can be cruel and bully others who are in larger bodies. Thus, children begin to learn that they look wrong and need to be "fixed." "All parents want their kids to be healthy. But social media, commercials, and TV make that hard with incessant messaging that champions weight loss and demonizes certain foods while praising others—messaging that does not lend itself to a healthy relationship with food" (Bellefonds, 2020). In schools, the curriculum is built around ideals of establishing "healthy eating”, leaving no room for children to explore foods at their own pace. Food labeling is a lesson that brings harmful messages to students about reading calories and other measurements. Although the pandemic has caused much disruption to children's learning, teachers have needed to rely on creative lesson plans to keep their students engaged. Can nutritional lessons change enough to encourage intuitive eating and mindfulness surrounding food with children and adolescents?
The Solution
The best way to progress forward is for teachers and school staff to utilize a neutral and accepting approach when talking about food. School administrators can remind staff to not make comments about their student’s lunches or snacks, such as “you always bring junk food to school”. These comments teach children that what they eat has moral value, resulting in shame and embarrassment.
Our education system is greatly lacking updated nutrition education. Schools or curriculum developers should create programs specifically designed to teach students about body positivity and food neutrality. When teaching nutrition science or physical education, students can learn the ways foods nourish our bodies and how movement is meant to be fun and enjoyable without the dichotomy of good/bad or healthy/unhealthy. As the movement progresses, perhaps we will all begin to embrace this mentality as expected and schools can help push these ideas forward. Science curriculums should also be inclusive and without weight bias; teaching students that health can be achieved at any size.
For a limited time only, BALANCE eating disorder treatment center™ now offers a two-week virtual spring intensive program for students. Our 12-day treatment program is specifically designed for students and allows clients to access the necessary skills to begin healing now without taking extended time off from school. BALANCE admissions therapists are happy to support you in coordinating treatment with your school during our expertly coordinated admissions intake process. Click here to learn more about our spring break program.
This post was written by BALANCE Blog Contributor, Regina Colie (she/her).
Regina Colie is a graduate student getting her Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at The School of Health Sciences of Touro College. She is looking to become a mental health counselor, specializing in eating disorders and postpartum depression. She is a firm believer in mental health advocacy, and giving women the opportunity to speak their truth.
References
Sole-Smith, V. (2020, November 13). Are Schools Teaching Kids to Diet? The New York Times. Retrieved March 12, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/12/parenting/remote-learning-schools-diet-kids.html
de Bellefonds, C. (2020, February 25). For Some Parents, Raising the Next Generation of Healthy Eaters Is About More Than Eating Vegetables—It’s About Ending Diet Culture. Well+Good. Retrieved March 12, 2022, from https://www.wellandgood.com/healthy-eating-for-kids/
Brooks, S. M. (2021, December 9). How to Raise a Kid Who Is Satisfied With Their Body, According to a Registered Dietitian. Good Housekeeping. Retrieved March 12, 2022, from https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/parenting/a38029229/positive-body-image-for-kids/