Have you ever heard of “orthorexia”? It’s a term to describe a type of disordered eating pattern. While not an official eating disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual V (DSM V), it describes a tendency to move towards “healthful“ and “clean“ foods, often leading to an extreme fear of consuming “unhealthy“ foods. What is…
Social media is very present in our everyday lives, and many spend hours mindlessly scrolling through Instagram or Facebook and posting on their accounts. Social media has many advantages, such as connecting and interacting with friends and family and getting updates on other people’s lives, but have you ever thought about the downsides of social…
After taking some time to reflect on your relationship with exercise, you might be ready to take steps to rewrite the narrative of how and why you move your body. Let’s continue with a story we encounter often in our clinic. For anonymity purposes, we’ll continue to name the client Anika. Anika recognized…
Can someone who practices regular exercise be struggling with their relationship with movement? Based on the messages of diet culture, exercising can be promoted as something we “should” be doing in order to attain a specific, yet unrealistic body aesthetic, or as a way to compensate for eating “bad” foods. How does this message impact…
Introduction This February 1st to 7th, Eating Disorder Groups across Canada unite to commemorate Eating Disorder Awareness Week (EDAW) with a national week of action focused on educating the public about Eating Disorders. Here we share a list of helpful resources you could check out in order to educate yourself about Eating Disorders or to…
Introduction: I’m sure you’ve already heard of New Year’s Resolutions – maybe you’ve even had one or a few yourself! If that’s the case, what went into deciding what your resolution would be? Was it based on guilt? Was it something you felt pressured to do by the people around you? How long were you…
Now that we have a good understanding of what intuitive eating is, we can better distinguish what it should not look like. This will help you be critical of diets or health professionals offering restrictive plans and hiding behind the idea of Intuitive Eating. NOT a diet nor food rules Diet culture has become a…
Sick of dieting? You might not be the only one. Gaining rapidly in popularity, many people have turned to intuitive eating (IE) after recognizing the toxicity of diet culture. Yet, navigating a new approach to eating can be challenging and disorienting. Additionally, some diets may hide behind the title Intuitive Eating, but may actually just…
Pop quiz: How does someone lose weight? Most people would say it’s a simple formula – exercise, dieting and a good dose of discipline. So, how come most weight loss efforts fail? Diet culture would have you believe that people lack motivation, discipline or the “right” program. But, most dieters become frustrated when their dieting…
Atkins, Keto, Dukan. Low carb diets have sprung up many times over the years under different names and different styles. While they might look different from the outside – they all promise weight loss, better health and a better life, through limiting carbs. Yet, what are the actual physical and hormonal effects of cutting out…