The Diet Disorder

I diagnose society with the Diet Disorder, a constant need to control and regulate eating habits through a plethora of systems that are neither long-term nor super healthy, (in fact a lot of these will be deficient for you); ah, the human mind: a sniveling control freak.

So why the sudden rush? Why the risk-taking for such fads that you follow (religiously, might I add) for a day or two and then completely forget about, just like that lettuce at the bottom of your refrigerator. It all points to the same thing- the overwhelming need to be skinny, a few kgs that you are right now, eh, and maybe then some more. Weight has acquired such prime importance in our lives that you live for it and in some cases, you die for the same- Sorry for making it this dark, but the scales don't lie, and neither do I.

A large section of the population suffers from eating disorders which can be physiological and genetic but mostly is accounted for by the psychological pressure to fit in and sometimes even stand out. These disorders are rarely diagnosed, leaving a gaping hole where support should have been given. Although it commonly affects women more than men, the latter also suffers from deficient self-esteem issues triggering such disorders.

These eating disorders take several forms, and it's usually engineered to restrict the body of calories thereby pushing the body and pressuring it to lose weight; the most common types are Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia in addition to Binge eating and while the first leads to severe weight loss, the second cuts back healthy weight by episodes of bingeing and purging (through vomiting, excessive exercise after eating, etc.) the third makes a person gain weight after continuous eating even when one is not hungry with the resultant feeling of guilt and shame.

Reading about these disorders makes one think. Besides, compare it with the fads and diets that are in existence, quite variously-ranging from cutting down carbs (the Atkins diet), eating whole foods only (ketogenic), veganism for merely losing weight, and crash diets such as the egg diet where you only eat boiled eggs or juice cleanses and detox. These diets are restrictive and legitimize eating disorders to some degree, of course, the goals can be different, and foods can prove to be healthy in the long run if taken up with proper care and regimen but the more controlled ones are very similar to eating disorders. Orthorexia, yet to be classed as an Eating Disorder is the tendency to obsess over healthy eating to such an extent where it disrupts daily life. An article gives an insight into similar parallels between wellness and the diet industry

So where can we draw the line? It becomes increasingly difficult. On top of that, there are social media where everything is like one giant pro-ana subculture advertising influencers of the skinniest waists and slim bodies promoting the "ideal" body. This affects younger teens who are allowed access to the internet at an age where their minds are just beginning to develop. Despite the recent trends of flaunting plus-size bodies, representation remains minimum, and skinny models are still monopolizing Instagram pages and runways.

There isn't much one can do and are liable to be affected by the ongoing trends but armed with a healthy mindset, the pressures emerging from various platforms can be pushed to a minimal percentage. Hope is for sure present and takes the form through representative activists such as Jameela Jamil, a British actress best known for her role in NBC's 'The Good Place' who speak up against such body-shaming facets of social media and anti-inclusive policies of several multinational brands; she also started the "I weigh" movement on Instagram where several people list their accomplishments which are thought to comprise of their measurement as powerful humans and not their bodily worth. Therefore, one can be active on such platforms and discourage body shaming so that social media becomes much a more inclusive space, thereby also affecting the rate of potential eating disorders, Viva la Vida!

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