From Wikipedia:
The International No Diet Day (INDD) is an annual celebration of body acceptance and body shape diversity. This day is also dedicated to raise awareness of the dangers in diets. This day is observed on May 6, and its symbol is a blue ribbon, similar to the red ribbon of the World AIDS Day.
Did you know?
- 95% of dieters regain their weight (see: source article)
- “There are no official statistics for spending on diet products, but estimates vary from $40bn to
$100bn in the US alone – more than the combined value of the government’s budget for health,
education and welfare” (source) - “Concerns are growing that this very industry is fuelling our rising obesity levels – after all, it
would be a very short-lived business if we all succeeded first time” (source) - ”Yo-yo dieting” or ”weight cycling” is extremely harmful: people who cyclically lose – and regain – weight have lower levels of natural killer cells (immune system cells that aim at viruses and may have a role in fighting cancer) (source)
- In 1970 the average age of a girl who started dieting was 14; by 1990 the average dieting age fell to 8 (source)
- 50% of 4th grade girls today are on a diet (source)
Is our cultural obsession with dieting masking something else?
In this incisive article published in the New York Times on October 11th, 1981, Kim Chernin wrote:
A woman who wishes to conform to her culture’s ideal, in this age of
feminist assertion, will not be large, mature , voluptuous, strong or powerful. She, who has the knowledge of life and birth, is to make herself look like an adolescent girl if she w ishes to appease her culture’s anxiety about female power.
What are you having today? Send me a photo of your special treat, with a couple of lines about your relationship to diets, and I will post the photo & message on this blog.
In honor of International No Diet Day, I’m having a delicious pain au chocolat (just like pretty much the rest of the week).
Happy International No Diet Day!
– Elena
Stop denying yourself everyone! Food is about life, enjoyment, celebration, taste – it is NOT just about keeping you alive.
Does looking good in size zero jeans really feel better than enjoying a tasty, hearty meal with family and friends?