Celebrate International No Diet Day
Celebrate International No Diet Day
By Jenna Weintraub, CYT and Sexuality Educator
Saturday, May 6th is International No Diet Day and it might be one of my favorite holidays of the year. This is a day about rejecting disordered behaviors around food and promoting an intuitive relationship between food and your body– something we talk about in our Embody groups here at The Rochester Center for Sexual Wellness.
Dieting is particularly harmful to those who struggle with food and body distress because it contributes to a disordered relationship with your body and promotes shame, guilt, and anxiety around food.
In honor of International No Diet Day, here are 5 tips on how to stop dieting and access food freedom:
- Let go of restrictive food rules: Although not easy, food rules often keep you stuck in harmful disordered cycles with food and your body. Instead, try to focus on listening to your body’s needs and preferences without judgment.
- Practice Intuitive Eating: Intuitive eating is a research-backed, self-care-focused eating framework that can support you in tuning into your body’s needs while also honoring your preferences and circumstances from moment to moment.
- Embrace the All Foods Fit Model: Eating various foods without restriction can help you break free from food rules. All foods can fit into your eating patterns without guilt or shame.
- Seek Support: Food and body struggles can feel isolating and overwhelming, but you do not have to navigate them alone. Find a trusted therapist, registered dietitian, or support group to talk to. Resources local to Rochester, NY are here.
- Work with me: Though I do not provide treatment for eating disorders or mental health, I am a sexuality educator that can guide individuals through patient, mindful inquiry to find what works uniquely in their lives and body. In these sessions, we talk about:
- How to establish yourself as the ultimate expert of your body and take back your power from the forces, systems, and establishments that keep you in fear around your body and health.
- How to get back in tune with your intuition and learn to trust your body’s innate wisdom.
- How to treat yourself more kindly and understand your self-criticism in a new light.
- Examine beauty standards and how to move toward body neutrality.
- How to create a community of people who can support you.
If this sounds like something you would be interested in, reach out to me by emailing (jenna@rochestercenterforsexualwellness.com) or calling the center at: 585-865-3584.
Jenna is a licensed Be Body Positive facilitator and does NOT provide treatment for eating disorders or mental health. However, Jenna is trained in a referral protocol and will utilize the behavioral health team at RCSW and local resources.
