Have you ever looked in the mirror and wanted to have another body? Thinner waist, wider shoulders, thinner legs, thicker arms, etc. I’m talking about bodies that we see in the media and look up to with envy, be it models, actors, sportsmen or bloggers. Unfortunately, the reason why we are affected in this form is the “ideal body” perception imposed on us by the media.
Since we do not have so-called ideal bodies (which kind of body does not exist), our perception of the body is mistakenly shifted to the negative side. As a result, self-esteem, self-confidence, sociability and assertiveness decrease. Skipping meals, very low calorie diets, heavy sports, nutritional supplements that we do not need, and eventually eating behavior disorders such as anorexia nervosa, blumia nervosa, binge eating occur in order to reach body sizes that are far from reality.
When we establish a healthy connection with our body, we actually make peace with food. We begin to see food not only as a means to reach the goal on the scale, but also as a source of health that runs the giant machine we call “the body” without fail. By consuming all foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole wheat products, oil seeds, meat, chicken, fish, tofu, legumes, milk, yogurt, cheese, eggs, we can meet the power and nutrients the body needs.
What we can do to change our body image positively:
Spending more time with the people we love in real life rather than social media,
If there are things that we cannot overcome or accept about our body, to get expert support (dietician, psychologist, etc.),
Not accepting body patterns caused by environmental/society pressure,
To care about our health, to provide diversity in nutrition and not to consume packaged/processed products as much as possible,
Respecting our body, listening to its real needs and giving necessary responses (such as hunger & satiety signals),
Investing in our mental and physical health by training regularly.
