Social media is filled with “healthy” eating influencers — some are credentialed; many others are not. It’s also filled with pictures of super skinny ladies and ultra-fit men, folks who work out constantly and people who tout the magic of cleanses or specialized diets.
Let’s get real. It’s easy to become overly obsessed with healthy eating and body image when you see these types of images and information regularly. So how can you minimize the risk developing an unhealthy body image and obsessive eating habits while scouring social media? I turned to seven registered dietitian experts in the field of body image, many who take a non-dieting approach, to see what they do in order to keep healthy eating in check. Here’s what they suggest:
1. Unfollow accounts that make you feel bad about yourself.
“I used to follow a ton of accounts that posted beautiful photos, but often they included messages about diet or exercise behavior that made me feel bad about myself. Once I realized this, I went through my Instagram account (the social platform I spend the most time on) and unfollowed anyone who featured diet-like posts, such as posting about cutting out certain foods or food groups, talking about ‘clean eating’ or ‘ good’ foods and ‘bad’ foods, giving diet advice or sharing before-and-after photos. I also make sure I follow social accounts that share positive messages about food and exercise, and feature a diverse range of body shapes and sizes. I follow a lot of health professionals who practice intuitive eating and endorse the ‘Health at Every Size’ approach, as well as body positive accounts.”
— Alissa Rumsey, registered dietitian and intuitive eating coach at AlissaRumsey.com
[See: 6 People You Need to Stop Following on Instagram to Improve Your Mental Health.]
2. Look for positivity and balance.
“In order to stay in a peaceful head space with food, I follow people on social media who promote positivity, balance and respect in their content. I keep my feed full of people promoting those types of messages and I unfollow when necessary. I encourage my clients to do the same!”
— Paige Smathers, registered dietitian nutritionist, owner of Positive Nutrition and host of the “Nutrition Matters” podcast
3. Be wary of ultra-skinny dieters.
“No one is immune to diet culture, especially when we’re silently attacked on social media every day. If someone is promoting the thin ideal or dieting, I will unfollow them. On the flip side, I like to follow and engage with people who post non-diet and uplifting messages.”
— Leslie Schilling, a Las Vegas-based registered dietitian specializing in sport nutrition, disordered eating and family wellness at LeslieSchilling.com, and co-author of “Born To Eat”
[See: 6 Darn Good Reasons to Eat Sugar and Not Apologize for It.]
4. Don’t compare yourself to others.
“I try not to compare and despair to what I see on social media. I try to follow accounts that inspire the kind of flexible and fun life I’m striving for, which means I see people in diverse bodies and a wide variety of food snaps. I get jealous of vacation pics because I love to travel!”
— Rebecca Scritchfield, registered dietitian nutritionist, certified exercise physiologist and author of “Body Kindness,” found at BodyKindnessBook.com
5. Follow a diverse group of people.
“I’m really careful about cultivating a positive and diverse Instagram feed. While I do follow many healthy food bloggers, I also follow chefs, politicians and activists I admire, big fluffy dogs and of course other dietitians with a body positive message.”
— Rachael Hartley, registered dietitian in private practice and blogger at RachaelHartleyNutrition.com
6. Be kind to yourself offline.
“Even though I make efforts to unfollow accounts that I feel represent perfectionistic or disordered eating, it’s nearly impossible to 100 percent avoid those messages on social media. What I find matters most are actually the things I do outside of my time on social media. Self-care-oriented actions like consciously being kind to myself in my current body, eating enough satisfying food with no dieting and engaging in interests other than food and nutrition are really powerful for finding a balance when you work in this field. Now I actually love feeling like food is just food; it’s delicious and important, but certainly not the only thing to be thinking about.”
— Sumner Brooks, an eating disorder registered dietitian located in Portland, Oregon, and producer of EDRDpro.com for professionals
[See: 7 Ways to Boost Poolside Confidence Without Changing Your Body.]
7. Look out for red flags.
“Comparison is the thief of joy and it’s so easy to fall into the comparison trap on social media. The power of a good filter on someone else’s picture can be a dangerous thing to anyone’s self-esteem. I proceed with caution if the person providing nutrition advice is selling something or is half naked in every social media post!”
— Caroline Susie, registered dietitian of CarolineSusieRD.com
More from U.S. News
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The Eating Disorder Spectrum — From Pregorexia to Drunkorexia
11 Things to Tell Yourself When You’re About to Binge Eat
Nutritionists’ Social Media Strategies for Preventing Food Obsessions originally appeared on usnews.com
