#diet myths

[fem-lit]

What, first, is food? Certainly, within the context of the intimate family, food is love, and memory, and language. But in the public realm, food is status and honor.

Food is the primal symbol of social worth. Whom a society values, it feeds well. The piled plate, the choicest cut, say: We think you’re worth this much of the tribe’s resources. Samoan women, who are held in high esteem, exaggerate how much they eat on feast days. Publicly apportioning food is about determining power relations, and sharing it is about cementing social equality: When men break bread together, or toast the queen, or slaughter for one another the fatted calf, they’ve become equals and then allies. The word companion comes from the Latin for “with” and “bread”—those who break bread together.

But under the beauty myth, now that all women’s eating is a public issue, our portions testify to and reinforce our sense of social inferiority. If women cannot eat the same food as men, we cannot experience equal status in the community. As long as women are asked to bring a self-denying mentality to the communal table, it will never be round, men and women seated together; but the same traditional hierarchical dais, with a folding table for women at the foot.

— Naomi Wolf (1990) The Beauty Myth

[cryinginthefkncorner]

So I’m in ED recovery and also fat, and have been reading “The Diet Myth” by Paul Campos.

In the beginning of the book he talks about how Americans have an “Anorexic World Lenses” that they are seeing the concepts of health and wellness through, mainly thanks in part to the diet industry and pharmaceutical lobbying groups that are filled with what he refers to as “anti-fat warriors.”

And reading about his anorexic world lenses theory makes a lot of things make sense. especially when it comes to fat people recovering from restrictive eating disorders.

These anti-fat warriors will scream about how people who are fat during or after recovery just “swapped one ED for another” (implying that a person is now binge eating to the point of having BED instead of restricting to the point of AAN).

While this can be the case for some, If the person who is recovering is working with a care team they most likely are not binging. It’s just a 8” to 10” plate, filled with carbs, protein, and fruit or veg with little white space on a plate (common way to portion food to make sure a meal is actually a meal in ED recovery) is so foreign to them, that they think a normal meal constitutes “over eating”.

They personally don’t eat that much (because they bought into the bogus, manipulated science and stats from the weight loss industry hook, line, and sinker) because they don’t want to be “fat and die young” (<- a myth with little scientific backing btw) so a fat person eating a normal amount of obviously bingeing, and needs to stop.

And they’ll scream this perception at fat people in recovery, because how dare they start learning to accept size differences, how dare they accept their body no matter how it turns out! Why aren’t they buying into the big pharma propaganda!?! Why aren’t they destroying their livers and GI tracts with Ozempic and metformin for a few pounds of weight loss?! Why aren’t they following the script?!

It’s a typical freak out akin to what I felt when I saw the number on the scale increase by half a pound when I was deep in my eating disorder.

The anorexic world lenses is very real, it’s what causes us to label an average hight woman at a typical weight “ob*se”, it’s the system that labels people like George Clooney and Dwayne “the rock” Johnson as “ob*se”.

It’s the system used by our government to justify torturing fat people with drugs they don’t need for minimal weight loss so they can determine who is the compliant fat and who is the “bad” fat who has seen through the BS.

Anyway, I highly recommend the book as of right now, and if wanted I will post more as I read more.

[gingermintpepper]

One of my favourite little things about Apollo is how casual his and the Fates' relationship was.

Now, this isn't to understate how grave the Fates were in any way, as a matter of fact, it's written multiple times about the complex interplay between the Fates and Zeus (Stobaeus even wrote that the Fates were given the seat closest to Zeus' throne so he could better give counsel on all things from their machinations)

Indeed, even Zeus was beholden to them and even though the Fates usually left things up to natural course (and Zeus in his position as Moiragetes - that is, the Leader of Fates could even intercede on these events, even interrupting when a someone was set to die) in a lot of ways, there are many, many things that even Zeus could never interfere with, things that were above even the King of the Heavens. Some really good examples are things like Persephone's Abduction which the Fates ruled as necessary for the propagation of the seasons and his marriages to Themis and Hera.

By all accounts really, the Fates were incredibly stern, incredibly grave deities who presided over law, order, birth and death and even worked with the Furies to punish those who broke the sacred laws!

And then you have Apollo who was also known by the title Moiragetes (In Delphi, there were only two Moirai depicted and in place of the third was Zeus and Apollo Moiragetes according to Pausanias) but who did things like, checks notes, send the Fates to be the midwives of his paramour Evadne when she had to deliver his son alone in secret (by the way, he also sent the actual goddess of childbirth to help. The Fates absolutely did not need to also be there, he was taking every precaution:

and get the Fates drunk so they would agree to save his bestie Admetus' life:

Keep in mind btw - this con Apollo pulled for Admetus was multi-layered and even included getting Heracles to wrestle Thanatos and keep him still so Apollo could proceed to help Admetus cheat Alcestis away from Fates when Admetus expressed regret for making his wife die in his place:

And I cannot stress enough that Apollo faced zero consequences for this nonsense. NONE. The Fates weren't even cordial with other Gods - they're almost never referred to directly, they were often depicted apart from other deities or described as old, ugly and unable to walk (though, generally speaking they were artistically depicted as young maidens!) and apart from comforting Demeter by going to personally explain what happened to Persephone in some versions of the story, they didn't really get humanised the way most of the other gods or spirits did. Usually they're referred to euphemistically, or someone will speak distantly about a prophecy they once heard was designed by the Fates but Apollo? Apollo knew the Fates! He was good friends with the Fates! And I think it's even cooler when you consider that both instances of Apollo showing off his Fate's Favourite privilege have to deal with birth (of Iamus) and death (of Alcestis/Admetus) which were the two points most deeply associated with the Moirai and why there were usually depictions of them as a pair over that of a triad.

(Excerpts sourced from Theoi, Aeschylus' Eumenides, Pindar's Olympian 6 and Statius' Silvae; though just a note, one instance of the Fates' involvement with Apollo is misquoted on Theoi - that is the Fates being present for Apollo's birth, that's actually a misinterpretation of Evadne's birthing of Iamus.)

[terresdebrume]

Body update: it turns out that after about a year (ish) of trying to eat more healthily and avoiding fast food, my body cannot handle some of the meals I used to enjoy anymore

I had a burger last week at DND and was sick, and I thought it was bc the burger particularly greasy, but then when I ordered from my usual place today (less horrendously greasy but still, you know, a fast food burger) I actually kinda stopped enjoying it three bites in and had to put in some effort to finish it x)

Oh well

[mycupofstars]

Nothing will destroy your faith in healthcare faster than having lunch in the same break room as nurses

[charkyzombicorn]

The real question is what kind of bat wings dose luffy have

Vampire, fruit or insects feeders

Because I think it would be funny is Luffy ate bugs

Luffy has no idea for the first 17 years of his life, he didn't even know there were specific things bats ate until Sabo came in with the stereotypes he learned from his parents. He said bats drink blood, so Luffy tried drinking blood and it was okay, not as good as meat but hey blood comes in meat so that's probably something.

It wasn't until Usopp got Chopper a biology book that happened to have a little thing on bats did someone tell Luffy "Oh, hey. Your wings are similar to a little brown bat." and Luffy was like "Yeah that means I gotta drink blood, right?" and Chopper looked kind of horrified when he said "No. That species eats insects and beetles..."

Luffy was absolutely heartbroken he will Never eat beetles Never Ever biology will Not make him (that was never an issue) he Refuses

[sidewalkchemistry]

Why are Caffeine & Energy Stimulants So Common? {or How to Stop Being Stuck in Cycles of Fatigue, Brain Fog, and Insatiable Hunger/Cravings for Sweets}

Relying on energy stimulants (coffee, energy drinks, caffeinated tea, protein supplements/bars/snacks/shakes, candies, chocolates, etc) to get through a day or workout is a sign that your cells are lacking energy. Don't let your cells suffer like that 😥 (these stimulants also hamper nutrient absorption and harm organ tissue). Fuel yourself with fruit*.

Every cell in the body generates energy from simple sugars. It's most efficient to consume fruit for energy - they are nutrient dense, fast digesting, and packed with simple sugars. When we don't, that's when the depleted feelings and/or sugar-y or starch-y cravings set in. The body tries to get accessible sugar in some way. High-fat and high-protein require a lot of energy to create a good amount of cellular energy. Intuitive eating protocols neglect to realize that cravings for high-carb foods & sweets is the body's message for more energy (preferable via fruit).

••••••••• 🍓🥝🥭🍇🍉🍐🍊 ••••••••••

Ripe** fruit is the best option especially for breakfast & snacks. Have it in abundance***. Cells quickly convert them to useable energy. And they don't cause the withdrawals, sudden energy drops, or harm to your organs that stimulants do. Those who eat adequate amounts of fruit do not consider these stimulants (as shown above).

For the best energy: eat until thoroughly satisfied & don't mix fruit meals with anything but fruit (especially if you have digestive issues, but also because it slows the digestion process & time until the cells receive the glucose molecules for cellular respiration/ATP production)

Some Recommendations: smoothies/smoothie bowl, homemade popsicles, dates, baked fruit (like baked apples or pears sprinkled with cinnamon + nutmeg), frozen or fresh grapes, melons, raisins, berries, cold-pressed fruit juice, dried figs, applesauce, or whatever your current seasonal favorite is**** (luscious persimmons, pomegranates, and oranges in winter; mangoes, pineapples, and papayas in spring; watermelons, peaches, and blueberries in summer; figs, grapes, and apples in fall)

---

*if you are on prescription medication, check first if there are any fruit that are contraindicated. Choose other options. There are thousands of fruit in the world to choose from.

**this channel has a lot of good guidance for selecting properly ripe & tasty fruit (she overviews a bunch at once - from apples to mangoes to tomatoes to dragonfruit - in this video)

***if you have blood sugar issues, a lower fat whole food plant based diet can resolve those issues long term. I recommend working with an experienced & trusted health practitioner to be sure you safely make the adjustment. I definitely recommend it because fruits are the cell's best & most nutritious fuel and it doesn't serve the body to restrict them.

****seasonal fruit may vary depending on location. seasonal fruit tend to have the best flavor profiles & price points

[dapg-otmebytheballs]

Anyway I deleted that anon but I've kept a screenshot in case I end up needing it

For anyone who needs it: I put the resources to do with diet culture myths under the tag 'diet culture' would definitely recommend reading/rbing since these myths still seem to be soooo widespread that people genuinely take them to be true

[fromthemouthofkings]

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[fem-lit]

But female fat is the subject of public passion, and women feel guilty about female fat, because we implicitly recognize that under the myth, women’s bodies are not our own but society’s, and that thinness is not a private aesthetic, but hunger a social concession exacted by the community. A cultural fixation on female thinness is not an obsession about female beauty but an obsession about female obedience. The nations seize with compulsive attention on this melodrama because women and men understand that it is not about cholesterol or heart rate or the disruption of a line of tailoring, but about how much social freedom women are going to get away with or concede.

— Naomi Wolf (1990) The Beauty Myth

[wisterianwoman]

Most Fitness Advice is Bullsh*t: Exercising Your Body, Your Way

Tired of all the health & fitness bullsh*t? You're not alone. With conflicting advice and one-size-fits-all solutions, finding your unique path can be tough. Let's unravel myths, and empower your unique fitness journey.

Are you tired of wading through the swamp of fitness misinformation? It’s time to clear the fog and embark on a journey that’s uniquely yours. Fitness Fact or Fiction? Are you one of the countless people who have embarked on a fitness journey, only to find themselves lost in a sea of contradictory advice, fad diets, and workout trends that promise quick fixes and easy solutions? Perhaps you’ve…

[thoughtportal]

This week, we're talking about Aubrey's new book, "'You Just Need To Lose Weight' and 19 Other Myths About Fat People." And we're yelling about Piers Morgan as a little treat.

[chrismcshell]

my dad thinks hes a health expert because he watches videos of doctors saying questionable shit on youtube. "cracking your joints too much means youre going to get arthritis" "intermittent fasting is good for you" "sugar is bad, salt is good, simple as that" and he says these things with such confidence as if he didnt just learn them 3 minutes ago from a highly unreliable source that he 100% did NOT fact-check

[burningtheroots]

The make-up industry, diet industry and plastic surgery industry are all worth billions of dollars and poison our minds with advertisements and unrealistic expectations since childhood.

So yeah, keep falling for it but don’t praise it as a 'feminist' choice and stop trying to convince other girls and women to alter their natural bodies by making it look 'empowering'.

We have enough women and girls with body-image issues, eating disorders and thousands of dollars spent on chemicals.

[meganspublished]

In 'Recapturing My Ferocity', I look back on my teenage experiences of diet culture.

[sidewalkchemistry]

I had to relearn what I knew about protein, and through what I learned, I realized we don't actually need that much protein. There's this overemphasis on protein, particularly animal protein. And what I've learned now, at the end of the day, it's not how much protein you're consuming, but how much you're actually assimilating. Because when you're under this kind of protein spell, which was where I was, I forgot about everything else. I forgot about, you know, what about my antioxidants, what about my fiber? I just did not think of that. - Luke Tan in Let Us Be Heroes - The True Cost of Our Food Choices (2018)