You do not need to earn your food!!!
I was in a yoga class and at the end the instructor mentioned that class would be held on Thanksgiving morning so that everyone could “earn” their holiday meal. Then someone else chimed in that they were going to do a run in the morning so they wouldn’t feel so “guilty” for eating the holiday meal.
If you’ve been following along and doing the anti diet culture work, you know why these comments are so harmful, but if you’re new here, here’s why commenting about earning food is harmful:
Food is not something we need to earn by working out or “being good”. Food is fuel and essential to life. Food is a basic human need. By saying we need to “earn” food, that essentially says when we do not work out that day, we should not be allowed to eat. Yikes! Of course we’re allowed and need to eat regardless of whether we’ve “earned” it or not. It is also super harmful to say in a fitness class where you don’t know if any of your students have eating disorders or disordered eating patterns. Please be mindful with your words!
Struggling with your relationship with food or exercise? Want to go into the winter holidays with ease around food? Come work with me, an experienced eating disorder registered dietitian. If you’re in the Centerport, New York area or want to work virtually, send Christina an email to learn more about 1:1 nutrition therapy sessions! You don’t have to struggle on your own!