When Religion and Dieting Collide: What Did You Give Up for Lent?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robin-m-masheb/body-image_b_2978191.html

Robin M. Masheb and Mary Clark Moschella

Posted: 03/29/2013 8:33 am

What did you give up for Lent? Chocolate or ice cream? Or perhaps some other high-fat, high-sugar, and relatively high-calorie "forbidden food?" For overweight people struggling with eating disorders, an important aspect of treatment involves incorporating small amounts of "forbidden foods" into one's diet on a regular basis. The rationale is to break the cycle of being "on a diet" or "off a diet."

Despite having this knowledge, when religious holidays with dietary restrictions or associations come around (it can be Yom Kippur for Jews or Ramadan for Muslims), patients are eager to give up something like chocolate or to fast for a holiday. All too often, underlying the religious practice of self-discipline is the thinking that this is a good way to lose weight.

In our class on Psychopathology and Pastoral Care at Yale Divinity School, we happened to be discussing eating disorders, and the contrast between our country's obesity crisis and the pressure to conform to the "thin ideal." A student asked how we could help young people, particularly girls, develop a healthy body image in an environment where two-thirds of our country is overweight and everyone idealizes women who wear a size two. In the context of this environment, how can one make a difference?

One important aspect of this conversation is the identity and self-image parents help to create for their child. Do you focus on your daughter's appearance and weight, or do you compliment her character and achievements -- in your own mind, to her, and around other people? Is the way you build the identity of your son different than the way you do this with your daughter?

more at link