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Another tiresome thread from me on eating disorders and the obesity strategy for anyone who is interested in why a bunch of ’snowflakes’ are whining about being cancelled by calorie counts.
One of the hardest things to do in eating disorder recovery is to just go & eat with normal people. Going to a restaurant is already a very, very BIG step — top of the pyramid of things you teach yourself to do again
You‘re surrounded by others & your daft brain tells you *everyone* is watching what you eat. You will panic about what you‘re having, wait until people with you order & then scale your own choices around them to try and make sure you’re not ‘the fat one’. It’s a competition
This feeling will persist at some level every time you have food, even if it gets easier the more you challenge it. Like everything with EDs it is absurd but feels real. I have no doubt that calorie counts will, for some people, add an extra barrier & prove their ED brain right.
The measure being floated can only work if it persuades people not to eat certain foods. It will only work if it adds a barrier between you and enjoyment of food. That is directly counter to nearly everything you are told (by the NHS!) in recovery.
So it’s a legitimate policy question — not some culture wars snowflake whining — to ask whether it will do more harm than good. It may well be that there is a really strong evidence base that calorie counts on menus help more people than they hurt
But, like all policy, it’ll be a trade-off, and that‘s why people are suggesting Government should show its working and consider the eating disorder impact before it does something that could hurt some people.
I am now going to eat some chips in the garden in the sun and be happy. Have a lovely weekend and be nice to each other.
