Ladies and gents, I recently was informed that eating disorders are much more common than people realize. In fact, the National Eating Disorders Association estimates that approximately twenty-million women and ten-million men will develop an eating disorder sometime in their life. (I know, I know, pretty heavy beginning for an article titled “Treat Yo’self.”) Unfortunately, in reality, there are many young people who develop eating disorders without even realizing it. Typically, when I think of eating disorders, the things that come to mind are anorexia nervosa and bulimia because they are only the main, severe eating disorders that we are educated about in eighth-grade health class. Actually, there are other eating disorders, and most eating disorders don’t fit into any of those categories anyway. Eating disorders include, but are not limited to symptoms of binging, avoiding food out of unnecessary concern, usually for weight, consistent nutritional deficiency, and significant loss or gain of weight.
While this doesn’t mean that everyone who has any of those habits has an eating disorder, it does show that we need to be conscious of the people around us. We can all benefit from a compliment. So, I am challenging myself personally to compliment the people around me, and I invite anyone willing to join this challenge to “treat others” with a compliment as well. A simple “hey, you’re smile is really beautiful,” or “I love your style,” can mean more to people than you think.
Patrick Jane from the TV show The Mentalist once described food as both a necessity and a pleasure. We need it, but while gaining the nutrients that our bodies require, we can savor the flavor. So, if you ever “don’t need” that slice of cake because you are concerned about gaining weight… Treat Yo’self. Life is too short to constantly worry about a few hundred calories.