There has been a long-standing taboo associated with looking anything less than Hollywood perfect. The world of fashion and style as portrayed in the magazines fails to bring us closer to reality as the pictures have been either photoshopped or heavily edited. And the result of continuously following this world has given rise to unhealthy no eating disorders among today’s youth. Since the last century, people have been associated with the obsessive want for unrealistic body types and unhealthy fad diets. This is the reason why today’s youth misses out on important food items that add nutritive value to their food. Skipping meals or going hungry in the name of ‘dieting’ has a negative impact on their lives. International No Diet Day was started with the sole motive of promoting a healthy body and lifestyle amongst all body types around the globe.
How Did It Start?
About 30 years ago, in 1992, a woman named Mary Evans first started International No Diet Day. The sole purpose of bringing forth this day was to help men and women appreciate and give credit to their bodies. Evans had gone through anorexia, a serious eating and mental disorder that involves restricting food intake, leading to several nutritional deficiencies. Anorexia causes people to lose more weight than is considered healthy for their age and weight. Mary Evans is also the founder of Diet Breakers, under which she launched the International No Diet Day.
Notably, this day was created to deal with issues regarding a good diet and promote body positivity. Some other agendas on which this day is focused are as follows:
- Making people understand the importance of taking cheat days or one-day breaks from their diets
- Educating people that dieting is not about skipping meals but adding enough nutrition, vitamins, and proteins to their meals responsibly
- Celebrating the importance that lies in the diversity of all body types and sizes
- Understanding that keeping your body healthy without depriving it of nutrition is the main goal
How to Celebrate International No Diet Day?
May 6 marks the day for you to realise just how beautiful your own body is. Feeling good in your skin can happen when you exercise, eat healthily, and also cut yourself some slack when it comes to giving yourself little breaks in between. Instead of emphasising the rigorous belief to look and keep yourself on a particular day, this day celebrates the importance of having a healthy lifestyle above everything. Without worrying about how much weight you have lost, you should go out, explore, and put in your best effort to stay fit and active without worrying about the result.
Fast fashion and unrealistic body types often harbour negative emotions in us, making us aim for that perfect kind of body type and harming ourselves in the process. On the other hand, by indulging in our hobbies and passions we can stay fit, healthy, and active. Here are certain ways to make yourself feel inclusive on International No Diet Day:
- Embrace different body types and negate the idea of a ‘right’ type of body
- Keeping your mind free from obsessing about weight and diet
- Aid in ending discrimination, bullying, and fatphobia
- Compliment people. Focus on one’s success and achievements than how he/she looks
Conclusion
International No Diet Day specifically lays emphasis on why it is important to love and take care of your body. Eating what you love, taking a break, and celebrating one’s intrinsic qualities instead of external appearance are much more important than unrealistic diet approaches that could seriously hamper your overall health. A lot of people will have their personal stories related to poor diet that can be considered as a motivation to go forward with life instead of focusing on body negativity.
