What does Prevention Mean to You?

“Prevention to me is about providing support to those who are at risk of developing an eating disorder, and helping them address the underlying issues that is putting them at risk. My experience taught me that there were issues that I hadn’t been addressing in my life and my disordered eating became a way for me to cope with those problems. Eventually, my eating disorder became bigger than the other issues and I was unable to stop the destructive pattern on my own. I believe that if I knew of a dedicated and passionate community like the PEDAW committee, I would have been able to find the support I needed. Prevention is key to helping those who may be suffering silently as it gives them a space to access resources, find support and become empowered to create positive change.”
~Sioned Dyer

“Prevention from an eating disorder was not on my radar as a young pre-teen. I did not even know what an eating disorder was, and the thought of me having one was hard to accept. The tricky part of prevention is that you do not know you should be actively preventing something until you look back and realize it could have helped the situation. The role that eating disorder prevention and awareness plays is highly important. As a recovered individual and an advocate for the prevention of eating disorders I can see and experience the impact that campaigns like PEDAW are producing. I strongly believe that by educating and teaching the younger generation about eating disorder warning signs, dangers, and how and where to get help, we can prevent a large number of people from going through hardship. I think of prevention as becoming armed with a set of tools to be able to recognize and deal with signs of an eating disorder before it amounts to more.”
~Carmen Saucier

“I struggled with an eating disorder for a number of years. I felt I was nothing, that I didn’t deserve to live. There are some things that could have been done to soften the extreme suffering I went through that goes along with an eating disorder. Resiliency, strength, confidence—those were just a few things I did not have that I desperately needed. These are the components I try to instill in others through my work at the Provincial Eating Disorders Awareness (PEDAW) campaign. I want to create a fierce community that can withstand the media, fat talk, and all the other negative messages out of our control. I want people aware of the signs and symptoms of eating disorders so they can seek treatment early. want people walking with their heads held high and proud of who they are regardless of what society may say. That, to me, is prevention.”
~Amy Pezzente

“Eating disorders prevention is being a positive role model. People learn more through the actions ofothers than through words. If you engage in unhealthy eating and exercise patterns, it is likely your loved one will develop unhealthy eating and exercise habits too.”
~Anonymous

“It is accepting everyone’s body size. Every single person is born with a different genetic makeup, which means that every person is meant to look different. Don’t try to change your body because you have expectations of how it should look.”
~Anonymous

“It is providing education about the tricks in the modeling, media, and advertising industries. Be critical about the advertisements seen in the media and the unrealistic messages they send.”
~Anonymous

“Eating disorders prevention includes absolutely, positively NO ‘fat talk!’”
~Anonymous

“It is focusing on the ‘healthy ideal,’ which focuses not on weight or size, but on health, which looks different for everyone.”
~Anonymous

“It is NO dieting. Ever! Model that diets don’t work. Diets are associated with moodiness, binge eating, depression, and fatigue.”
~Anonymous

“Eating disorders prevention is modeling healthy eating and exercise by eating a variety of different foods, listening to your own body’s physical hunger, and exercising for fun and not for punishment.”
~Anonymous

“Eating disorders prevention is focusing on the inside. Promote positive self-esteem with one’s inner talents, personality, their passions – not with external appearance.”
~Anonymous