love our bodies, love ourselves

In this informative episode, our host, Val, is joined by two guests, Vicky and Joanna. Vicky is a social justice practicum student working with Jessie’s Legacy, and generously shares her own lived experience with an eating disorder from which she is now in recovery. Joanna, clinical counsellor and manager of Jessie's Legacy, has also been…More

Dear ED, You say to strive for perfection, that being as small as possible is the ideal. You say I do not deserve the space that I hold, I do not deserve that meal. You said to follow society's standards, ones that say what I wear and look like determine who I am as a…More

Many of us have looked up a new recipe online or been intrigued by a vlogger’s “What I Eat in a Day” video. While it can be entertaining to scroll through social media for dessert ideas or advice on how to meal prep for a busy week, there may be harmful effects that we are…More

Our self-identified male guest author shares with us how his dedication to his sports performance began a dangerous journey of restriction and comparison. The pressure  from racing and cross-country running led our author to focus heavily on his diet, training, and his competition. Our guest author brings up an important point, noting the lack of…More

I was seven when I first became aware of my physical being. I remember looking at my mom and twin sister while playing at the park and wanting to disappear because I thought life would be better without me in it. My seven-year-old brain felt panic for thinking that, so I ran to my mom…More

Lucia shares how her tendency to overachieve and the stigma attached to mental health issues led to secrecy and isolation during her eating disorder journey. Being put on a diet at an early age placed our guest author on a slippery slope of struggling with self-consciousness and buried emotions. Lucia stresses the importance of reaching…More

Sarah-Kate shares with us an insightful experience of how harmful stereotypes are when it comes to eating disorders. As someone in a bigger body, she explores and shares how the dismissal and invalidation of her experience hurt her mental and physical health during her journey. Q: Tell us about how your relationship with your body…More

Celeste C. candidly shares how the flames of her eating disorder were fanned by remarks about her body from family members alongside experiences of trauma and loss. In this article we explore the complex links between cultural expectations, diet culture, and healthy eating taken to an extreme. As a person of South Asian descent, Celeste…More

Carissa shares with us an important journey that stemmed from feeling pressure to fit into societal and cultural standards. In this article, Carissa explores how she learned to embrace herself after using food as a coping mechanism for years. Carissa's inspiring strength is evident in how she continues healing and reflecting on her experience with…More

In this article, a woman expresses how diet culture within her family and an introduction to dieting at an early age negatively impacted her relationship with food and her body. Q: Tell us about how your relationship with your body and/or eating habits first began to change. What stage of your life were you in?…More