How Social Media Impacts our Eating and Body ImageHow Social Media Impacts our Eating and Body Image
Recovery Recharged with Ellen Stewart Pushy Broad from the Bronx
Social and the internet bombard us with information about dieting and weight loss supplements and the like. A lot of it is confusing and not accurate which causes anxiety and improper eating. Platforms such as face book Instagram and tic toc target...
56:06•14 Feb 2024
Social Media, Eating Disorders and Learning to Love Your Body
Episode Overview
- Social media algorithms repeat triggering food and body content, increasing risk for disordered eating and addictive patterns.
- Toxic diet culture often starts with teens restricting food groups, over-exercising, or following unrealistic influencers and bodybuilders.
- Key warning signs include sudden dieting, baggy clothing, skipped meals, secret eating, frequent weighing, and extreme exercise or purging.
- Shifting what you follow, deleting harmful apps, and using offline coping tools like walking, journalling, or time with pets can reduce harm.
- Rigid dieting is discouraged in favour of balanced, individualised eating with all food groups in moderation, including treats like chocolate.
“Be good to yourself. There’s a lot of good information out there, but there’s a lot of negative information. So pull your way out of the negative and go to the positive.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety when food and body image are tangled up with addiction? This Recovery Recharged episode looks straight at that question, using Valentine’s Day as a backdrop for self-love, chocolate, and the pressures of social media. Host Ellen Stewart chats with licensed professional counsellor, nutritionist, and registered dietitian Dana Wells, who works extensively with eating disorders, addiction, and trauma.
Dana explains how platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook hook people through dopamine hits, pushing more of the same content once you like or follow it. As she puts it, repeated exposure “can exacerbate the problem that they may already have or it can contribute to it turning into a problem,” especially for those with an addictive personality.
You’ll hear them break down toxic diet culture, why teens and adults start restricting food groups, and how constant comparison to influencers or supermodels can feed anxiety, depression, and distorted body image. Dana walks through what anorexia, bulimia, binge eating and compulsive overeating look like in real life, from baggy clothes and skipped meals to secret eating and extreme exercise. There’s plenty of practical advice too.
Dana talks about deleting triggering apps, changing what you follow so your algorithm shifts, and using offline coping skills like walking, journalling, playing with pets, or short guided meditations. She’s blunt about the d-word: “I don’t like the word diet… it automatically makes people think about restricting,” preferring a flexible, balanced way of eating that fits the individual rather than a one-size-fits-all plan.
The episode finishes on a warm note: yes, you can have chocolate, but think moderation, smaller boxes, and sharing with someone you care about. If social media is warping how you see food and your body, could this be the nudge to change what you’re feeding your mind as well as your plate?
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