A List Of Foods I Consider Safe/better To Binge On (and Not Feel Bad):

My safe foods 🌺🍯

Feel free to add your safe foods! For me, it’s:

- lemon water 🍋💦

- coffee w/ cinnamon ☕️

- boiled eggs 🥚

- tomatoes 🍅

- Diet Coke ofc

- chicken w/ salad

- greens! (like cucumber, spinach, kale, lettuce etc) 🥒

- non fat yogurt

- tangerines 🍊

- strawberries 🍓 (they are so yummy and have negative calories!!!!!)

- green tea! 🍵

- salmon 🍣

low cal brownies :D

43 cals per brownie

Ingredients:

- 2 large egg whites (34)

- 3 1/2 tablespoons of sugar (168)

- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder (36)

- 1 teaspoon vanilla (12)

- 2 teaspoon baking powder (4)

method:

- Preheat oven to 200 degrees

- mix all ingredients together

- pour into pan

- place in oven for 10 mins

- cut into 6 peices once done

123 calorie waffle or pancake recipe!

It's a bit eggy but not to a point that makes it more of an egg than a waffle. Makes two big ones or 4 small ones (3 tablespoons of mix per a small pancake or waffle). The mix is a bit runny so you may want a waffle iron like me. Tsstes great !!

Hot and Sour Shirataki Noodles with Tofu - 209 kcal/18.2g protein

Servings: 2 - 209kcal/18.2g protein per serving

14-16 ounces shirataki noodles, packed in water (two 7 or 8 ounce packages)

2 cups water

1 tbsp. soy sauce (check for gluten-free)

1/8 tsp. sesame oil

—

8 ounces lite firm tofu, cut into cubes

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1/4 tsp. sesame oil

—

1 1/2 tsp sesame oil

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. chopped garlic

4 finely chopped green onions

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

2 tbsp. lime juice

1 tsp. hot Chinese chili sauce (to taste)

3 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. sugar

shredded Napa Cabbage

chopped toasted peanuts

1. Drain and rinse the shirataki noodles and place them in a saucepan with the water, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

2. Toss the tofu cubes with the 1 tbsp. soy sauce and 1/4 tsp. sesame oil and set aside while you heat an oiled non-stick skillet or wok. When the skillet is hot, lift the tofu from the marinade and pan-fry it until it is lightly brown on all sides. Remove it from the skillet and place it back in the bowl with the marinade. Stir gently, and set aside.

3. Add the remaining 1 1/2 tsp. sesame oil to the pan. Over medium-high heat, stir fry the red pepper, garlic, green onions, and mushrooms until the mushrooms start to exude their juices. Add the lime juice, 3 tbsp. soy sauce, and sugar, and stir well. Continue stir-frying until the mixture boils.

4. Drain the noodles and add them to the pan, along with the tofu and its marinade. Toss well to mix. Serve on a bed of shredded cabbage and sprinkle with chopped peanuts.

favorite new safe food!

if you’re a salty (and cheesy 🥺) snacker like i am, check your local baby food aisle for these!

they’re perfect for satisfying your cravings and the entire can only has 210 calories, so it’s way safer to binge on these compared to actual cheetos or something.

they have other flavors other than mild cheddar if you’re not into cheesy things!

Reading, Watching and Listening to Beauty Standards - Saarah

Trigger Warning: This post contains references to eating disorders; reader discretion is advised.

Visit https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/ for help.

This essay will be exploring how beauty standards affect women. There were many ways to approach this but I feel what would perhaps be more interesting is how certain types of media engage and educate audiences on the matter.

It would be dishonest if I were to say I have always been conscious of these societal beauty standards; it would be further incomplete if I were not to include the standards of beauty placed on men who are represented by more muscular ideals. Physical attractiveness is something all of us are judged against. Scientifically, it results in successfulness in procreating. Why then are we beholden to these standards by society, to look conventionally pretty, groom oneself a certain way and attempt to show ourselves in our best light physically?

Outside of genetics and biology and inheriting features from our biological parents, there isn’t a lot we can do to change our look. It is largely outside of our control, and for most of us, our paycheck. The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) reported that women had 92% of all cosmetic surgery in the year 2019. While for men, this figure was only 8% respectively. For men a rhinoplasty was the most popular procedure, for women the rhinoplasty came in 6th after breast augmentation (implants or enlargement) or reduction, abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) and liposuction (removal of fat). My essay however, will focus on society’s fascination with body weight.

Society is constituted of the people around us, our networks, friends, families and colleagues. It is in the media we consume; the celebrities, the books, the films and television we watch. I have selected a book, a film and a music video to discuss this heavy subject, one of society’s biggest social taboos.

Firstly, the book is one I read a few years ago and one that shaped my opinions on this matter: Tyranny by Lesley Fairfield. If ever there was the one book for someone curious about this subject, weight and body dysmorphia, this is one I would press on any willing reader. Fairfield is someone who has for thirty years struggled with anorexia and bulimia. Fairfield writes candidly about how her thoughts take over and control her behaviour and self-destructive patterns. For me this was the first book I read on the subject, and it was the most educational. It taught me how society has a limited view on the feminine ideal and more often than not, it has nothing to do with “health”.

With weight, especially when you're a woman, everyone feels entitled to speak with you about it publicly. Are you pregnant? Dieting? It comes up over a shared meal, when asking if you'd like to have something to eat or, when you haven't seen someone in a long time. It's a shallow thing but people do speak up when they see a change. Plus, these days, it seems as if everyone is in the business of getting in shape…

Weight bias has become a prevalent, socially acceptable form of prejudice and discrimination. In a study by Falkner et al. titled Mistreatment due to weight: prevalence and sources of perceived mistreatment in women and men (1999), a sample of healthy adults (187 men and 800 women) enrolled in a weight gain prevention program recounted their experiences on the matter of weight bias. 22% of women and 17% of men reported weight-related mistreatment. The most commonly reported sources of mistreatment among women were strangers (12.5%) and a spouse or loved one (11.9%) (source: pubmed). Curiously this is not something only the morbidly obese people experience, the study noted. We all have an experience.

A more recent study: A Picture of Health (2016) by Credos et al. found that 41% of boys feel that the portrayal of men in media images is unrealistic. ‘Adults, as well as young people are finding themselves with issues surrounding body image. (Safeline 2021). We see heavily filtered images, badly filtered images on our apps, social networks and magazines. Where there could be an opportunity to help with body image acceptance, instead we find stereotypes, poor representation and incorrect language like ‘thin’ for anorexic sufferers, and the ‘fat humour’ so prevelant in US televisions shows.

Perhaps unexpectedly, it has fallen on our role models to help us feel better. Before we had the more popular clothing retailers offer larger sizes of clothing to fit plus-size women, we had body-positivity champions. My personal favourite is Meghan Trainor, but big stars like Demi Lovato and Beyonce also come to mind. The second media I selected is Meghan Trainor’s All About That Bass 2015 song and accompanying music video. It has a memorable message of self-acceptance but was criticized for not empowering every body type. Despite this it reached number 1 in 58 countries. It was relatable and for many people, it was refreshing to hear.

The final media I selected was ‘To the Bone’ a film starring Lily Collins (2017) who plays an recovering-anorexic woman. This was like the other two pieces of media I selected, about conquering a life-long battle and finding your own identity. It is a harrowing depiction of what can happen when beauty standards limit and reduce a person, by going too far. The character’s desires are more complex than wanting to be thin or prettier; she wants to be comfortable, and her reasons are complicated. I selected this because I felt it showed the extreme of body dysmorphia and society being an underhand entity in what shapes us and who we go on to become.

To conclude, this essay is only a brief perusal of the influence beauty standards hold. The media I selected all have their own place in a much broader discussion. Some of these will be triggering, others will be life affirming, but they all exist as art works which can educate and be forces for positive, radical change, embracing identity and not image; and ultimately, standing up to beauty standards.

References:

BAAPS statistics available here: https://www.theprivateclinic.co.uk/blog/baaps-releases-cosmetic-surgery-2020-annual-audit/

How body image is portrayed in the media | Safeline - Believe in you - Surviving sexual abuse & rape https://www.safeline.org.uk/how-body-image-is-portrayed-in-the-media/

Mistreatment due to weight: prevalence and sources of perceived mistreatment in women and men - PubMed (nih.gov) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10574516/

Vegan Mushroom Beef Bowl (134 Calories)

[403 calories per skillet, 134 calories per serving. 7G protein, 2G carbs per serving. Makes 3 servings.]

*THIS IS MY RECIPE*

1/3 package Impossible Burger (240)

1 Package Bunapi mushrooms (35)

1 package Shiitake mushrooms (40)

1/2 onion (20)

3 cloves garlic (0)

1/2 Tablespoon oil (50)

1 Tablespoon Oregano (0)

1 Teaspoon onion powder (8)

5 Tablespoons water

1 Teaspoon vegan bouillon (10)

Pepper (0)

Heat oil in skillet

Break apart Impossible Burger, and sauté on med-high heat until just starting to brown

Add chopped onion, cook until just translucent

Add mushrooms, pepper, onion powder, and Oregano. Sauté covered until mushrooms begin to soften.

Add water, bouillon, and garlic. Cook for a few more minutes to deglaze the pan, and until mushrooms are cooked to your liking.

Serve

Notes: You can, of course, use any kind of mushrooms you like or that are available to you. I get the Bunapis and Shiitakes at Whole Foods. Add salt or more bouillon if you want more seasoning. Add thyme and/or cayenne for even more flavor.

My safe foods 🖤

🖤 apple

🖤 banana

🖤 cucumber

🖤 water

🖤 gum

🖤 tea

🖤 soup

🖤 yoghurt

🖤 crispbread

🖤 rice cake

🖤 clementine

🖤 blood orange

🖤 cola light/zero

🖤 pepsi max

🖤 strawberry

🖤 pomegranate

My Personal Safe Foods [:

From lowest in calories, to highest.

0kcal Ice lollies- made from herbal teas, water, no sugar soft drinks, etc. (0kcal)

Raspberries (1 raspberry = 1kcal)

Chamomile Tea (2.37 kcal)

Grapes (1 grape = 3.3 kcal)

Low Sugar Soft Drinks (>10kcal)

100g Iceberg Lettuce (14kcal)

100g Kale (28kg)

Lightly Salted Ricecakes (1 ricecake = 30kcal)

100g Carrot (41kcal)

Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (whole 148ml bottle = 43kcal)

0% Fat Greek Yoghurt (55kcal)

100g Banana (89kcal)

1/2 Can Heinz Lentil Soup (91kcal)

1/2 Can Heinz Tomato Soup (102kcal)

1/2 Can Heinz Baked Beans (162kcal)