Introduction & Guest Bio:

Body-image researcher Nadia Craddock joins us to discuss body image beyond body size and weight, her experiences in inpatient eating-disorder treatment, colorism and its harmful effects on body image, how to push back against body ideals, and so much more. Plus, in Ask Food Psych, Christy answers a listener question about how to talk to a doctor who put you on an elimination diet that triggered an eating disorder. TW: This episode includes descriptions of Nadia’s traumatic experiences in long-term inpatient eating-disorder treatment, including mentions of self-harm. If this subject matter is likely to be troubling to you, please listen to the introduction for Christy's recommendation of sections to skip.

Nadia Craddock is a body-image researcher. She is Research Fellow at the Centre for Appearance Research, at the University of the West of England in Bristol and is a member of the Dove Self Esteem Project partnership team. Nadia is currently leading the development and evaluation of a school-based body image intervention in Indonesia in collaboration with UNICEF Indonesia, the Dove Self Esteem Project, researchers at the University of Indonesia and the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture.

Nadia co-hosts the Centre for Appearance Research's podcast, 'Appearance Matters' with Jade Parnell and co-costs 'The Body Protest' podcast with Honey Ross. Find her online at people.uwe.ac.uk/Person/NadiaCraddock.

This episode is brought to you by ThredUP, the world’s largest online consignment and thrift store. Sell your old clothes and get new-to-you pieces at up to 90% off retail prices. Visit thredup.com/FOODPSYCH for 30% off your first purchase. Terms apply.

For listeners in America, please remember to vote. If you’ve done so already, thank you. If not, go to VoteSaveAmerica.com to learn about the options that are available to you and come up with a voting plan.

We Discuss:

• Some of Nadia’s notable childhood food memories

• Unintentional restriction due to financial issues, and how it helped set the stage for an eating disorder

• Other factors that contributed to her eating disorder as a teenager

• Her initial experiences with eating-disorder treatment

• Her traumatic experiences in long-term inpatient eating-disorder treatment

• The social contagion effect of eating-disorder and self-harm behaviors

• How Nadia reintegrated back into life after her hospitalization

• The importance of support and community in her recovery

• What led her to her current career as a body-image researcher

• Talking about body image vs. internalized fatphobia in eating-disorder treatment

• Body image beyond body size and weight

• Negative outcomes associated with poor body image

• Colorism and body image

• The intersectional effects of colorism

• How Eurocentrism in body-image research has led to a lack of attention/research on colorism

• The parallels between the diet and skin-whitening industries

• How to push back against body ideals

• Appreciating our bodies’ functions and abilities

• Individualizing body-image interventions

• The nuances of body-image research and interventions

Resources Mentioned

Some of the links below are affiliate links. Affiliates or not, we only recommend products and services that align with our values.

• Submit your questions for a chance to have them answered on the podcast

• My online course, Intuitive Eating Fundamentals

• My book, Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness Through Intuitive Eating

• Dr. Bryn Austin and the Harvard Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders (STRIPED)

• Sabrina Strings’s work (and her Food Psych episode)

• Fearing the Black Body by Sabrina Strings (Bookshop) (Amazon)

• Jessica Alleva’s work

• “#BoPo on Instagram: An experimental investigation of the effects of viewing body positive content on young women’s mood and body image” (TW: Specific BMI numbers mentioned)

• Appearance Matters podcast

• Centre for Appearance Research on Instagram (@car_uwe)

• The Body Protest podcast

• Nadia’s website, Instagram, and Twitter

• This episode is brought to you by ThredUP, the world’s largest online consignment and thrift store. Sell your old clothes and get new-to-you pieces at up to 90% off retail prices. Visit thredup.com/FOODPSYCH for 30% off your first purchase. Terms apply.

• For listeners in America, please remember to vote. If you’ve done so already, thank you. If not, go to VoteSaveAmerica.com to learn about the options that are available to you and come up with a voting plan.

Ask Food Psych

Listener Question:

“How can I tell my doctor that the elimination diet that she recommended triggered my disordered eating?”—Jamie

We Discuss: 

• Why elimination diets are ineffective at best and harmful at worst

• Factors that contribute to disordered eating

• What is diet culture

• Getting support for eating-disorder recovery

• The first step in communicating your concerns

Resources Mentioned: 

• Food Psych® episode #175 

• Christy’s book, Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness Through Intuitive Eating

• Food Psych episode #94

• christyharrison.com/providers

• National Eating Disorders Association