Today Heather chats with Amy Connell about the ways we as moms who were fully entrenched in diet culture can start to change the conversations in our home around food and body. Amy and Heather were both fitness instructors and focused on “health education” trying to, out of love, do what was best for their kids around food and exercise. But, as they discuss today, some of what they did was likely unhelpful. As the research shows, some of the rules they enforced and the ways they modeled a restrictive relationship with food or over-emphasized exercise may have sent the wrong message to their kids. 

Amy and Heather talk about how our children and teens are on the journey with us out of diet culture, whether they know it or not. They talk about how tricky it can be to have our children watch our pendulum swing from restricting all the foods or maybe always being on a diet to giving up dieting and trying to eat more intuitively.

They also discuss how our kids—both boys and girls--are being influenced by social media and YouTube influencers around what they should eat and how they should look or exercise. They talk about how to manage this challenge when you are trying to teach your children and teens a different way.

Similarly, Amy and Heather talk about helping our children see the agenda that the culture has for them--and how diet culture plays into this agenda that wants them to be so focused on food, exercise, body, and appearance that they can miss out on what God has for them and find themselves in anxiety, depression, eating disorders or worse.

You'll be encouraged by today's podcast, share it with a friend or leave a review!

Ready to sign up for the 40-day body image workbook reading journey? We start May 21st! Learn more or sign up here: https://www.improvebodyimage.com/40-day-challenge

Purchase Amy's new book, Your CORE Strength on most online stores including Amazon and Bookshop if you prefer to support independent bookstores. All formats, including paperback, ebook and audiobook are available.

You may also grab the Parents Guide - a Cliffs notes version for you to learn the main concepts as well as receive other helpful resources like recommended Instagram accounts, books and podcasts, and ways to support your daughter.

Want some more Christ-centered, diet-culture-free encouragement for your daughter? Invite her to listen to Amy's podcast for Christian teen girls, Lessons to My Teenage Self (also on YouTube if they aren't regular podcast listeners.)
Connect with Amy:@gracedhealth (for women over 40)@lessons.pod (for teens)
GracedHealth.com