«I’m a mother of m…? Today for dinner I put on the table the supermarket roast chicken. Although the girls had eaten meat even at schoolin the first course, even though I too had already eaten chicken for lunch. And I add that as a vegetable I put dellsalad Already wash in bag, salad that no one eats if not signed”. It’s an outspoken post that of Laura Chelli, nutritionist from Bologna. He wrote it on March 15 for the National Lilac Bow Daydedicated to eating disorders (DCA), with the intention of helping to live with serenity the imperfections daily in the relationship with food. “Reality is not that of the social con always perfect disheshappy families who eat smiling, super balanced menu with organic food grown in their own gardens», continues the message. “The reality is also this: Finish work latenot having organized e put the first edible thing on the table that can be grabbed on the way from work to home. But it would also be okay if yes improvise dinner because you prefer to do something else». Result: almost 90,000 likes and just under four thousand shares in seven days.
Doctor Chelli, were you expecting 90,000 likes?
“Absolutely no. While I was publishing the post I was only thinking about my patients, then it got magnified. I simply wanted to show that I too am like them: a normal mother who allows herself to buy a ready-made dish for needs».
A comment that struck you the most?
“I understand every point of view. Perhaps, however, some have not received the deepest message: we are imperfect and, among the thousand commitments they have, it is a completely normal thing”.
Social media is a place where perfection is often shared and she instead highlighted the difficulty of reconciling our hectic routines with the times of preparing food at home. Why?
«Social networks are a bit paradoxical because on the one hand they increase interest and awareness of food, on the other they increase performance anxiety. I always say that it is difficult to find pasta with tomato sauce in a recipe book, because there are only very elaborate things that take time. But from a nutritional point of view, even simple and quick dishes, therefore those that are not exactly “instagrammable”, are fine. Keep in mind that the important thing is the nutrients and not the single food. And if you were to go astray, indulging in something unhealthy, nothing serious happens until it becomes everyday life. Buying prepared food is just normal.”
Recently on social networks he has also focused attention on orthorexia. Can social networks amplify this phenomenon?
«Orthorexia is an eating disorder suffered by those who aim for a diet that is as healthy as possible but who, by adopting an obsessive-type behavior, instead end up obtaining the opposite effect. The search for perfection at all costs is absolutely not good and social networks can certainly amplify this phenomenon. On the other hand, even we operators sometimes exaggerate in our indications, going to erase the human part of those who turn to us, and therefore the natural desire and desire for a particular food, such as a dessert for example».
Stress increases when new parents find themselves having to decide what to feed their children and, therefore, to take care of the diet of other subjects, and not just their own…
“Exactly. The search for a balanced dish increases when it comes to influencing the diet of others. Some parents rely on nutritionists, who can help a lot when dealing with newborns, for example by indicating the correct proportions of foods and how they should be cut. Others consult recipe books or food bloggers on social networks; all are welcome.”
And then there’s the age-old problem of how to get kids to eat vegetables. Some advice?
«This is one of the issues that we often address with the association I belong to, Cuore di mammas. With the help of a psychologist let’s see how to deal with “food neophobia”, that moment in which newborns are afraid of new foods. Typically the phenomenon occurs between the eighteenth month and two years of age. Here, it’s true, the children begin to discard the vegetables. The child must not be forced to eat something he does not want, but if the parent continues to offer the same food in pieces, so as to make it recognizable, therefore without always going to blend it, there are studies which show that after about twenty exposures the child he will come back to trust and eat it again. Then, of course, preferences and tastes exist».
She is a nutritionist, but also takes into consideration the psychological aspects. Do you think it is necessary for these two worlds to come together, perhaps with a real new professional figure?
“Would be great. I think the figure of psychology is also necessary because the relationship with food is very subjective and eating disorders are increasing even among the youngest».
March 22, 2023
© breaking latest news