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Heather Eicher-Miller, Purdue University

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Heather Eicher-Miller, Purdue University

(THE CONVERSATION) The nation has thousands of food pantries, places that give cash-strapped people free food with few questions asked. These organizations can occupy everything from an entire building to a literal pantry as in a few shelves in a church basement.

Most of the estimated 300 million Americans who relied on food pantries in 2017 experienced food insecurity, meaning that they didnt have access to enough food. Even before the pandemic hit, up to half of the people who use food pantries live in food insecurity that is so severe that they sometimes skip meals or dont eat for whole days at a time.

Food insecurity is, by many accounts, an even bigger problem now.

Food pantries get the food they give away from many sources, sometimes making it hard to control nutritional quality as they seek to obtain the right quantity of food. And getting enough healthy food to give away is challenging.

I am a nutrition science researcher who studies what food-insecure Americans eat. My team and I have recently completed several studies on rural food pantries in Midwestern counties. We found four signs that food pantries improve the diets of low-income people.

1. A substantial amount of food

Food pantries are an important source of food.

People typically receive a bag or box containing enough food to serve their family three meals for about three or four days. Most people who use food pantries visit multiple pantries. About half make more than five trips a month to pick up food.

Whats in those boxes and bags accounts for an estimated 36% of what the people who pick them up eat, according to our recent article in the British Journal of Nutrition.

2. A good source of nutrients

Having access to enough food is critical, but the variety, nutrients and quality are also important for long-term health. We asked 613 U.S. Midwestern food pantry clients about the amounts and kinds of food they ate and where that food came from. We found that compared to supermarkets, other stores and restaurants, food pantries provided the most fruit, something that most people in the U.S. at all income levels need to eat more of every day.

Likewise, Americans generally get too little fiber, calcium, vitamin D and potassium, making these nutritional deficits a public health concern even for people not facing economic hardship. We found that the amounts of these nutrients in the items from food pantries were also highest or tied for the highest compared with all other food sources in the diets of people who visit food pantries.

Even so, Americans who use food pantries dont get enough of these nutrients. Another concern is that provisions from food pantries tend to contain too much sodium, something most Americans need to curb.

3. More visits = better nutrition

Making more trips to food pantries often means better nutrition.

Going more than once a month, rather than once a month or less, is linked with a higher-quality diet, or doing a better job of meeting the recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the science-based dietary guidance that the federal government maintains to promote health.

For example, the average American would get a failing grade, with a score of 59% for their consumption of fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy and protein, along with sodium, added sugar and saturated fat. People who rely on food pantries fare even worse.

Those using food pantries once a month or less would score 39%, while those visiting more frequently would score 44%. Higher dietary quality, even just a 5 percentage point gain, may improve someones health and help stave off chronic diseases.

4. A wider variety of food, including whole fruits

Eating a wide variety of food helps meet basic nutritional needs. The day after visiting a food pantry, people ate two more kinds of food compared with what they ate the day before.

Specifically, people who visited a food pantry ate more fruit, including whole fruits such as eating an apple as opposed to drinking a glass of apple juice. Eating more whole fruits is especially helpful because they have a lot of fiber and other nutrients that can help prevent cancer, heart disease and other chronic diseases.

[Insight, in your inbox each day. You can get it with The Conversations email newsletter.]

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/4-signs-that-food-pantries-improve-the-diets-of-low-income-people-151546.

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4 signs that food pantries improve the diets of low-income people - Alton Telegraph

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Certain foods are pretty bad for your teeth and gums. But there are also foods that make them healthier. The bits of food that remain in your mouth after eating are particularly pesky, says dentist Sophya N. Morghem, DMD, MS.

If the food is acidic, sweet, or a simple carbohydrate, it can increase your risk of tooth wear and decay, says Dr. Morghem. Along with that, your food provides nutrients that help remineralize the teeth and keep them strong.

And its not just about the nutrientsthe texture of the food you eat can also impact your oral health.

Corn nuts, candies, sunflower seeds, popcorn kernelsall these can increase the risk of tooth fracture, says Dr. Morghen. Chewing ice can put excessive forces on the teeth leading to an increased risk of fracture as well. Certain foods help cleanse the teeth as you eat and reduce plaque build-up such as raw vegetables and sharp cheese.

When building a diet full of foods for teeth and gum health, registered dietitian Yasi Ansari, MS, RDN, says you want to eat a varied diet full of calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins A, C, and D.

Eating a variety of foods will help to ensure an individual is consuming a wide range of nutrients that can help keep teeth and gums strong and healthy throughout different stages of life, says Ansari, who is a national media spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Ansari says that calcium is great for strong teeth and bones. She suggests eating calcium-rich foods like yogurt, fortified soy beverage, almond beverage, milk, tofu, bok choy, collard greens, and almonds. Phosphorous and vitamin D help to make the calcium we eat even more effective. Phosphorus helps to protect our teeth and helps support calcium in building strong teeth, she says. Vitamin D helps to increase calcium absorption. For phosphorus, she says to eat foods like eggs, nuts, and beans. Youll find vitamin D in fortified foods like cereal and milk and in fatty fish. It is also common to supplement with vitamin D since it can be hard to get all of ones daily needs through food alone, says Ansari.

These are a dieticians favorite foods rich in vitamin D:

Foods rich in vitamins A and C can help support your hum health. Pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and carrots are great sources of vitamin A. For vitamin C, Ansari recommends tomatoes, bell peppers, mangos, and citrus fruits. Be mindful of citrus fruits as consuming too many foods higher in acid can cause damage to ones tooth enamel, says Ansari.

Peppers and tomatoes are nightshades, learn more about them here:

To get the most out of these nutrients, Ansari recommends eating them regularly. I encourage a daily eating pattern that includes these foods as part of a well-balanced intake and one that includes a variety of nutrients, she says.

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The Best Foods for Teeth and Gum Health, According to Dentists and Dietitians - Well+Good

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Some of Dr. Pimple Popper's most eye-catching treatments are those with surprises, and a recent lipoma extraction shared by the celebrity dermatologist on YouTube was no different.

In the December 16 video, Dr. Pimple Popper, whose real name is Dr. Sandra Lee, treated a social media manager with a lipoma that'd been growing over the past five years. It was unclear where the lipoma was on his body, since the entire video was zoomed in on the growth itself.

That's what Lee did, first by cutting a three-inch incision through the lump. Then she used scissors to widen the opening and a cauterizing pen to stop bleeding, making it easier for her to see where to pull the growth out.

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At first, she could only remove a small chunk of fat. But then she squeezed around the growth and a wet, yellow, and chunky mass popped to the surface. She snipped that portion away and continued cutting and squeezing until the majority of the lipoma was removed and only a cavity remained in the patient's skin.

"It's like a little pocket that's hidden and you don't know where the opening is, and you got to fiddle around a little bit" Lee said in the video. She also said removing these tiny lipoma bits is important, because if she doesn't they could grow back.

Once Lee removed all of the lipoma, she used surgical stitches to close the cavity left in the patient's skin.

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Dr. Pimple Popper squeezed out slimy bits from a 5-year-old growth and said it was like 'mining for gold' - Business Insider India

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Biomilq is not the only company aiming to make a new kind of baby formula. Using a broadly similar approach, TurtleTree Labs in Singapore eventually hopes to replace all milk currently on the market, according to cofounder Max Rye. In addition to other projects, the company is working to create fortifiers that can be added to formula to duplicate the properties of breast milk. Some formulas are already fortified with proteins and carbohydrates derived synthetically or from cows milk. Another cofounder, Fengru Lin, explains that, in contrast to Biomilq, TurtleTree plans to work with the formula industry and hopes to get its products to market in 2021.

Meanwhile, Helaina, a company based in New York, will emulate breast milk through fermentation. Laura Katz, the companys founder, plans to use microbes to synthesize the milks constituent compoundsproteins, carbohydrates, and fatsand then recombine them into a nutritious liquid. Since similar processes have already won approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for products like Impossible Burgers, which are made from fermented soy protein, she hopes to face fewer regulatory hurdles than her competitors. Like Strickland and Egger, she is motivated by indignation at the lack of options for new parents.

I think the best thing we can do is support women to breastfeed, Katz says. But if thats impossible, mothers deserve something better than current infant formula. She adds, I see all this innovation happening in cell-based meat production for people who just want to eat a burger, but the products that we feed babies have stayed static over the past 20, 30 years.

None of these propositions will be scientifically simple, in part because relatively little is known about breast milk. Most studies of human mammary epithelial cells tend to focus on their role in breast cancer rather than milk production.

As for the milk itself, its a rich and bewildering stew of thousands of chemicals. We know nutritionally about the proteins, the carbohydrates, and the fat in there. We know about some particular bioactive molecules in there, like oligosaccharides [complex sugars that feed healthy bacteria in a babys gut], IgA [the main antibody found in breast milk], bile-salt-stimulated lipase [an enzyme that aids in the digestion of fats]these things that people always bring up as being good in breast milk, says Tarah Colaizy, the research director of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America, who also teaches at the University of Iowa. But, she notes, breast milk also contains short strands of RNA, whose presence was only discovered in 2010, and whose role in infant development is not yet well understood.

Thats why Strickland and Egger plan to use mass spectrometry, a technique that measures the mass of different molecules within a sample, to study how the proteins, oligosaccharides, and fats contained in their product compare with the constituents of human milk pumped from a breast. But another challenge looms even larger: how to standardize a substance that is unique to every mother.

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Startups are racing to reproduce breast milk in the lab - MIT Technology Review

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Based on the studys results, 22% said they would give up sex for the rest of the year to lose 10 pounds. (iStock)

Turns out, sitting inside all day has an effect on ones weight.

According to a recent survey, the majority of Americans reported gaining weight during the pandemic. Similarly, a smaller majority is concerned about shedding this weight going into the new year.

The survey, commissioned by biotechnology companyGelesis, was conducted via an online poll of adults in the United StatesbetweenOct.26 and Nov.3. Of the small sample, research firm Kelton Global found 53% of those who responded claimed to be as worried about gaining weight now and at the end of the year as they are about not being able to see family for the holidays.

According to the survey's findings, 51% of Americans hope to lose weight in the new year, with the majority of those concerned about shedding extra pounds being women. (iStock)

Nearly threein fiveof those polled said they are on a mission to lose weight in the new year, with 63% admitting that keeping healthy habits during the coronavirus has been more difficult.

DRINKING RED WINE AND EATING CHEESE COULD REDUCE COGNITIVE DECLINE: STUDY

Around 71% of respondents also admitted their weight directly impacts their self-esteem, which explains the dramatic lengths Americans claimed they would go to in order to lose 10 pounds.

According to the survey's results, 22% said they would give up sex for the rest of the year to lose 10 pounds, while a smaller amount claimed they would give up social media if it meant losing 10 pounds. However, only 17% would be willing to temporarily give up their favorite entertainment streaming service.

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While our survey has found Americans have been motivated to develop healthier habits amidst the pandemic, it has also brought to light how many Americans who want to lose weight continue to struggle, said Elaine Chiquette, Gelesis chief scientific officer.

The findings further indicate that 51% of Americans hope to lose weight in the new year, with the majority of those concerned about shedding extra pounds being women.

In a year when weve all already given up so much, our data shows that people would give up even more if it meant being able to lose weight by the end of the year and they remain hopeful about losing weight and feeling healthy in 2021, Chiquette said.

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As 2020 gives way to 2021 and people are looking to hit the ground running with new fitness goals, another survey released a list of the top-rated workout songs to keep you motivated.

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Majority of Americans admit to weight gain during coronavirus pandemic, plan to shed pounds in 2021 - Fox News

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[This article was first published in 2018]

Alcohol consumption can be bad for your health for a variety of reasons, which is why the recommended weekly limit for men and women is 14 units.

But even if youre drinking within the recommended threshold, some alcoholic drinks can be full of more sugar (in syrups, flavouring, mixers and the alcohol itself) making them less of a smart choice if youre conscious about your sugar intake.

Here is a list of some of the most popular high-calorie alcoholic drinks with suggested alternatives.

From Champagne over Chardonnay to martinis over mojitos, scroll down to see what you should be drinking instead.

Swap a Long Island Iced Tea (424 calories) for a Cosmopolitan (100 calories).

A cosmopolitan is made with vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice, and freshly squeezed lime juice or sweetened lime juice.

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

With an ingredient list that contains vodka, gin, rum, tequila, triple sec, and coke, its no wonder that a typical 420ml glass of Long Island contains a whopping 424 calories.

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INDY/LIFE NewsletterBe inspired with the latest lifestyle trends every week

A Cosmopolitan has much less alcohol and only a small amount of cranberry juice, meaning a typical 250ml martini glass contains only 100 calories less than a quarter of a Long Island.

Swap a Pina Colada (300 calories) for a Fuzzy Navel (120 calories).

Pina Coladas are the perfect beachside cocktail, but thanks to the added coconut and pineapple mixers, these drinks regularly contain a high calorie count of around 300 calories per 230ml.

A Fuzzy Navel contains just peach schnapps and orange juice, making it an ideal fruity replacement at around 120 calories per 115ml drink.

Swap a Mojito (242 calories) for a Martini (70 calories).

Mojitos are a summertime favourite, but thanks to the sugar syrup a typical 230ml glass can contain as many as 242 calories.

A Martini has no additional mixers, meaning that a 250ml glass only contains a measly 70 calories providing you dont eat the olive, of course.

Swap an Alcopop (253 calories) for a Diet Rum & Coke (115 calories).

Alcopops or coolers often contain heaps of added sugars, and an average 340ml bottle can have up to 253 calories.

For an equally sweet but lower calorie drink, a diet rum and coke can contain as little as 115 calories per 280ml serving, making this an ideal sweet alcoholic swap.

Swap your gin & tonic (170 calories) for a slimline gin & tonic (115 calories).

Swap your gin & tonic (170 calories) for a slimline gin & tonic (115 calories)

iStock

Swap a Mojito (242 calories) for a Martini (70 calories)

Getty

Swap a sweet white wine (160 calories) for a glass of Champagne (89 calories)

Shutterstock

Swap a Pina Colada (300 calories) for a Fuzzy Navel (120 calories)

Alamy

Swap a Long Island Iced Tea (424 calories) for a Cosmopolitan (100 calories)

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Swap a vodka tonic (175 calories) for a vodka, soda, and lime (106 calories)

Getty/iStock

Swap an Alcopop (253 calories) for a Diet Rum & Coke (115 calories)

Alamy

A moscow mule cocktail is made with vodka, ginger beer, lime juice and ice.

Getty Images/iStockphoto

A gin & tonic is one of the UK's favourite drinks, but due to the added sugars of tonic water, a typical 210ml serving can contain about 170 calories.

A similar 210ml serving of gin & slimline tonic contains just 115 calories, saving you an average of 55 calories per glass.

Swap a sweet white wine (160 calories) for a glass of Champagne (89 calories).

(Getty

(Getty)

The additional sugar in a sweet white wine means that a 175ml medium glass can average about 160 calories.

Champagne has one of the lowest calorie counts for a carbonated drink, with one 120ml serving containing only 89 calories.

Swap a vodka tonic (175 calories) for a vodka, soda, and lime (106 calories).

As with the gin & tonic, its the soda water that gives the vodka tonic a relatively high calorie count of 175 calories for 280ml.

Vodka, soda, and lime has no extra sugar and a low calories count of just 106 calories for the same measure.

Swap a Margarita (280 calories) for a Moscow Mule (120 calories).

A moscow mule cocktail is made with vodka, ginger beer, lime juice and ice.

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Margaritas are another fashionable cocktail that sadly arent' particularly healthy, with 280 calories per 230ml serving.

Try swapping for an equally classy Moscow Mule, as these contain just 120 calories per 170ml serving.

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The nine alcoholic drinks to avoid if you want to lose weight and what you should order instead - The Independent

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DEAR DR. ROACH: I have had fatty liver for the past 10 years. To reverse it, I am trying to lose weight. Now I am 116 kilograms. I have heard that if someone has fatty liver and wants to lose weight, they should not lose more than 1.5 kg per week. This week, I lost 3 kg. What is your advice? A.A.ANSWER: The advice against too much weight loss too quickly was based on an observation that some people rebounded their weight after losing it. Newer studies have not confirmed that. In fact, people with large amounts of weight loss (more than 2 kg in the first four weeks) have been shown to have a better chance of keeping the weight off. If you are losing weight due to healthier diet and exercise, I would advise continuing those behaviors and not worrying about losing too much too quickly.Any kind of weight loss can temporarily increase the risk of gallstones. Having some sources of healthy fat in the diet (such as nuts or avocados) will decrease this risk.Early on in the first few weeks of weight loss, especially in people using a higher fat diet, much of the apparent weight loss is by loss of water associated with glycogen stores.DEAR DR. ROACH: What is an epiretinal membrane? My doctor says I have this but it is not bad enough to be treated. I am 86 years old, and my vision is blurry. How would this be treated? T.V.ANSWER: An epiretinal membrane, also called a macular pucker, is a thin layer that forms over the retina at the back of the eye. It is semi-translucent, and as such can cause loss of vision or visual distortion. They are common and occur more frequently in older individuals. Most of the time, they do not require treatment. They can form for no particular reason, and these are usually asymptomatic. However, an epiretinal membrane can form after certain eye conditions, especially retinal detachment. Its possible for it to attach to and pull the retina, causing distortions in the vision. It may also decrease vision when it is thicker and interfering with the function of the retina.The only treatment is surgery. The decision to perform surgery is made by how much the vision is affected. Although surgery is relatively safe and usually effective, there are possible complications. Most eye doctors do not rush to surgery, except in less-common cases where there is swelling in the most critical part of the retina (called the macula) for central vision. People whose epiretinal membrane gets worse, or who have the kind that can pull the retina out of shape, may also require surgery.DR. ROACH WRITES: A recent column on pneumonia vaccines contained an error: I said that the 13-valent conjugate vaccine, Prevnar, was a 2-dose series. It is a single dose. Many people get both the 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine, Pneumovax, as well as the 13-valent Prevnar, but my column misstated this. I appreciate my sharp-eyed colleagues who wrote in to correct this.* * *Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to [emailprotected] or send mail to 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803.

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Is slow the best speed for fatty liver weight loss? - Lewiston Sun Journal

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Both Pilates and yoga are exercises that focus on mind-body connection and offer similar health benefits, including improved strength and flexibility. But their approaches and goals differ.

Here's what you need to know about the differences between Pilates and yoga and which is best for you.

Yoga originated thousands of years ago in India and is a mind-body exercise. Many different styles of yoga exist, from hatha yoga to hot yoga, but all involve moving through different physical postures. Yoga incorporates different breathing techniques, such as moving with one breath per movement. Some types of yoga include meditation.

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A 2015 study found that hatha yoga participants saw improvements in muscle strength and flexibility after 12 weeks. A small 2014 study also found that women who practiced Pilates for 12 weeks improved their muscle strength and torso flexibility.

Faster-paced versions of yoga, like vinyasa, elevate your heart rate more than slower, restorative types of yoga or Pilates. "Pilates doesn't tend to have that very vigorous type of format," Pojednic says.

A small 2017 study found that practicing yoga every day for a month reduced participants' blood pressure, a key indicator of heart health.

Because yoga often includes specific balancing exercises, such as poses where you stand on one leg, it might be more helpful for balance. "In yoga, you're actually practicing the balancing, and in Pilates, you're toning the muscles that will be helpful for balance," Pojednic says.

If you're trying to lose weight, how many calories you burn while exercising matters. The calories you burn during yoga and Pilates will depend on the type you practice.

A 2013 review found that yoga programs often help people lose weight. A small 2020 study of obese young women with elevated blood pressure found mat Pilates also reduced body fat.

A 2019 study compared women who practiced yoga and women who practiced Pilates. The study found both types of exercise improved self-reported measures of well-being and psychological distress, but the yoga group saw greater improvement.

Yoga and Pilates can be "well suited to all different types of bodies and all different types of abilities," Pojednic says. You might think you need to be flexible and strong or have a dancer's body, but you don't, she says.

"If somebody gets a little bit more excited about strength training, they probably will like Pilates a little bit better," Pojednic says. "If somebody enjoys fluid, full-body motion, I think that they would gravitate a little bit more toward yoga."

Both Pilates and yoga are beneficial, and their variety means you can probably find one style you enjoy.

"I think the most important thing is to try them both and figure out which one you like better, and then keep going back to that," Pojednic says. "Finding the thing that really makes you happy, I think, is the key here, more so than getting into the nitty-gritty about which one is going to help you balance better or burn more calories."

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Should you do Pilates or yoga? Which is best for weight loss, burning calories, and toning your muscles - Business Insider India

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With Complete Fitness clients, while there are a few non-negotiables, nutrition is viewed as a personal choice.

There isnt a worlds best diet but there is a diet which works best for you. If youre looking to make a big change to your diet, maybe even follow a specific diet plan, then here are 3 key points to consider:

Do you need a diet with a name?

No! Essentially if youre looking to lose weight you need to be in a calorie deficit (burning more energy than youre consuming). If you want to gain weight, you need to be in a calorie surplus.

The theory is simple, but the application can be difficult if youre not using all the tools in your toolbox. Fad diets can work because they all put you in a calorie deficit. But a lot of them do that in a way which isnt sustainable or necessarily healthy.

The areas below are the key elements that will bring the best results, and theyre not overly restrictive. One element on their own isnt a magic pill, but when put together, you will get great results:

- Being mindful of the calories coming in

- Cooking more from scratch/opting for less processed options

- Having at least 5 fruit and veg per day

- Ensuring you have enough protein

- Including essential fats

- Having carbohydrates and fats in ratios that feel right for you

Extreme restrictions can bring extreme results but often come with extreme side effects.

Plus, what happens when you reach your goal, how do you transfer to maintaining your results?

There is sometimes a case for extreme restriction but this should be a last resort.

For example, if a person is so overweight the health risk factors outweigh the potential side effects. Shake diets are an example of this.

Leave that decision to your doctor as a last resort.

Macronutrients are not the devil

People love to target one specific macronutrient (protein, carbohydrates and fats) and remove it from their diet, but each have their own benefits and some elements are essential.

The latest trend is cutting carbs. Again, this is an extreme action.

You may see some weight loss because you have removed a chunk of calories, (would be same with any other macronutrient group). You may feel other benefits because part of that will likely have been free sugars (think sugars with no nutritional value).

But equally, you will have cut out fibre. You may even be suffering with low energy, especially if youre working out.

Also, what is a life without carbs! Is long-term sustainability really achievable? Would more specific changes be more enjoyable, more sustainable and therefore get better results?

Youll now be equipped to ask the right questions when making a change to your diet.

See Ollie's other columns here:

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How to find the diet that works for you - West Sussex County Times

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Lizzo is facing backlash for her detox diet, and for promoting toxic diet culture.

Lizzo has been facing somewhat unwarranted backlash since she shared a video over the weekend on TikTok, featuring what she eats in a day on JJ Smiths 10 Day Smoothie Detox. The Grammy award-winning artist was met with a torrent of hate in the comments and has fired up a tonne of discourse elsewhere, claiming shes promoting toxic diet culture. So, lets dive in.

A full rundown of Lizzos side of the story is this: After posting a What I Eat In A Day TikTok showing what shes been eating while practising a safe detox methods with a nutritionist, fans were upset at Lizzo for promoting detoxing, which, it should be stated, isnt backed by science.

Despite the videos accompanying disclaimer to not try the detox without doing your own research, and a second video in which Lizzo explained that her motivations for the detox was not weight-related, some fans were as quick to condemn, while others jumped to defend her.

Many fans were expressing disappointment that Lizzo, a woman many uphold as the face of body acceptance, promoted diet culture. This is despite Lizzo repeatedly stating she doesnt want to be the face of the movement.

In an interviewon David Lettermans Netflix show My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, Lizzo said, Im sick of being an activist just because Im fat and Black. I want to be an activist because Im intelligent, because I care about issues, because my music is good, because I want to help the world.

While its only natural for human beings to look for leaders, its not always helpful or ethical to give an individual a responsibility they did not ask for. We saw many people do this recently with Claudia Conway, as her TikTok became heralded as the number one source of leftist truth. It was a responsibility the teen did not consent to, and only contributed further to the scrutiny and abuse she was already being subjected to.

But, back to the case of Lizzo. Indigenous actor, writer, and comedian Nakkiah Lui spoke out on Twitter about how putting fat people, like Lizzo, on pedestals can be actively harmful to them.

Dont make other fat people your heroes, Lui tweeted. Worship denies humanity. Do your own journey!

Along with Nakkiah Lui, Australian influencer Lillian Akenhan, best known as Flex Mami, also spoke out on her TikTok, Instagram, and Whatever I Want podcast, about the serious issues around making Lizzo a tool for self-empowerment.

Akenhan is a Black Ghanaian-Australian woman and pointed out on her podcast that its not Lizzos duty or responsibility to make you feel empowered in your fatness. Whatever qualities you projected onto her to empower yourself, just keep thatThats on you, she said.

Now you have to recognise that maybe you never felt empowered with your body, but you created a false sense of security through this woman whos now a really convenient scapegoat.

BothAkenhan and Lui speak to the reasons why placing fat celebrities on pedestals is not the key to fighting fatphobia. Elevating celebrities to the point that they increase our own self-worth not only denies them their humanity, but it keeps us from checking our personal relationships to diet culture and internalised fat phobia two things that need to be done for real change to happen.

No one should be above accountability or criticism when they have done something questionable, and this includes Lizzo. Celebrities, especially, owing to their large platforms and sphere of influence should be more responsible with what they share.

The promotion of toxic diet culture is the bread and butter of many celebrities, and notable figures likeJameela Jamil have called them out for it several times.Whether its Kim Kardashian selling appetite suppressant lollipops, Iggy Azalea promoting diet shakes, or Cardi B spruiking skinny tea toxic diet culture and Hollywood are practically synonymous.

What Lizzo does with her body is none of our business, but she should be held accountable for her platform and what she chooses to endorse.

With this in mind, its important to note that detoxing diets do not work, body toxins do not exist, and TikTok has known issues with promoting unhealthy diet culture.

Fatphobia and unhealthy diet culture are not just in Hollywood, theyre built into our algorithms too. Both are so normalised that whole industries have been built to profit off them. Between influencers, algorithms, film, television, and fashion there very probably isnt a day in your life where you havent encountered some variant of fatphobia or diet culture.I myself was triggered into a relapse recently when, without any warning, I stumbled onto eating disorder TikTok.

Celebrities and influencers are not your friends, nor are they your role models. Most of the time, they are simply wealthy people who maintain their wealth through their talent, and large often-monetised platforms. And we should hold them accountable when they use these platforms to promote cultures that actively inflict harm on people, especially people who are marginalised.

Lizzo should be held accountable, but that doesnt mean we shouldnt acknowledge the nuances in Lizzos case.

Diet culture is a complex and systemic issue that intersects with class, race, gender, ability, and a host of other social factors and systems. If you dont believe that, consider the reactions to Adeles recent weight-loss compared to the response to Lizzo deciding to detox.

When Adele lost, and continued to lose, weight she was celebrated, and even literally applauded for it when she hosted Saturday Night Live.

A Google search of Adele weight loss yields hundreds of articles either celebrating her desire to pursue a healthier lifestyle, asking to respect the reasons for her weight loss as her own, or positive promotion of the diet and exercise regime she has.

Both Adele and Lizzo are women with incredible success as musicians. Whats the difference? Race. In headlines, Lizzo is slammed, while Adele flaunts and shows off and inspires.

Racism, fatphobia, and misogyny are all very much intertwined. So much so that it would be difficult to outline all the ways in which these three forms of oppression work together, even if I was given a whole article to do so. The easiest example to show how these three issues all feed into one another is the history of the BMI, which determines your healthiest weight by comparing weight to muscle mass and height.

The Body Mass Index was created by Belgian mathematician Adolphe Quetelet in 1832 as the Quetelet Index, and it was created using data from predominantly European men to measure weight in different populations. As a result, any measurement created with biased data i.e. data only relevant to white men will produce a bias result.

If the methods used to create the tool are prejudice, then so is the tool. Its not difficult to look at Adele and Lizzos journeys to understand how much race informs fatphobia and body autonomy, just as gender does.

The fight for body autonomy must have more nuance, and until autonomy is more widely accessible for all bodies, we need to learn to accept that contradictory things can be true. Lizzos right to exist in her body, and do what she wants with her body remains true, but so does the fact that detoxing and promotion of detoxing can be harmful.

Neither cancels the other out. Lizzo has the right to pursue what is healthy for her body, regardless of what she posts on social media. But she can, and should, be held accountable for what she promotes on her platform, without the need for making her into a social pariah.

Ultimately, Lizzo is not the enemy nor is she the problem, nor is she even the solution or face of the problem, or a figure youre entitled to project your worth onto. Lizzo is a person with the right to do with her body what she wants without judgement or assumption from those who do not know her personally.

The problem is the fatphobic diet culture that is so rampant in every social facet of our lives, and we wont dismantle that cultural system by centring individuals in our discourse. Because while we squabble about our personal feelings being hurt without identifying the true source of the harm, the system oppressing marginalised bodies continues unchecked.

Merryana Salem is a proud Wonnarua and LebaneseAustralian critic, teacher, researcher and podcaster on most social media as @akajustmerry. If you want, check out her podcast, GayV Club where she gushes about LGBTIQ+ rep in media with her best friend. Either way, she hopes you ate something nice today.

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Lizzo, Her Detox, And The Double Standard Behind Fan's Response - Junkee

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