Embrace Your Genes

Political Bingeing

2008-03-01T04:29:14Z

I was just going through some online clippings the other day and came across an article from earlier this month by Ellen Goodman, the syndicated columnist. She was talking about Super Tuesday, and said "Well, so much for political bingeing. Super Tuesday, Super Duper Tuesday, Plus Size Tuesday, Vastly Engorged and Rotund Tuesday turned into a serious case of political bulimia." I guess we have done such a good job of raising awareness about eating disorders that they've now become part of the political vernacular. I can't say that's the way I really want life threatening illnesses talked about, but it just highlights the ignorance and how much more we need to do.

Lynn Grefe
President
National Eating Disorders Association

Big Thanks to Microsoft

2008-03-01T04:25:05Z

Another big thank you to Microsoft and MSNBC for supporting our work again this year by hosting our online banner campaign. We are working hard to get the word out about embraceyourgenes.org. Don't forget to tell your friends to come to the site to learn more about eating disorders, the importance of healthy body image, and buy jeans from True Jeans to support our many effective programs.

Lynn Grefe
President
National Eating Disorders Association

A post from Emme, NEDA Ambassador, author and television personality

2008-03-01T04:10:53Z

Those of you who know me know that I stand for one thing -- healthy
body image. Nothing is more important than feeling good about
yourself -- body and soul. Yet too many people struggle with the way
they look. According to NEDA stats, one in four people who diet, do
so pathologically. That means they must never be satisfied with their
bodies.

We have got to stop this national obsession with the "culture of
skinny," and help women celebrate their healthy bodies -- no matter
what shape or size.

Congratulations to the many people who are both planning and attending
NEDAwareness Week activities this week. This grass roots effort to
educate the world about eating disorders is exactly what we need to
get people to celebrate our unique beauty and health.

Peace and health,

Emme

Happy Eating Disorders Awareness Week!

2008-03-01T04:04:14Z

Happy National Eating Disorders Awareness Week! Our heartfelt thanks to the hundreds of volunteers all over the country who are working so hard to get their events off the ground this week. All for the sole, very important purpose of raising awareness of eating disorders.

It is immensely gratifying to hear about people willing to take time out of their busy schedules to host seminars, fashion shows, yogathons, candlelight vigils, days of beauty and great jeans giveaways all in the name of educating the public about the dangers of eating disorders. These events take time to plan, implement and market. Yet, people do it, on top of everything else they have to do because they understand that changing the way people think about eating disorders takes time and a lot of hard work. And the more people who are involved, the better chance we'll gave to achieve our goal.

For all of you wondering what it takes to put an event together, here's an example of how the day of beauty at the Blu Salon in Edgewater, New Jersey came about.

Last month, I had an appointment at Blu, a hair salon in my neighborhood. As I sat in the chair, my hairdresser Melina commented how much she enjoys the work she does, primarily because she loves helping women take care of their bodies. To her, cutting and coloring hair was not about trying to achieve some sort of beauty ideal, but about respecting one's body.

I started to tell her about our "Be Comfortable in your Genes" theme for NEDAwareness Week. The more we talked about the importance of people feeling good about their bodies, whatever its healthy shape or size, the more excited she got about the prospect of becoming involved. She decided right then and there that she would talk with her colleagues about hosting an event to engage women in pursuit of a healthy body image, and to raise funds for NEDA.

The result: Blu hosted an event for us on Tuesday. Usually the slowest day of the week, the salon was busier than ever! And NEDA Ambassador Emme stopped by to thank the salon and its patrons.

The Blu event is just one of hundreds of similar events happening in your community and all over the country. Please go to http://www.myneda.org/ to find out what events you can attend and support.

Lynn Grefe
President
National Eating Disorders Association

Welcome to Embrace Your Genes .org!

2008-02-07T16:02:52Z

Welcome to embraceyourgenes.org! I’m Lynn Grefe, CEO of the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). Embraceyourgenes.org is a partnership between NEDA and True Jeans.com. NEDA is a not-for-profit working with a “for-profit” to break through the incessant chatter of negative body talk in the media, fashion industry, schools, streets – everywhere -- and promote the importance of feeling good about your healthy body – no matter what your healthy shape or size.

First, a big thank you to Romney Evans, Co-founder and CEO of True Jeans, for being brave enough to join our crusade. We are thrilled to have a jeans retailer totally embrace our genes message. Romney got it right away and came back to us with the sensational idea for the Embrace Your Genes micro site. We hope that you will benefit from the lively discussions planned for this blog.

We will use this space to talk about the importance of being comfortable in your genes. What does that mean? First, it means that your genes determine your body size. But you know that already. It also means that as long as you are healthy, size shouldn’t matter. Because your size – to some extent – has been predetermined.

So why do so many people –men and women – go to such lengths to try to make themselves more thin? Or more buff? Do they think they are making themselves more beautiful? What do you think?

We believe that the “culture of skinny” which is so pervasive in our world today is doing men and women, boys and girls, a big disservice. One third of all girls 14-17 believe they are overweight and 60% are trying to lose weight. Yes, obesity is at epidemic proportions but so is distorted body image. Just because not all of us look like runway models or Hollywood celebrities doesn’t mean our natural size isn’t just right for us.

That’s why we are asking all of you to not only be comfortable in your genes, but to embrace your genes, take care of your body, and feel great about who you are and how you look.

NEDAwareness Week

We look forward to NEDAwareness Week, February 24 - March 1, 2008. This is our biggest grassroots awareness event every year. Nearly 1,000 volunteer coordinators will host events in their hometowns to inform and educate people about eating disorders and the dangers of a negative body image.

Please visit www.myneda.org to find out what is being planned in your community. Or, better yet, sign up to host your own event. For a very nominal fee, we will supply posters and all the information you need. Some events currently being planned include fashion shows, panel discussions, body image workshops, Great Jeans Givewaways, candle light vigils, and more. NEDA will try to help bring national and regional media attention to events happening that week.

Please email me at lgrefe at myneda.org if you have a question about NEDA, NEDAwareness Week, or if you want me to discuss a specific topic on this blog.

This is my first blogging adventure -- I’d love your feedback.

Eating Disorder Links and Resources

2008-02-06T18:36:44Z

The Dahlia Partnership

The Eating Disorder Foundation (Denver, CO)

Eating Disorders Coalition of Tennessee

MEDA, Inc.
MEDA is a non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention and treatment of eating disorders and disordered eating. MEDA serves as a support network and resource for clients, loved ones, clinicians, educators and the general public.

Other National Resources

Academy for Eating Disorders (AED)
A multidisciplinary professional organization that focuses on Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder and related disorders. Also sponsors a newsletter and a conference.

American Dietetic Association
Clicking on Nutrition Resources will get you to information about eating disorders, including an extensive nutrition reading list.

American Obesity Association
AOA provides obesity awareness and prevention information.

Anna Westin Foundation
The Anna Westin Foundation is a nonprofit organization providing education, support and referral information to the general and professional public.

Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders
ANRED, which merged with the National Eating Disorders Association, still maintains its website. This site provides a wealth of information on eating disorders.

BodyImageHealth.org
A building healthy body esteem website from the author of NEDA's Healthy Body Image curriculum.

BulimiaGuide.org
A resource for supporting a family member or friend with bulimia nervosa.

CampusBlues
This site provides information about the many issues facing students today, as well as other resources to support the mental health and well being of individuals as they move through major life transitions.

Dads and Daughters
DADs provides tools for fathers to strengthen relationships with their daughters and to transform the pervasive messages that value young women more for how they look than who they are.

Eating Disorders Anonymous
EDA provides information about local support group meetings.

Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy & Action (EDC)
This website offers the opportunity to join advocacy efforts at the federal level.

Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center
Provides information, treatment resources, and client and provider e-mail message lists for all forms of eating disorders.

Finding Balance
Dedicated to creating awareness and understanding of non-extreme eating disorders, referred to clinically as Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS). Offers videos-on-demand featuring a variety of experts covering eating and body image issues.

Food Addicts Anonymous
This website offers hope for recovery from the despair and shame of food obsession.

GirlsHealth.gov
GirlsHealth.gov was created to help girls (ages 10-16) learn about health, growing up, and issues they may face.

Gürze Books
Gürze Books publishes and distributes a wide variety of book titles dealing with eating and body image issues.

Healthy Weight Network
Healthy Weight Network provides information and resources pertaining to the "health at any size" paradigm..

International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (IAEDP)
IAEDP offers nationwide education, training, certification, and a semiannual conference for practitioners who treat people with eating disorders.

Media Education Foundation
Media Education Foundation produces and distributes video documentaries and other educational resources.

National Eating Disorders Information Centre (NEDIC)
NEDIC provides information and resources on eating disorders and food and weight preoccupation, a Canada-wide database of intervention resources, and Canadian Eating Disorders Awareness Week.

The National Association for Males with Eating Disorders, Inc. (N.A.M.E.D.)
N.A.M.E.D. is dedicated to offering support to and public awareness about males with eating disorders

National Eating Disorders Screening Program
NEDSP provides eating disorders screening.

National Health Information Center
NHIC offers a nationwide referral service, produces directories and resource guides.

National Institutes of Health
This homepage provides information on a variety of health issues currently under study at the NIH.

National Institute of Mental Health
This homepage provides information on a number of mental health issues, including information about eating disorders.

National Women's Health Information Center
The National Women's Health Information Center is a government agency with free health information for women.

Overeaters Anonymous
OA provides information about local support group meetings.

Something Fishy
This extensive page provides numerous links and lots of information about eating disorders and body image issues.

The Weight-control Information Network

The Weight-control Information Network provides information on obesity, weight-control & nutrition.

"Understanding Eating Disorders" with Dr. Tom Scales
An online radio show offering archived interviews with eating disorders professionals and others in the field, including NEDA CEO Lynn Grefe's interview on 2/7/07.