A healthy relationship with food
Food is fuel, comfort, culture and connection. Think of Diwali sweets, Eid biryani, Onam sadya or Sunday breakfast with family.
Eating regular meals, eating when hungry and stopping when satisfied, and enjoying all kinds of foods without guilt are signs of a healthy relationship with food.
Your growing body needs enough food. Restricting food during the teenage years can affect growth, bones, periods, mood and concentration.
Diet culture and pressure
Social media, advertisements and comments from others can push the idea that you should eat less or change your body.
Diets aimed at young people can be harmful and often lead to a cycle of restriction and overeating. Bodies of all sizes can be healthy.
What are eating disorders?
Eating disorders are serious but treatable mental health conditions. They affect people of all genders, body sizes and backgrounds, including boys.
Warning signs include: skipping meals or cutting out many foods, intense fear of gaining weight, constant thoughts about food or body, eating large amounts in secret and feeling out of control, making yourself sick, or exercising excessively to make up for eating.
Physical signs can include dizziness, feeling cold all the time, periods stopping, tiredness and fainting.
Getting help
If any of this sounds like you or a friend, please talk to a trusted adult or doctor. Eating disorders are easier to treat when help comes early.
If you are worried about a friend, tell them gently that you care and encourage them to talk to an adult. You cannot fix it alone, so tell an adult too.