006: Weighing in on Diets and Food Talk with Zoe Farricker, RD
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Today’s episode follows my Open Letter to the Weight Watchers’ Teen Program released over the last few weeks. Dietitians around the world were outraged at the marketing towards what we consider a vulnerable population. Please note: this is not an attack on the Weight Watchers program. We acknowledge that we may not know all of what the program entails but are simply stating our beliefs and messages on health for the family dynamic.
On today’s episode, I have fellow Registered Dietitian, Zoe Farricker, who has personal experience with dieting at a very young age and a strong message for both teens and parents who may be concerned with their weight. In our discussion, we get a little fired up about the targeting of teens for such a program but also consider ways we can go about creating a picture of health for teens and families without the focus on the number on the scale. It’s a heavy question and we are definitely searching for the right answers, but we are sure having a child sit through meetings and learn to count their food in a less-than-healthy manner is not the way to begin. Start in the home. Start with yourselves. Consider how we, as adults, view and align with food and how our food philosophies, fears, and opinions may be trickling down to our kids. We’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback.
Show Notes:
1:50 – Meet Zoe Farricker, RD
5:05- Zoe’s food philosophy
7:00 – The new Weight Watchers Teen Program & why are we fired up about this?
18:15 – Zoe’s experience with weight loss program as a teenager
28:00 – How do we address weight and health with the teen age group and their parents?
36:00 – Are we setting up another group of 40 year-olds confused about what to eat? How are we talking to our kids about weight?
41:45 – A message for the confused or concerns parents – where do we start?
