WithAll Blog

FOR COACHES

Tips for Not Singling a Kid Out About Food and Body

Oct 21, 2021

At WithAll, we believe it is important, no matter the reason for your concern, to not single out a child or a subgroup of children when encouraging food and exercise habits. This can be stigmatizing and isolating and can indicate to the child that their body is wrong or needs to be fixed.

One Way to Not Single Out Kids About Food and Body

Try This Instead

Instead, apply everything you do related to food, body, and exercise to all kids in your life equally.

If you do decide to make changes, make these changes as a whole family. If these changes really are about health, everyone in the family can be doing it together.

Find activities the whole family can enjoy together that are focused on enjoying the activity, not weight loss or changes to mealtime. This looks different for each family, but here are some ideas for encouraging movement:

Looking to go deeper?

Check out our Q&A video with Emily Pisetsky, PHD, LP. about if we should encourage kids to lose or gain weight.

Check out our Simple Guide to What to Say which touches on this principle of Not Singling Kids Out when it comes to food and body.

 

 

 

What to Say Coaches Challenge

Sorry, this form is not available.

Take The Pledge

THE PLEDGE: I believe that words matter. I want to make a positive impact on the kids in my life by stopping harmful diet and weight talk. I am committed to making sure that every child gets a chance to develop healthy relationships with food and body.

 









Coming Soon!

Shannon assists with the logistics of development and operations and making every day run as smoothly as possible. Her day-to-day focuses on our Recovery Support Program, budget management, events, and administrative support. She enjoys being part of the nonprofit world and finding ways to help enhance the organization. She has a heart for serving others and helping people succeed.

Shannon has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Health & Exercise Science from Gustavus Adolphus College and a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) from Walden University.

Outside of work, you can find Shannon chasing her two girls around, attending sporting events and finding the next brewery or winery to explore.

Lindsay leads our operations, programming, fundraising, and communications to better fulfill our mission. She enjoys engaging with our supporters and stakeholders to build stronger connections to our work. Outside the office, you can find her planning her next trip, exploring the Twin Cities, or reading her book club’s latest pick.

With ten years of experience in nonprofit and foundation administration, Lindsay is a creative project manager working to strengthen all our operations. She loves being a part of a team deeply dedicated to discovering innovative and effective strategies to end eating disorders and is excited to invite others into this important work. Efficient and collaborative, she executes activity across all operations, including fundraising, events, communications, and programming. Lindsay has a bachelor’s degree in public relations from the University of Northwestern, St. Paul, and a fundraising certificate from the University of St. Thomas. She and her family live in Richfield, MN.

As Executive Director, Lisa leads WithAll’s strategic growth as a sustainable social enterprise dedicated to the prevention of and healing from eating disorders.

Lisa has more than 20 years of experience in public affairs, community relations, and law, and nearly 15 years of experience in non-profit leadership, most recently at Minnesota Public Radio/American Public Media. She is a graduate of Mitchell Hamline School of Law, a member of the Minnesota Bar, and a Minnesota Supreme Court appointee to Minnesota’s Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board. She volunteers with her daughter’s school and with youth sports.

Lisa does this work because she knows eating disorders are not a choice; they are deadly, and they are everywhere. She also knows kids are not born with harmful thoughts and actions around food or their body—and it’s our job as adults to keep it this way so they can focus their precious brains and time on things that matter.

Lisa finds laughter, all children, and the numerous variations of sparkling water to be delightful.