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C. UK. You're listening to Well Now, Slate's Podcast on Health and Wellness. I'm Maya

feller. And I'm Kavita Patel. Maya, today we are talking about a topic that is

near and dear to your heart and something I personally struggled with, the relationship

between our body image, our diet, and our overall health.

According to the National Organization for Women, by age 17 a staggering 78% of American girls report being unhappy

with their bodies. This dissatisfaction is not limited to teens even amongst

women in their 60s, just over a third, say they're happy with their bodies.

Maya, take those numbers in for a moment.

These numbers underscore a pervasive issue affecting people across all age groups, and by the way not just women, men too.

But it's not just about appearance, our relationship with food and our bodies profoundly affects our

overall well-being. Studies show that exposure to body positive content

can improve mood, body satisfaction, body appreciation, especially among young women.

Yet the path to a healthy body image is often complicated by societal

pressures and unrealistic ideals. All right, might consider this. Almost half of the nine to

11 year olds in America report being on diets sometimes or very often.

This early preoccupation with weight can set the stage for long term struggles with food and

body image.

Research indicates that frequent dieting can increase the risk of developing eating disorders,

which we've spoken about here on this podcast,

...