Food and Rangers

>>  Thursday, January 17, 2019

A lot of Guiding is linked to food, it's an internal and ongoing joke.  Especially with Rangers.  Ranger leaders say anything with food engages them and it is true.

But it worries me that we could be alienating so many girls that sometimes just need to get away from all things food related because it is so hard for them to be around it.

So much of 'normal' life is about food.  Parties, celebrations, meet ups - just try and think of how many occasions you say to someone "we should meet for coffee" it's an immediate anxiety moment for someone with anorexia.  "Let's catch up over tea and cake"  "We are all going out for a meal, want to come?" "let's meet for lunch?" "let's go for a walk in that park, there's a cafe there" it's normal and it is constant.

The only times friends not in lessons together catch up at school tends to be lunch time, lunch.

So if every Ranger meeting includes a food orientated activity or there are always hot chocolate and biscuits on the go, the pressure is on for those struggling with food already.

Sometimes I will mention to other Ranger Leaders that a break from food is important and I regularly get the response "oh I know my girls" - they don't, really they don't.  You can live in a house with someone for years and not know they have an eating disorder, it is a sly, deceitful creature that can hide behind a mask of smiles and confidence.

Beat (UK eating disorder charity) says:

How can you tell if someone has an eating disorder?
You cannot tell if someone has an eating disorder just by looking at them. While it is true that some sufferers of anorexia are severely emaciated, some are not, and the majority of eating disorder sufferers do not have anorexia. Those suffering from bulimia may be within the normal weight range or may be overweight, while those with binge eating disorder are often overweight.

Just sometimes let's try to do stuff that doesn't involve food both in Rangers and in normal life and give those girls that need it a break.

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