3 Surprising Ways to Support Body Image Resilience in Kids

In our diet and body-obsessed culture, weight-loss dieting and the allure to change our shape seems commonplace. While we regularly see health gurus and celebrities endorse drastic diets and even revenge bodies, there is nothing normal or healthy about it.

Amazingly, even with all the dangerous, unhealthy messages kids receive, some families still manage to raise children with a positive body image. And it's not that these children are completely sheltered from diet culture, but that they have body image resilience in spite of it.

[Read: The 'Cinderella Weight' Challenge and Body Image Issues.]

As a nutrition therapist and a parent, I've recognized some surprising ways families are supporting a healthy body image. Here are three ways families do this:

They demonstrate appreciation for all bodies (not just thin ones).

We have a saying in our house that "all bodies are good bodies." As my daughter prepares to enter elementary school, she's hearing more peers talk about the appearance of others. Sometimes she repeats descriptions or words that she may have heard used in a mean way. Other times it's simply an innocent descriptor of what another person may look like. Regardless, I say, and many of the families I work with are learning to say, "all bodies are good bodies." In doing so, we choose not to give power to the thin ideal of our culture.

These words can teach body appreciation, which a 2015 study in the journal Body Image suggests has a protective effect, countering rampant, media-induced body dissatisfaction in our society. Given that, it's important that we teach our children that bodies can be appreciated and praised at any size.

[Read: Identifying Eating Disorders and Body Image issues in Boys.]

They focus on their faith -- or their higher purpose -- not weight loss.

We are a Christian family and our faith guides everything we do. A favorite Bible verse I talk about with my daughter comes from Psalm 139: 14, which includes a phrase we repeat a lot around our home: "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." In moments when we see diet commercials on television or an ad for a body-changing gimmick, we talk about our divine design instead. No matter what a family believes, I'm betting we all believe we are unique and have a particular purpose in this life. I like to think our purposes are something far greater than calorie counting or changing the "fearfully and wonderfully" made bodies we live in.

There are numerous church and faith-based programs that promote weight loss. The Journal of Religion and Health recently published a paper that suggests that there are risks when churches promote weight loss programs. Believers who live in larger bodies can experience increased weight stigma when participating in these types of programs that also tend to ignore the many social factors that impact weight. While the church is a wonderful place to worship and connect with other believers, it may not be the place for weight-loss programs.

They enjoy the cupcake, together.

Don't just eat the cupcake, have a pleasurable -- no guilt allowed -- moment with it. When we allow our children to experience all foods without assigning a good or bad value or special name like treat or dessert to those foods, we let food just be food. If it's not taboo, children are more likely to listen to their body's self-regulation cues to know when to stop eating. I'm not saying that I recommend cupcakes after school every day (or whatever food it may be for your family). I'm saying that when we do have cupcakes on the menu, it's about enjoying food together without the diet-like messages that can interfere with self-regulation.

[See: What to Say and Do If Your Daughter Thinks She's Fat.]

We can enjoy a variety of foods and show our kids that pleasurable eating is an important part of health, connection and trusting their unique design -- because all bodies are good bodies. It's not just a celebration of who we are as individuals; it's a step towards body image resilience.

Leslie Schilling, MA, RDN is a registered dietitian, nutrition therapist, nationally recognized speaker and co-author of "Born To Eat: Whole, Healthy Foods from Baby's First Bite." She has been featured in Women's Health, BuzzFeed, Yahoo News, the Huffington Post, U.S. News and on HGTV. Leslie is a self-proclaimed anti-diet dietitian who teaches health through self-care and pleasurable eating. She lives with her daughter, husband and cocker spaniel named Cookie just outside of Las Vegas.