Little Words Big Impact

Hi, my name is Grace, and I created Teen Nourish to spread awareness about eating disorders and help prevent them by identifying triggers and warning signs.

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Many of you may relate, but growing up, I heard a lot of comments about my body. People pointed out my baby fat, my round face, and my thighs. Most of these comments came from family and family friends. Over time, they made me deeply insecure about my body and how others saw me. It also did not help that my weight often fluctuated, and during the summer before sophomore year, after a month of traveling, I had gained even more weight.

When I came home and looked at myself in the mirror, I hated what I saw. I started eating less and less until I would go days without properly feeding myself. I became obsessed with watching the number on the scale and the number on my calorie tracking app go down. Even when I began experiencing signs that my health was getting worse, like my hair falling out, constant exhaustion, brain fog, and liver damage, I took those as signs that I was finally becoming “sick enough.”

I stopped going to events with friends because I did not want to be tempted to eat, or I simply did not have the energy to be around anyone. The people who were once my closest friends started to feel like strangers, and I became incredibly alone. It was one of the darkest times of my life, and I do not want anyone else to go through that. And if you have, I want Teen Nourish to be a safe community where you can feel seen, supported, and comfortable sharing your experiences.