Press

What Is The “Cinderella Challenge”?

March 2, 2018

I weighed in on the Cinderella Challenge and BMI in this article for Bustle:

We’ve long known that BMI numbers can be misleading. “BMI is not a terrific measure of health specifically because it does not take body composition into consideration,” says Feller. “For example, when someone is muscular, the calculations can be overestimated. Age, gender, ethnicity, [and] physical activity are also not generally considered when someone plugs their data into a BMI calculator.”

Perhaps most importantly, however, is this: “Every body is different,” stresses Feller. “We cannot all be measured against the same standard. Young women in particular are at risk for engaging in unhealthy and restrictive food related behaviors based on BMI outcome. Popular culture tends to promote unrealistic images of beauty and health. And BMI should never be the only clinical tool used as a measure of one’s health.” Indeed, according to a study of 40,420 adults in the United States published by researchers working out of the University of California, Los Angeles in 2016, if BMI is used as the only measure of health, it would misclassify nearly 75 million adults. That’s nearly a quarter of the entire U.S. population.

Read the full article here.

Maya Feller

Maya Feller, MS, RD, CDN is the founder and lead dietitian at Maya Feller Nutrition. In her practice, her team provides medical nutrition therapy and nutrition coaching for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mood disorders, developmental disabilities, disordered eating, and more. Maya believes in providing inclusive nutrition education from an anti-bias patient-centered, culturally humble approach to help people make informed food choices. Maya shares her approachable, food-based solutions with millions of people through regular speaking engagements, writing, her social platforms, and as a national nutrition expert on Good Morning America, is a Healthline Medical Advisor, and on the advisory board for SHAPE and Parents, as well as appearing on TODAY Show, Tamron Hall, and in The New York Times, mindbodygreen, Well+Good, Food Network, Martha Stewart, Real Simple, Good Housekeeping, Cooking Light, Eating Well, Prevention, Glamour, SELF, and more. She is the author of The Southern Comfort Food Diabetes Cookbook: Over 100 Recipes for a Healthy Life and Eating from Our Roots: 80+ Healthy Home-Cooked Favorites from Cultures Around the World (goop Press, January 24, 2023).

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