Must-see movie on offer

Local dietitian promotes body image documentary

When Nikita Wasson (pictured inset) first started to focus on health, nutrition and exercise it was in her early teens and it quickly grew into an unhealthy obsession that saw her treated for an eating disorder.

Now an accredited practising dietitian and diabetes educator she is looking to ensure others do not have to learn the lessons of health and wellbeing the way she did and it has become her life’s work to share her knowledge to promote body image and living a happy and healthy life.

And it is that mission that sees her looking to facilitate a film screening of ‘Embrace: Kids’ in Mount Gambier (rated G), a documentary about body diversity for young people.

The director Tarryn Brumfit (above & below working with children in the Embrace: Kids program) has just won Australian of the Year for her work in promoting body acceptance and diversity.

But the clock is ticking with ticket sales needing to accelerate in the next few days to ensure the March 19 screening can go ahead.

Taryn’s original documentary ‘Embrace’ aimed at adults is currently available on Netflix and is a fantastic reminder that our size does not define all of who we are.

Embrace: Kids is a documentary that explores the experiences of young people around body image, bullying, gender identity, advocacy, representation and more, and encourages young people to explore what makes them unique and special.

The documentary has also been developed into a school program that provides schools with a free screening opportunity as well as resources and activities to support their young people to explore and develop a healthy body image.

Aimed at an audience of 9-14 year olds, but equally engaging for adolescents, teachers, and parents, this film inspires, educates, and advocates for a world where we are not held back by the thoughts we have about the way we look.

Instead, young people are encouraged to figure out what makes them unique and special and use that to spark change.

At the end of the film, there is a strong call to action, for young people to come together to change the world- for themselves and for future generations.

This advocacy approach, combined with content aligning to the core themes outlined above, aligns with best practice, research, and theoretical frameworks regarding effective approaches for improving body image in young people “I am really looking forward to enjoying it with my nine year old daughter, friends and community members in two weeks’ time – fingers crossed,” Nikita said, and she works with children in her private practice so knows issues being faced by the younger generation in our community.

“I have children, I see children in my practice and I know my own personal struggles with body acceptance that stripped enjoyment from years of my life,” Nikita said.

“I am so passionate about helping children and adults build healthier relationships with their bodies, to understand what self-care really meals. You really can’t look after a body that you hate, that is called punishment not love.”

Working in this space is exactly why Nikita swapped her work in the community health and government sector to opening her own shopfront once she returned to work after the birth of her son. “I felt frustrated and restricted

“…both health and happiness are not the same as being skinny …”

Nikita Wasson (Dietitian) by the constraints of government healthcare and decided to move solely into private practice to focus on client care which has really allowed me to focus on my client’s needs, facilitate communication with doctors and specialists and ensure that we’re doing everything we can to help them move forward,” she said.

“I see clients with a broad range of health conditions including diabetes, IBS, vitamin deficiencies, gastric surgery support, clinical eating disorders and disordered eating patterns.

I also see children with gastric complaints, avoidant and restrictive eating difficulties, and unfortunately eating disorders in children as young as 12 – primary school age.”

Nikita admits developing a healthy lifestyle on the back of an eating disorder is not the ideal way of developing this passion.

“It did fuel my passion for nutrition and wellbeing and over the years I have developed both my clinical and counselling skills to support clients in a very holistic way,” she said.

“Both health and happiness are not the same as being skinny and whilst I think we know this as adults, we don’t believe it, we still want it.

And we forget that our young people are watching us, taking it all in, and developing their internal values based on what we show them.

Our actions speak far louder than our words.”

Book your ticket for the movie screening of ‘Embrace: Kids’ at the facebook event page https:// fb.me/e/2F8LHzyTm or the ticket website https://fan-force.com/ screenings/embrace-kids-oatmillcinemas-mount-gambier-2/ before March 9 to ensure the screening can go ahead.