International No Diet Day - May 6

This Wednesday, May 6, is International No Diet Day (INDD). It's set aside as a day of relief from the stress of dieting. Instead, there is an opportunity for purposeful body image acceptance.

INDD began in 1982 in the living room of author Mary Evans Young, who had recovered from anorexia nervosa. It's now celebrated all over the world.

You don't have to have some sort of formal affiliation with a group to be involved in INDD. Grab a group of friends and have a picnic. Talk about weight discrimination and honoring your friends who battle eating disorders as you like. Or bring a scale to smash. But most of all, make it a day of freedom with food.

Is freedom indulgence? Occasionally, perhaps, if it's intentional. Freedom for some is being willing to eat, and for others, it's being willing to stop eating. Either way, accept your body and remind yourself that beauty is not defined by body shape or size.

• Find freedom after recovery
• How an eating disorder kills freedom (while disguising itself as a friend)
• Preoccupation with fat is one of many signals of possible disordered eating