Diet influencer says it is 'appropriate messaging that all food is healthy because it gives us energy'
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A dieting influencer and mother of two is warning Girl Scout cookie customers not to bring up "weight," "health" or their diets in front of impressionable Girl Scouts for fear of affecting their body image.
In an interview with Today.com, San Diego mom Nicole Romanella O’Neal described how traumatized she was when she took her young daughter to her first Girl Scout cookie "kickoff" and heard some of the girls practicing how they would speak to different customers, including those more health-conscious.
Recounting her experience, the outlet stated, "At the last station, there were older Girl Scouts pretending to be different types of customers the girls may encounter. When O'Neal saw that one of the stereotypes was ‘The Healthy Indulgence’ customer, she says she ‘was immediately pretty surprised.’ Then, the Girl Scout leading the presentation suggested that if a customer says they're on a diet, you should offer them the cookies without artificial sweeteners."
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A dieting influencer and mother is warning Girl Scout cookie customers not to bring up diet or weight in front of troops to protect their body images. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
O’Neal was so upset she said that she "blacked out" upon hearing that last pointer and quickly took her child back off to their car. "I was fuming," she recalled.
The mother of two said if her daughter is asked questions about the "healthiest" cookies, "My plan is to step in and say that all the cookies are a great choice. I'll redirect the conversation and add in appropriate messaging that all food is healthy because it gives us energy."
The mother, who has a master’s degree in food science and a popular Instagram account called "@MondayDieter," characterized the health-conscious talk she heard at the kick-off as "detrimental language."
She quickly took to Instagram to instruct people on what not to say when approached by Girl Scouts selling cookies. The post included a list of topics to avoid, stating, "DO NOT: 1. Mention your diet, 2. Talk about calories, 3. Point out your body flaws, 4. Narrate out loud why you're not buying them if it has to do with your weight, 5. Narrate out loud why you're not buying them if you can't have them in the house because you'll eat the whole box, 6. Ask which cookies are the healthiest."
O’Neal wrote with the post, "Our girls, are simply trying to sell you cookies. They shouldn’t worry about the calories of the cookies, the diet the person they’re selling to is on, or the body flaw that’s causing a person not to purchase. Diet and body shame is learned. Please please be aware of this when you’re approached. A simple no thank you, is completely acceptable. In fact, it’s perfect. Thank you, from parents of little girls everywhere."
Girl Scouts USA also had a similar message in recent weeks, sharing their own Instagram posts which reminded followers to "curb 'diet' and 'skinny' talk," as well as "recognize the cycle of body drama."
The San Diego mother claimed that customers mentioning health or weight while perusing Girl Scout cookie tables are speaking "detrimental language" to the scouts. (Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
O'Neal told Today that she doesn’t have it out for customers who say these things in front of the troops, she’s "simply asking them for mindfulness."
The piece mentioned how O’Neal has struggled with "disordered eating" from a young age, evidencing that Girl Scouts can pick up on talk that affects their body image issues.
"I knew about my body size in kindergarten. Little messages affirm and shape who we are when it comes to body image. I am uber aware of the way I talk and interact with food in front of my daughter," she told Today.
She noted that kids are affected when they hear multiple weight-conscious adults mention their diet when being asked to buy cookies.
Money is collected as Girl Scouts sell cookies while a winter storm moves in on February 8, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
O’Neal said, "Children aren't born hating their bodies. They are born with an innate sense to self-regulate. They grow up around adults who talk about their own body flaw."
Neither O’Neal nor the Girl Scouts of America immediately replied to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
Gabriel Hays is an associate editor for Fox News Digital.
