This article discusses eating disorders and may be triggering for some readers. If you or someone you know needs assistance with an eating disorder, please call the Butterfly Foundation on 1800 33 4673 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
As someone who’s a pescatarian, coeliac, lactose-intolerant person who also happens to have endometriosis, you’d think Angie Kent would have issues with finding something to eat every day.
“It sounds super diva-ish but unfortunately I didn’t ask the universe for all these intolerances – I was just granted them, lucky me!” she laughs in an exclusive chat with Who.
But the 30-year-old reality star and actress admits that despite following a mostly vegetarian diet for ethical reasons and being lactose-intolerant since she was a baby, a lot of her health issues arose from an eating disorder she suffered in her teens.
“A naturopath said to me ‘You are what you eat’ so then I just didn’t eat anything because I was mortified by having such severe acne,” Angie admits, adding that her eating disorder brought on a lot of her ongoing health issues.
“I didn’t want to but I definitely created a lot of these intolerances and autoimmune diseases because I didn’t look after myself growing up,” she says.
“I had quite a severe eating disorder and I didn’t have education around it. No one really spoke about eating disorders back then and no one really knew about coeliac disease or how bad it was to eat cheese if you were intolerant. I kind of just went about my life not treating my body that well.”
Angie now reckons that her eating disorder has triggered her inflammatory-based conditions of being coeliac and having endometriosis.
“A lot of foods really affect my endo and my coeliac even if it’s not gluten related – my body is just so sensitive and I’m working on it now to get it back to a place where I’m kind to it again and undoing all the damage that I’ve done,” she says.
But despite admitting that period of her life was “so awful” and that she “blocked a lot of it out”, Angie says she wouldn’t have been so interested in exploring her mental health because of it.
“I wouldn’t be as caring and understanding because I wouldn’t have been through all of that stuff,” she says.
“I reckon without all those little battle wounds and scars, I wouldn’t be me. Even though some of it’s s***, it’s still the adventure and the safari of coming into who you are as a person.”
The biggest thing Angie wants people suffering from an eating disorder to know is for them to know their body.
“The only thing you can control is what you put in your body and what you take out so I think nowadays I would say to young girls if they’re basing their body on someone else’s, no,” Angie says.
“Everybody’s body is totally different – know your worth but also know your body. Know what you can eat and what you can’t eat, know that exercise is not just to look good, it’s for your mental health. There are so many resources out there and ask for help – I didn’t have people to look up to like that. Use those resources and know your body.”
When it comes to a day on a plate for Angie, though, it depends on her work schedule and current mental state.
“If I have really bad anxiety, I can’t eat but I’ll make myself eat smoothies that will sit well in my tummy. If I’m depressed, I can’t stop eating so I’ll want to have gluten-free chippies and all the lactose-free cheeses in the world, you know, whatever you’re not supposed to want, you want,” she admits, adding that she loves Liddells lactose-free cheeses.
“I would say when I’m normal, happy, working Angie, for breakfast I’d always have some kind of smoothie. I’m all about natural remedies so like a banana fruit smoothie with all my supplements and herbs,” she says.
“For lunch I’m mad for a poke bowl or some kind of salad with seafood or a vegetarian one. There are so many gluten-free snacks now, heaps of different muesli bars and nuts. I’m huge on nuts because they’re such a good source of protein for me seeing as I don’t eat a lot of meat.”
When it comes to dinner time, the former Bachelorette is a big fan of whipping up her own kitchen creations.
“I love cooking so for dinner I usually cook a fish curry or a vegetable curry or some kind of stir-fry, that’s probably my go-to.”
As for exercise, it’s all about feeling physically and mentally good for Angie.
“When I’m not crazy busy I do like to have more of a routine where I can go to the gym – I was just starting to get into reformer Pilates,” Angie shares.
“Love a bit of stretching, I do love yoga but haven’t done it properly in ages but I do my own stretching.
“Every single night I meditate – I have this amazing gratitude meditation I do every night and then in the morning I make sure I do really big, strong breathing techniques that I’ve got from my energy healer. That kind of starts my day and flushes out all the s*** and then just brings in all the positivity. But meditation is my go-to – I wouldn’t be pretty much anxiety-free without my meditation and all my beautiful supplements and herbs from my naturopath.”
If you or someone you know needs assistance with an eating disorder, please call the Butterfly Foundation on 1800 33 4673 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
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