The Duchess of Cornwall spoke very passionately about her views on "ridiculous" extreme dieting on Wednesday, sharing her opinions during a visit to mark the launch of the Royal Osteoporosis Society at the Science Museum in London. Camilla suggested trends like 'clean eating', which can see people cut out calcium-rich foods, are "the worst thing to do". "It is this ridiculous dieting, cutting out dairy and all the things that are good for your bones," she told the Daily Mail. "These girls see 'Skinny Lizzies' in a magazine and they all want to be thin. It's about social media, too."
Camilla spoke at the event on Wednesday
"We need to find a way of educating children that they need to take care of their bodies now instead of aspiring to look like someone they see in a picture if they want to protect themselves in old age," she added. The Duchess, whose mother Rosalind died from the fragile bone disease in 1994, is president of the Royal Osteoporosis Society and has supported the organisation for two decades.
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Camilla's comments come after health officials warned about the negative impact that celebrities, influencers and advertisers are having on children and young people's mental health by pushing unrealistic body types online, particularly through social media. She reiterated: "It's the fad diets, they are the worst thing to do. You are depriving your bones of calcium. They always say you are what you eat."
The royal also shared an emotional memory of her late mother during the event, revealing that she wished she had been able to see the progress being made against the bone disease. "It was 25 years ago that my mother died as a result of osteoporosis. In fact, she was exactly the same age as I am now. Then, it was never discussed, rarely diagnosed, and always attributed to old people," she said. "My family and I were completely devastated, but also, we didn't understand how somebody could be in so much pain, and we were unable, and the doctors seemed unable, to do anything about it."