After numerous complaints to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) about a Yoplait yogurt commercial that contains eating disorder triggers, Yoplait has agreed to pull the ad.  

The commercial depicts a slender woman's internal battle as she peers into an office refrigerator at a delicious cheesecake.  "OK. What if I had just a small slice? I was good today, I deserve it!" she says.  Then she wonders if eating a small slice with some celery sticks or having a large slice while jogging will cancel out the effects of the cheesecake.  Her turmoil is interrupted when a thinner co-worker appears and reaches for some cheesecake-flavored Yoplait that she's been "thinking about all day."  The first woman comments on the fact that the second woman has lost weight and then grabs her own carton of yogurt.

In an interview with the Huffington Post, NEDA president Lynn Grefe said that standing in front of an open refrigerator can be like stepping off a bridge for those with eating disorders.  Seeing the inner debate about "good" and "bad" foods depicted on TV appears to endorse the anxiety and self-doubt that are at the root of eating disorders.  According to author Jenni Shaeffer, who has written two books on her own experiences with anorexia and bulimia, the Yoplait commercial "nailed it on the head."  She admits to putting herself through the same mental gyrations during the period in her life when she was obsessed with food.

General Mills, the maker of Yoplait, said they had no idea that the commercial would strike a chord with those suffering from eating disorders and voluntarily agreed to stop airing it.  According to NEDA, up to 10 million females and 1 million males in the U.S. are fighting a life and death battle with anorexia, bulimia, binge eating and other eating disorders.  One of the missions of the non-profit NEDA organization is to educate companies like General Mills as well as the general public about the impact of the media on those suffering from eating disorders.

NEDA has fought similar campaigns against other advertisers who send the wrong message about weight and food.  Their attempts are not always successful.  Skechers shoes recently launched an ad campaign for Shape-ups for Girls, telling preteen girls it's time to shape up with Skechers Shape-Up shoes.  The shoes have a rounded platform sole that Skechers claims will tone the legs and back side.  The adult versions of ads for Skechers Shape-ups emphasize the rounded back sides of slim models.  However, fitness experts say the shoes are not a suitable replacement for sneakers or athletic shoes that should be worn by a child when running or playing.  

Despite protests from NEDA and other groups, the Skechers Shape-up for Girls ads continue to air during children's television shows.  Although some may see no harm in the commercials, a recent study published by the Journal of American Pediatrics reports that the number of preteens hospitalized for eating disorders has more than doubled in the past decade.