What is food to you?

Is it something to be coveted and savoured? Perhaps it’s a highlight with your day anchored by three thoughtful meals. Or is it something that’s simply a means to an end: time and effort expended minus degree of difficulty of getting every member of the family to eat without complaining?

It’s the ultimate low (salad) bar.

When you think about it, food plays such an important part in our social and cultural make up, so much so that for many it’s moved past being something to merely sustain our bodies and lives.

It can be an aphrodisiac, an expression of culture or a cherished memory. Who hasn’t been transported back to your granny’s house by the smell of a freshly baked and buttered scone? Who remembers having a day off sick under the covers with a hot chicken soup brought in by mum – a parent-sanctioned wagging of school complete with sympathy, sanctuary and sustenance?

So, imagine what it might be like when food, one of our greatest allies, becomes our greatest enemy.

I first heard of Lara Ridley when she was awarded junior citizen of the year at the Port Adelaide Enfield Australia Day awards earlier this year.

I’ve always considered it an absolute privilege to be asked to host events such as this. Over the years, I’ve stood beside some of the most incredible people as they’ve been acknowledged for their efforts in their employment, study, or more often than not, their area of passion.

But for some reason, out of the hundreds of ordinary people doing extraordinary things I’ve got to hear about, Lara has stuck with me above most of the others.

She was there with her family, and I had been given a small paragraph to read once I called her name and she made her way up to the stage.

“What started out as a school project to create a social enterprise saw Lara Ridley independently develop a cutlery set which includes engraved affirmations to support people suffering from eating disorders,” it said.

“She created her own social media platform, developed her own website, all whilst being on a journey of recovery for her.

“She has shown resilience, commitment and awe-inspiring strength, and as such, has the ability to change the lives of many people.”

Everyone clapped (I mean, why wouldn’t you?) and with her long pink skirt swaying as she modestly walked up to accept her award, I couldn’t help but wonder at the life already lived by this teenager… and so I found out.

She’s at home with her parents and younger sister and lives, breathes, plays and coaches netball.

… it makes it even more remarkable that this elegant support system has been thought of and developed by a high-school kid.

Sport is her passion but despite all of the training and obvious fitness she possessed, it was when she set herself the goal of being “toned” for the upcoming summer that her relationship with food changed inextricably.

Suddenly food was something to be restricted: it wasn’t to fuel her body to live and play sport.

In her own words, she fell under the influence of diet culture where eating “cleaner” was the focus. She started decreasing her food intake and started believing that food was the root of all her problems.

She became fearful of putting on weight and, in hindsight, couldn’t believe how quickly she lost control of her own thoughts.

And so, whilst juggling the pressure of high school and studying, she started what would become a two-year battle that saw her diagnosed with anorexia nervosa in June 2021 and admitted to hospital soon after.

Despite the care that was offered her, the care that came from her family and friends, she felt incredibly isolated.

“I remember spending every day for the two weeks I was in hospital feeling very alone,” she told me.

“Even though I had family visit me every day, doctors around me always and other patients, at every meal I felt so separated.

“It actually felt like everyone was against me. I felt no one understood my struggles and it was me versus everyone else.”

It was this firsthand sense of isolation that gave birth to the idea of trying to reach others whilst they were at their most vulnerable which was, for them, during mealtimes.

So, when her Year 9 class participated in a program where they were challenged to create an innovative product to help solve a real-life problem, she knew straight away that there had to be something she could do to help.

And so, her “Just to let you know you’re not alone” cutlery was born.

Focusing on sustainability, the bamboo sets are laser engraved with positive affirmations, like ‘Nourish to Flourish’ or ‘Eat it to Beat it’. The idea – like all good ideas – seems simple enough, but both The Butterfly Foundation and the Women’s and Children’s Hospital have thrown their support behind her.

She’s proud to say that not only has she beaten this horrendous, insidious disease, she’s also actively doing something to help others going through it.

The fact that there’s a horrible irony in all of this is not lost on her. Even though she felt so alone with her eating disorder, there are increasing numbers of boys, girls, men and women joining her in suffering from similar issues.

Officially, as of last year, one million Australians are living with an eating disorder and less than a quarter of them will get treatment or a diagnosis. Given the complexities around reporting and recognition, it is thought that this figure could be much higher.

With one in four people believing eating disorders are “just a choice” and are a sign of weakness, combined with the fact that the most likely time for someone to develop an issue is during adolescence, it makes it even more remarkable that this elegant support system has been thought of and developed by a high-school kid.

Lara wants to go on and study medicine and if all goes well, she wants to work directly with those who are going through what she has lived.

Until then though, this clever and kind teenager is doing all she can to reach them right now, where they sit, at the table trying to do what so many of us take for granted or as a treat.

And she’s doing it one meal at a time.

Ali Clarke presents the breakfast show on Mix 102.3. She is a regular columnist for InDaily.