Vegetarianism linked to eating disorders? page

[keithpowers]

Vegetarianism, Eating Disorder Study Reveals Worrisome Relationship Among Women

Color me surprised...

[SophieScreams]

I've been saying this for years.

[KestrelSF]

Not surprisingly, the comments section for that article is going nuts. A friend of mine in college, ironically a vegetarian herself, came to the same conclusion. One is tempted to think "methinks they do protest too much"

[Leida]

Going vegetarian in order to lose weight and control eating can also fall into the category of orthorexia -- an obsession with healthy eating that can cover for an eating disorder, according to Kane-Alves.

"It's one and the same," she said. "It's all restricting food groups, spending a lot of time in your life thinking about food, preparing food, reading labels, when you don't necessarily have to."

Paleo and primal, and any other diet that restrict food groups severely could easily result in a niche for harboring eating disorders. Just sayin'.

[SophieScreams]

We've had that topic on a thread here, actually.

[Forgotmylastusername]

Paleo and primal, and any other diet that restrict food groups severely could easily result in a niche for harboring eating disorders. Just sayin'.

That's true. All of the so called extreme type of diets attract the weirdos.
Also, some people with eating disorders just claim their vegetarian so they have an excuse not to eat. It's a socially acceptable way of turning down food, so it's not surprising they're 'linked'.

[mystifiedu]

I'mm vegetarian and yes, if you try to eat a strict vegetarian diet you will run into eating disorders or cravings. I found for me it was a lack of complete nutrition - my body was lacking some of the necessary dietary nutrients it needed this is improved greatly with supplementation I am doing , have increased fat content in diet with goat and regular dairy products and coconut oil,and increasing my protein levels- vegetarians can restrict their variety of protein sources too much which is why I reintroduced dairy into my diet a while back and it seems to be working well

[solstice]

I whole-heartedly agree that even Paleo or Primal can harbor eating disorders---or body image issues---how thin or % body fat do you really need to be focused on. it shouldnt be a number but just health.

[palebluedots]

Paleo and primal, and any other diet that restrict food groups severely could easily result in a niche for harboring eating disorders. Just sayin'.

^^^yep!

[Lewis]

Paleo and primal, and any other diet that restrict food groups severely could easily result in a niche for harboring eating disorders. Just sayin'

^^^yep!

Rather, nope.


"Food groups" is an artificial conceptual matrix dropped onto current eating patterns and meant to reinforce consuming habits that are profitable to special interest groups that the U.S.D.A. caters to. It means nothing in and of itself.

"Eating disorders" are a feature of our society not of hunter-gatherer societies. They're also becoming more common, as our diet moves further away from the ancestral pattern.

What's driving them is the same as what's driving much alcohol and drug addiction (and obsessive behaviour, such as over-exercsing for the endorphin rush). It's imbalances in neurotransmitters (the chemical messengers in the brain) bought about by poor nutrition:

Julia Ross' THE MOOD CURE