Wonderful Wednesday

From Food Navigator at Foodnavigator-usa.com
Healthy eating 'disorder' on the rise

17-Aug-2009

Comment: One of the best books I've ever read about food said, "Eat the widest variety of food possible." Over the years we have been told that one food after another is not good for us for one reason or another. The point is to avoid eating great quantities of anything, but at the same time enjoying everything. There is a place for McDonalds; a place for beer; a place for greasy pizza and chocolate cake. There is even a place for soda pop - it's good for kids on long trips because they don't have to pee! The other point is to keep an eye on balance. This can be done with the eye: is the plate filled with color or is it a "yellow" plate? Chicken nuggets, French fries and corn or applesauce is a yellow plate. It lacks something green or red; it lacks nutritional balance.

This article is about imbalance and the desire to maintain a "perfect" diet. A perfect diet only exists in the mind. A good diet allows for enjoyment. I truly believe that God did not intend for us to take the pleasure of eating and reduce it to either a chore, or a bland affair. Eating is supposed to be a delight, so let's keep that in mind as well as keeping in mind that too much, too many treats, too many calories is not balance, it's imbalance.

Related topics: Science & Nutrition

An obsession with healthy eating is on the increase, but cutting out of large number of foods, or foods that contain certain ingredients may increase the risk of malnutrition.

According to a report in The Guardian newspaper, Britain is currently experiencing an increase in the number of cases of orthorexia nervosa, a psychological condition whereby sufferers restrict the consumption of sugar, salt, caffeine, alcohol, wheat, gluten, yeast, soya, corn and dairy foods. They also cut out any foods which contain artificial additives, or have come into contact with pesticides and herbicides.

Ursula Philpot, chair of the British Dietetic Association's mental health group, is quoted by The Guardian as stating: "Other eating disorders focus on quantity of food but orthorexics can be overweight or look normal. They are solely concerned with the quality of the food they put in their bodies, refining and restricting their diets according to their personal understanding of which foods are truly 'pure'."