First it was chocolate Easter bunnies, now Christmas cookies. What’s next, birthday cake? Good health is nuanced: soul food; comfort food; food that brings joy; physical, mental, spiritual health — all these need to be factored in.
I understand that the “Chuck the Christmas cookies” letter in last week’s paper was trying do a good thing by “educating” people with one person’s concept of good health, but for me it came off as insensitive and contained reference material riddled with questionable information.
Being thin is not a one-size-fits-all prescription for health. Healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes.
I come from a family steeped in dangerous disordered eating. Three generations shamed into believing being thin was the pinnacle, the goal, the way to achieve health and happiness. I fell into anorexia as a teen, bulimia in my 30s. To this day, I make excuses for simply eating a cookie. There is no joy in restricted eating.
By definition, Orthorexia nervosa is best summarized as an obsession with healthy eating with associated restrictive behaviors. The attempt to attain optimal health through diet may lead to malnourishment, loss of relationships and poor quality of life.
The relentless pursuit of “clean eating” comes with the potential for creating rigid eating patterns and promoting unrealistic body standards.
Sounds like fun.
Sincerely,
Debi Knight Kennedy