Researchers at Saint John's University in Minnesota have found that teenagers may use vegetarianism as a cover for eating disorders. The study appears in the latest edition of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

In a research venture called Project EAT-II: Eating Among Teens, [nutritionist Ramona] Robinson-O'Brien and her team surveyed 2,516 young Minnesotans, ages 15 to 23. ... Approximately 20 percent of the vegetarians turned out to be binge eaters, compared with only five percent of those who had always eaten meat.

The survey also found that 25 percent of the vegetarians admitted to engaging in extreme weight-control measures like taking diet pills or forcing themselves to vomit. Though some teenagers do become vegetarians in an effort to eat better or to protect animals, parents should be attentive to symptoms that may indicate an eating disorder.

Source: Dallas Morning News

Labels: teenagers, causes of eating disorders, teens, eating_habits, eating_problems, vegetarians

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Those who treat eating disorders are finding a new one called "orthorexia." Dr. Michael Bratman, who named the disorder, says it is a "fixation on righteous eating."

The typical anorexia nervosa patient starves herself to appear thin, but the orthorexic restricts her food for spiritual fulfillment. Orthorexics often develop such rigid rules about food choices that they end up starving themselves. Because they restrict themselves to only a few foods they believe are "pure" enough to eat, they usually cannot eat out or shop at ordinary grocery stores. Their quality of life decreases as their food obsessions increase.

Some studies have found a link between vegetarianism and eating disorders. In a 1997 Michigan study of 107 teenaged girls, vegetarians were found to vomit four times as often, use laxatives eight times more often, and diet twice as often as meat eaters. A July 2006 study in Israel found that 85% of anorexic patients were vegetarians.

Labels: orthorexia, dieting, vegetarians

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Most people choose vegetarianism or veganism for a variety of genuine reasons. Some, for example, have a philosophical problem with eating animals. Others cite nutritional benefits.

But for some, these dietary regimens are covers for eating disorders.

“When she was just 13, [Jill] became a vegetarian, in part for philosophical reasons, but mainly as an excuse to avoid her mom’s New Orleans-style chicken-fried steak and jambalaya. As she forged a career in yoga instruction, she further restricted her diet by going vegan, all the while struggling with an eating disorder that she kept under wraps.” [Source: The Daily Beast]

The veganism gave Jill an excuse to restrict her food intake, and it would be more than 15 years before she acknowledged the damage she was doing and started to change her eating habits.

Medical professionals who help treat eating disorder patients say there are a disproportionate number of vegans and vegetarians among them, as compared to the rest of the population. Parents are encouraged to be cautious and observant if a child suddenly announces that he or she is becoming a vegetarian or vegan.

Labels: unhealthy eating, vegetarians

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