Monday, February 25, 2008

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week



[Click to enlarge and read.]

National Eating Disorders Association

comments: 3

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Dad, for taking the time and space to address this issue on your blog!

Eating disorders do not just affect the individual suffering. Parents, children, siblings, friends, co-workers, and anyone else who has a relation to the sufferer may experience some of the cruel aspects of anorexia nervosa, bulimia, BED, EDNOS, compulsive over-eating, etc.

Even if just one person sees this and benefits from it directly, it has the potential to help many, many more.

Thanks again for bringing awareness to such an important (and often overlooked!) issue.

Michael Leddy said...

Hi Number One Daughter! That's exactly why I put that page in a post -- if just one person who might otherwise not see it gets something from it, it's helpful.

Anonymous said...

Hi folks!

I never count fat grams.

Carbs, however are a different story. One of the side effects of my meds is an increased risk of type 2 diabetes (I have two siblings already diagnosed with it, both younger than I). So I try to limit my high GI carbs (white bread, pasta, etc.) to less 25% of the total. In other words, I have to eat like a diabetic to avoid becoming one. So far, it works for me. But I am a borderline obsessive, so keeping track of what I eat and planning menus for every meal for a week at a time is a snap.

My own view of eating disorders is that it is part of a bigger dietary picture. Not everyone thrives on the food pyramid diet, with lots of cereals at the bottom. I for one would come to resemble it in form if I ate the way the government recommends. But this is what we would expect, if we believe that our metabolisms are the product of evolution. Mother Nature does not know in advance what we will be getting to eat, and the genes that make some people fat in a world with all-you-can-eat restaurants might help them survive a famine.

But I also walk to work and back, which adds up to one hour of brisk motion on foot each day. In this I am lucky, I know. Not everybody gets to live within walking distance of their jobs.