To Live, to Live, Healthy but Real
I am known to be a tiny bit honest, in a nice way! I try and tell it, as it is, without hurting feelings (I hope). I like a sense of magic in my life, a touch of whimsy, a reminder of fairies and enchanted places. The reality of my daily existence is a complete routine and a daily grind of what to do's and who needs to be where when. I am a mother and a wife and part time blogger and training consultant, there is a constant load of duties to fulfill, and I love being wanted and needed! A full life equals a life well lived, I would like to think. In other words, the less I think of the basic needs the better. I still enjoy that tiny bit of flexibility, in what I wear, what I read, what I eat. Well, you get the drift.
I have been on this planet for 40 odd years, wink wink, no need to know the exacts! The world has progressed in those 40 years at lightning speed. The future we envisioned when in our teens, is nowhere to be seen. The world our children are growing up in, is completely variant to what we knew at their age. From the technology, to the safety, to the social changes, to the lifestyle, to the reality TV, to being followed home via social media, the list goes on. For better or worse, this is their generation.
We can argue the pros and cons of progress; what elevated our standard of living, what brought us closer to each other, what did not, what makes us better human beings, what makes us less empathetic, what has made us save more lives, on and on. Maybe my next blog will be all about that topic. Progress! At what price? This one is not!
If you have been reading my simple blog, you will probably know my thoughts on various subjects to do with family, friendship, life. Possibly you could read between the lines, and note that my children are my everything. They are front and center!
Keep that in mind as you read the continuation of this blog entry. Also, think of you as an adult reading this.
How body shaming, body image, diet choices, social media perfection, photo editing, plastic fantastic culture, "thin is beautiful", "you are what you eat", being bombarded by image experts and "influencers" telling you what to wear and how to wear it, looking at public figures that look perfect in everyway, how does that make you feel? Maybe on most days, it does not bother you in the least, but there must be days when you feel that you are ugly, fat, unattractive, wrong in your own skin. That is you as an adult.
What chance do our children have? Especially our daughters, who suffer more eating disorders and self harm then our sons. The statistics claim that 50% of teenage girls and 33% of teenage boys are using restrictive measures to lose weight at any given time.
Now to my topic, after that sensational introduction! I have heard of a long list of eating disorders in my lifetime (the 40+ years on this planet). Bulimia, anorexia, binge eating etc... I just discovered a new one. Orthorexia! Have you heard of it? I admit it's a brand new one for me!
If you have heard it before, you know what it means. If not, it means "an obsession with eating foods one considers healthy". An obsession! I have an obsession with coffee and chocolate, I consider them healthy!
On a more serious note, before I knew the meaning of that word, I already had the emotional intelligence to understand, that there has become a shift in human eating and healthy lifestyle obsessions. Rarely, do I sit in a social setting and the mention of food or lack of is not a topic of conversation. Rarely, do I sit in a social setting and there is more than one person barely eating, or eating to a very restrictive diet. Rarely, is it because of allergies or true health problems. It is more due to lifestyle choices, and I can understand now that it has become obsessive. It even has a medical term, "Orthorexia".
The word has a Greek origin, it means "correct appetite" or in this case "correct diet". It allows the individual suffering from this disorder to control their food intake, to a level where food items are placed in "good" or "bad" categories. Should we really think about a basic need to that level? Do I want my children to grow up with the idea that food may be "bad" for you? Do I want my children to be obsessive about the natural energy they need to survive?
I know what my answer is, an unequivocal no! I want my children to grow with a healthy self image, a healthy relationship to food, a healthy and balanced outlook on how they relate to nutrition, exercise, and health in general. Do you see it around you this obsession with healthy eating? Can you read the signs, where it has become a problem and not just a healthier way?
Here are the 8 warning signs of this eating disorder: A fixation over the quality of the food, inflexible eating patterns, severe emotional turmoil if "rules" are broken, cutting out entire food groups, constant worry about sickness or disease, anxiety simply being around certain foods, this condition is not typically driven by poor body image, loss of weight. I know of a few people that are down this slippery slope. I sure do not want my teenager or my little one every going there.
We live a life of moderation. Possibly not everyday, but like the pediatrician told me when my kids were born, as long as over a week your child is receiving a total package of nutrition that is all that matters. We all cannot be balanced in our diet daily but we can endeavour to be balanced over a period of one week. We are mostly on a Mediterranean diet, full of fruits, vegetables, grains, and good for you fats. Do we eat sugar? Processed items? Gluten? And a myriad of perceived of "naughty" foods. Oh Yes We Do! But moderation is the word of the moment!
Everyone that knows me, know that I have friends and acquaintances from around the world and from all walks of life. Sadly, I see that Orthorexia is becoming more common, and across the board shared by males and females. I hear stories of people becoming preoccupied with their eating habits, what they do not eat is a longer list then what they do eat, they openly talk about their restrictive diet, they are not shy to be part of a dinner party and not eat what the hostess has tirelessly cooked, to cancel an outing because it does not meet their food concepts, to demand a menu that only pleases their limited palette.
I am sorry, but when your lifestyle choice affects your social skills then I have an issue with that. If I invite you to my home for a meal, I want you to enjoy my hospitality and hard work.If we go out for a meal I would like you to actually enjoy the warmth of breaking bread together. If my children or your children, are present I do not want them to be made to feel bad for their meal choices by your obsessive behaviour. Our children watch and observe and do what we do, not what we say.
Here is what I have learned: This subject I am quite passionate about. Eating disorders are on the rise worldwide in young adults, body dismorphia disorder is on the rise in all ages, obsessive behaviour around what one must and must not eat is on the rise. I get it, the food chain is polluted, and the food our ancestors ate is a different quality to what we are eating today. I understand that food science is new and improved, a better way at looking at all we ingest. I am aware that we are an informed generation with plethora of knowledge at our fingertips allowing us to make smarter choices. Yet, being obsessed with a basic need, such as what to eat, is a dangerous place to be. I want and need my children to grow up healthy, balanced, and happy with who they are on the inside and the outside.
I have been on this planet for 40 odd years, wink wink, no need to know the exacts! The world has progressed in those 40 years at lightning speed. The future we envisioned when in our teens, is nowhere to be seen. The world our children are growing up in, is completely variant to what we knew at their age. From the technology, to the safety, to the social changes, to the lifestyle, to the reality TV, to being followed home via social media, the list goes on. For better or worse, this is their generation.
We can argue the pros and cons of progress; what elevated our standard of living, what brought us closer to each other, what did not, what makes us better human beings, what makes us less empathetic, what has made us save more lives, on and on. Maybe my next blog will be all about that topic. Progress! At what price? This one is not!
If you have been reading my simple blog, you will probably know my thoughts on various subjects to do with family, friendship, life. Possibly you could read between the lines, and note that my children are my everything. They are front and center!
Keep that in mind as you read the continuation of this blog entry. Also, think of you as an adult reading this.
How body shaming, body image, diet choices, social media perfection, photo editing, plastic fantastic culture, "thin is beautiful", "you are what you eat", being bombarded by image experts and "influencers" telling you what to wear and how to wear it, looking at public figures that look perfect in everyway, how does that make you feel? Maybe on most days, it does not bother you in the least, but there must be days when you feel that you are ugly, fat, unattractive, wrong in your own skin. That is you as an adult.
What chance do our children have? Especially our daughters, who suffer more eating disorders and self harm then our sons. The statistics claim that 50% of teenage girls and 33% of teenage boys are using restrictive measures to lose weight at any given time.
Now to my topic, after that sensational introduction! I have heard of a long list of eating disorders in my lifetime (the 40+ years on this planet). Bulimia, anorexia, binge eating etc... I just discovered a new one. Orthorexia! Have you heard of it? I admit it's a brand new one for me!
If you have heard it before, you know what it means. If not, it means "an obsession with eating foods one considers healthy". An obsession! I have an obsession with coffee and chocolate, I consider them healthy!
On a more serious note, before I knew the meaning of that word, I already had the emotional intelligence to understand, that there has become a shift in human eating and healthy lifestyle obsessions. Rarely, do I sit in a social setting and the mention of food or lack of is not a topic of conversation. Rarely, do I sit in a social setting and there is more than one person barely eating, or eating to a very restrictive diet. Rarely, is it because of allergies or true health problems. It is more due to lifestyle choices, and I can understand now that it has become obsessive. It even has a medical term, "Orthorexia".
The word has a Greek origin, it means "correct appetite" or in this case "correct diet". It allows the individual suffering from this disorder to control their food intake, to a level where food items are placed in "good" or "bad" categories. Should we really think about a basic need to that level? Do I want my children to grow up with the idea that food may be "bad" for you? Do I want my children to be obsessive about the natural energy they need to survive?
I know what my answer is, an unequivocal no! I want my children to grow with a healthy self image, a healthy relationship to food, a healthy and balanced outlook on how they relate to nutrition, exercise, and health in general. Do you see it around you this obsession with healthy eating? Can you read the signs, where it has become a problem and not just a healthier way?
Here are the 8 warning signs of this eating disorder: A fixation over the quality of the food, inflexible eating patterns, severe emotional turmoil if "rules" are broken, cutting out entire food groups, constant worry about sickness or disease, anxiety simply being around certain foods, this condition is not typically driven by poor body image, loss of weight. I know of a few people that are down this slippery slope. I sure do not want my teenager or my little one every going there.
We live a life of moderation. Possibly not everyday, but like the pediatrician told me when my kids were born, as long as over a week your child is receiving a total package of nutrition that is all that matters. We all cannot be balanced in our diet daily but we can endeavour to be balanced over a period of one week. We are mostly on a Mediterranean diet, full of fruits, vegetables, grains, and good for you fats. Do we eat sugar? Processed items? Gluten? And a myriad of perceived of "naughty" foods. Oh Yes We Do! But moderation is the word of the moment!
Everyone that knows me, know that I have friends and acquaintances from around the world and from all walks of life. Sadly, I see that Orthorexia is becoming more common, and across the board shared by males and females. I hear stories of people becoming preoccupied with their eating habits, what they do not eat is a longer list then what they do eat, they openly talk about their restrictive diet, they are not shy to be part of a dinner party and not eat what the hostess has tirelessly cooked, to cancel an outing because it does not meet their food concepts, to demand a menu that only pleases their limited palette.
I am sorry, but when your lifestyle choice affects your social skills then I have an issue with that. If I invite you to my home for a meal, I want you to enjoy my hospitality and hard work.If we go out for a meal I would like you to actually enjoy the warmth of breaking bread together. If my children or your children, are present I do not want them to be made to feel bad for their meal choices by your obsessive behaviour. Our children watch and observe and do what we do, not what we say.
Here is what I have learned: This subject I am quite passionate about. Eating disorders are on the rise worldwide in young adults, body dismorphia disorder is on the rise in all ages, obsessive behaviour around what one must and must not eat is on the rise. I get it, the food chain is polluted, and the food our ancestors ate is a different quality to what we are eating today. I understand that food science is new and improved, a better way at looking at all we ingest. I am aware that we are an informed generation with plethora of knowledge at our fingertips allowing us to make smarter choices. Yet, being obsessed with a basic need, such as what to eat, is a dangerous place to be. I want and need my children to grow up healthy, balanced, and happy with who they are on the inside and the outside.
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