Feeding well today is countercultural

Man, does this ring true: I didn't hit my child in public, but I did let her eat Cheetos

and this quote: "Feeding well today is countercultural" to which I would add that eating normally and feeling good about one's body and relationship to food is downright radical.

(I do separate this from eating disorders, by the way - EDs are an illness that probably has little relationship to poor feeding or society's current dysfunction around food. The biggest relationship between the two, in my opinion, is that when society behaves in a dysfunctional way it slows and blunts our necessary response to the illness when it does appear. WE have to be normal to recognize those who are truly ill.

By way of analogy, during a flu epidemic people started wearing masks and hoarding disinfectant and refusing to shake hands without a doctor's note. This no doubt made it hard to distinguish those with genuine OCD issues about contamination. It probably also led people to 'believe' that cases of OCD were 'caused' by worries about flu. At the same time, a percentage of people with a predisposition toward OCDs probably were exacerbated or even triggered by the overwhelming social anxiety around the epidemic.)

Comments

  1. in response to your comment on my profile. Im ok I didn't do anything rash, im just feeling rather scared and depressed and hopeless and rather like giving up again. I am not saying im going to give up, but im not sure i can get through this anymore.

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  2. http://www.naturalnews.com/029565_calorie_restriction_health.html

    Wondered what you would make of this article...

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  3. Jaded, I feel very worried and very much wish I could tangibly help. The offer remains open, as you know, to have someone contact me. I wish I knew how to get to them directly. I care.

    Anonymous, if you are asking this question seriously (and not spamming), then my answer is: "sad and misguided."

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  4. Yes I was asking seriously... it was late at night when I read it but it just struck a chord as to how dangerous that information could be. I just wondered if my radar system was working correctly or not.
    Thank you for your answer!

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  5. Laura ill talk to my aunt again this weekend, she is dealing with my grandfather who she cares for and is not going to be with us much longer i told her i needed someone who could check on me and ask me what i ate every day and she suggested i find a group friend online or something which wont work for me. I will ask her if she will talk to you, perhaps if that doesn't work i can see if my sister will help play that role. I thought my family could help me to get through this, but they cant do much more than feed me and trust that i eat throughout the week which i generally do not. Thank you again laura and I will talk to my family to see if they will talk to you, or help me somehow. I just dont know how it will do any good if i cannot afford the medical care and psychological care that I need.

    Where is Oprah or montel williams when you need them....I feel like such a mooch for even thinking of such a thing but im not going to get better without the proper help ive been going through this since i was 12 Im STILL only 100 pounds at 5'9 and the only time i did get sent to a mental hospital i wasn't ready to receive the help, now that i need it and am ready for it, i cant get it? This is part of why i can be such a bitter person. And one who is very close to just saying screw it all. I dont know what to do, and i would write someone like oprah or whatever but i also dont want to be on tv, so thats not an option either anyway. Im scared and rambling so Im sorry for rambling.

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  6. Jaded,

    Save your bitterness for later when you can help others. I share that feeling and get great satisfaction from activism - but the time for that is later.

    Pretend we are talking about a stranger out there who is ill and no one around them really knows it or understands what is needed to help. This person is mute and frightened and unable to see any way to get toward the light. Imagine there are others who know a way, but they can't shout loud enough to reach those who need that information. Imagine it is not you, it is someone who needs help and then later will be able to help others. You would help that stranger. You would feel that stranger deserves help and you would want the rest of us to find them and help those people around the stranger to understand and seek effective help. You would understand that it is not the stranger's fault, nor weakness, but temporary - and worthy.

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