Spring Break
Go ahead, listen to your stomach
Learning to put your stomach in the driver's seat
Maggie Canty
Issue date: 2/28/08 Section: Verve
Eating is no laughing matter.
In a society that is bombarded with nutrition facts, diet fads, weight loss tricks and health nuts, it seems normal to care about what you eat.
But when does caring become obsession, and obsession become disorder?
This week is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, dedicated to the knowledge and prevention of what has become an all-too-common obsession with food.
With studies showing that this is an area that affects all races, sexes and ages, according to the National Eating Disorders Association, it's time we take a closer look at how we view "healthy" eating.
At its most basic level, food is fuel. It keeps our hearts pumping, our legs moving and our minds from wandering during class - sometimes.
But somewhere along the way, Americans have lost sight of food's simple purpose.
We've become obsessed with nutrition labels, calories and grams of fat.
We've learned to fear carbs, consider fast food evil and avoid "comfort" foods at all costs.
But how much of this is good, and how much are we letting our diets control our lives?
Hunger is a basic instinct we're born with.
When we were young, we ate what we wanted when we wanted it, and stopped when we were full.
We let our bodies guide our meals, and didn't give food another thought. Until we got hungry again.
And what's surprising about this is that far fewer young children have weight problems than adults.
Like they know something we don't. Somewhere during our socialization, we stopped listening to our stomachs and started relying on our heads to decide what and when to eat.
Everything from what a balanced meal should contain to when it is appropriate to eat pancakes is guided by some rule or regulation we've been taught to abide by.
And therein lies the problem. Americans have been obsessed with knowing fat grams and calorie contents for ages, relying on a label or particular diet trend to know what to eat.
In a society that is bombarded with nutrition facts, diet fads, weight loss tricks and health nuts, it seems normal to care about what you eat.
But when does caring become obsession, and obsession become disorder?
This week is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, dedicated to the knowledge and prevention of what has become an all-too-common obsession with food.
With studies showing that this is an area that affects all races, sexes and ages, according to the National Eating Disorders Association, it's time we take a closer look at how we view "healthy" eating.
At its most basic level, food is fuel. It keeps our hearts pumping, our legs moving and our minds from wandering during class - sometimes.
But somewhere along the way, Americans have lost sight of food's simple purpose.
We've become obsessed with nutrition labels, calories and grams of fat.
We've learned to fear carbs, consider fast food evil and avoid "comfort" foods at all costs.
But how much of this is good, and how much are we letting our diets control our lives?
Hunger is a basic instinct we're born with.
When we were young, we ate what we wanted when we wanted it, and stopped when we were full.
We let our bodies guide our meals, and didn't give food another thought. Until we got hungry again.
And what's surprising about this is that far fewer young children have weight problems than adults.
Like they know something we don't. Somewhere during our socialization, we stopped listening to our stomachs and started relying on our heads to decide what and when to eat.
Everything from what a balanced meal should contain to when it is appropriate to eat pancakes is guided by some rule or regulation we've been taught to abide by.
And therein lies the problem. Americans have been obsessed with knowing fat grams and calorie contents for ages, relying on a label or particular diet trend to know what to eat.
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