eating disorders and vegetarianism

I've struggled with an eating disorder off and on for about 4 years now, and have been a vegetarian for about 4 months. And honestly, since going veggie, I've felt better, both physically and about myself, and am feeling more normal than I have in a really long time. However, a number of people I know seem really eager to label vegetarianism as merely an extension of an eating disorder. While I'm sure it might be in some cases, I honestly don't think this is true of me. I know I'm healthier for it, and am feeling increasingly better about myself now that I can actually feel good about the food I'm putting in my body. My thinking's becoming more normal as well. And I've actually gained weight (I was slightly underweight when I first became a vegetarian). I can't really come up with any negative aspects of being a vegetarian as it relates to my life.

I guess I'm just wondering if anyone else has had experiences similar to this- and if anyone has any advice for dealing with people who have reacted negatively.

 

If it feels good now to put food in your body, this is actually good! A lot of eating disorders just go around the problem of not being able to put/ or keep foods in their body, so if you feel good about it, you're on the right path.


If you feel so strange about what other poeple say, then go see a doctor, a nutrishionist or therapist for it. They will tell you that it is all right, and then you can tell everybody else to f*** off because professionals told you it's ok.

 

and they aren't prof.s either.

I don't eat meat often, but I am not going to give it up.

 

I became a vegetarian this year, and I can tell you lots of people were angry about it. My parents were angry at me for weeks and made fun of my decision, my uncle wouldn't talk to me for three weeks, and my friends didn't understand me... But after a while they stopped bothering me about it.
Be strong and don't let people's negative comments bring you down, if you ever feel bad about it and you need someone to talk to, just pm me, ok?
By the way, I am really glad you now feel good about yourself.

 

I think... and dont flame me... to the original poster...

are you a militant label reader? One thing I noticed when I first went veggie was the .. obsession that grew out of it... label reading, ensuring everytihng was low fat and good for me... that sort of thing...

Perhaps being veggie has given you a new obsession, its still excessive thought and worry about food that goes into your body, but channeled in a different direction....

 

i agree, when i went vegetarian years ago, it followed on the heels of anorexia/bulimia. it was a way of channeling my obessions into something else. which, for me, wasn't a bad thing and i think she is sort of saying that. because basically, anorexia is a form of OCD, and you are giving yourself something else to obsess on.

 

if she feels better about herself, is gaining weight, and actually likes the food she is putting into her body, is that a huge step forward?

 

I love that avatar for some reason.

 

A lot of people with eating disorders go vegetarian to avoid a whole food group, and for an excuse not to eat a lot of foods. I'm not saying this is true for you, but it's a valid reason for people who care about your health to worry. I went through the same thing a few years ago. My family and doctors were eager to believe that my vegetarianism and eating disorder were directly related, but in my heart I knew it was about compassion for animals and not losing weight, so I didn't let their pressure get to me, and eventually they let up and accepted my decision. So my advice is stick with your decision despite the reaction others have to it. It might also help to research vegetarianism so that when people question your decision you can present them with the health benefits of not eating meat.

 

Health benefits like, no heart disease?

 

and I know that a lot of people with eating disorders go veggie for those reasons....but I also know that is not why I decided to stop eating meat. I chose to become a vegetarian for a number of reasons, my concerns for animals and my horror at hearing meat packing plant stories topping the list. Also, I've never honestly liked meat to begin with (only types of meat I've ever eaten are beef and dark turkey meat, neither of which are even good for you). I'm being extremely careful to eat enough and to eat a balanced diet, though I'm also being careful not to let myself obsess over food excessively.

I think I'm going to go ahead and not worry too much about what the people around me say about it, as long as I know in my heart I'm not doing this for unhealthy reasons. I've actually done a fair amount of research on vegetarianism, so I am more or less able to make a good case for it.

 

I will admit, when I first became veggie, it was taking the place of an eating disorder. When I was 12, my life was out of control...my intake of food was something I could control. When I was 13, I got help, but when I was 16 I felt myself sinking back into it...becoming veggie was a way I could also control my intake of food, but at the same time still be somewhat healthy.

Like any addiction or obsession, the thing you are obsessed or addicted to must be substituted with a new behavior. Mine was meat...

For 6 years I've learned more about vegetarianism and its health and environmental benefits. If you asked em about vegetarianism 6 years ago, I wouldn't be able to tell you anything, but that it was a sense of control for me.

Life is an everchanging, growing process. Embrace it.

 

hey hun, I know exactly what you mean...
I've been through YEARS of different eating disorders [anorexia and bulimia] and being vegetarian didn't help me as much as going vegan did. I guess it's that whole aspect of control... as long as youre somehow controlling what you put or dont put into your body, you seem to feel better... but it IS different with everyone, so that may not be at all the case for you.

It also gave me something else to focus my attention on. I've been recovered for almost a year now, and of course I still get the *feelings* but they are easier to work my way through ever since I went vegan.

Unlike you though, I lost weight since I went vegan...however, I wasnt at an unhealthy weight before hand, because my *more recent* struggles with eating disorders was with bulimia, and I never got too skinny from that...

I'm so happy to have found someone who feels the same way I do about that particular thing...
My boyfriend too, thinks that me being vegan is just another form of my eating disorder... even if mentally it is, physically it's better for me, and I'm eating plenty and healthy things for my body, so there's no DANGER in it. But to me, its not at all an extension of my eating disorder, because the main reason I became vegan was for the animals and environment...the fact that it helped me recover is just a bonus to me.

I think the reason people think this way though, is because MOST people dont understand eating disorders, nor do a lot of people understand the idea of vegetarianism or veganism.

what's kind of helpful, is when I went to therapy for my eating disorder my therapist was extremely knowledgeable not just about eating disorders but the body as well, and it helped me with my vegan diet. It helped me know what I need to eat, and when... and why I crave certain things and how to make the cravings subside [example, if i was craving cheese, maybe i need calcium, so id sip on some soy milk or calcium fortified orange juice...and it DID work] Which is another reason Im not worried about my vegan lifestyle being an *extension of my eating disorder* because, my therapist thought it was a GOOD thing... if someone as intelligent as her, who has been counseling people with eating disorders for over 20 years doesnt see it that way, I trust her opinion.

It's too bad more people dont understand eating disorders, people treat them as if it's a choice when it's not. It's a mental disorder...and I believe its something you will always have just like alcoholism, but its your job to pull through the *urges* and what not.

 

When I did the vegetarian thing for a while a few years ago, I don't remember really getting any negative reactions, but then my family is a bit weird. But, I can see how some people might connect going veggie with an eating disorder -- in fact, I have a former roommate who I think uses veganism to cover an ED. This girl lived on sticky white rice and the occasional slice or two of cucumber. I'm sure this is somewhat exaggerated, since I didn't watch her at every mealtime, but she basically exhibited all of the symptoms of anorexia -- stick figure, pallid skin color, lack of energy, etc. She would go doctor shopping -- the first 4 or 5 told her she was dangerously underweight and malnurished, but she finally found one who would tell her she was healthy.

People like my former roommate are a big part of why people connect vegetarianism & veganism with ED. It's sad how many people out there think that being veggie is all about just cutting out any form of meat by-product (without finding non-meat replacements). So the people who have been exposed to that form of veggie don't realize that you CAN do it and be healthy -- you just have to find non-meat sources of protein & be careful about balancing your meals to get all the nutrients you need.

It takes a lot more work to do it the right way, but if you're willing to put in the effort, then people should learn from you and stop complaining.

 

Well, I dont know about the rest of yall.. but when i became a vegetarian, i had jus gone thru a wierd phase where i wouldnt eat or id try to throw up what i did eat... and when i became a vegetarian, i felt a lot better about food... but felt that i was still healthy but not eating like a pig. dont let anyone discourage u hun.

 

I think that for me, several times I tried to make my diet stricter, vegetarian, vegan, as an extension of an ED. I think that is really common. Nobody is saying that every vegetarian is vegetarian for that reason, but I think it does happen quite a bit. I think quite a few people give up meat, and more, to feel like they're in control of their food.


If you're certain that you're really not doing this, don't stress about what people say. But if you are obsessed with reading food labels, like someone said, or just obsessed still with your food, maybe you're not out of the woods.