Last week on the treadmill, I was reading the latest issue of Self Magazine. In this issue, Janelle Brown wrote a wonderful piece on the danger of detox diets called, ‘The Scary New Skinny’.
Brown wrote about the latest diet trends that have L.A. women jumping on board. Unlike socially unacceptable trends like starvation diets, liposuction, or dangerous diet pills, these new diet trends are portrayed in a socially acceptable and healthy manner.
Women have always had a huge amount of pressure to be thin, only now, women have this pressure AND we have a new pressure to be healthy while we do it! Many of the previous extreme weight loss methods are frowned upon so women have been seeking healthier ways to lose weight.
But are some of these new trends really healthy?
Brown calls this the ‘healthy skinny’ movement where friends no longer have to admit in shame that they are on a diet, but can be proud to say that they are following a ‘health regime’ instead.
Is it really any different?
So what are some of these diet trends?
- Spiritual Cleanses
While Spiritual Cleanses have been around for ever, they are a growing trend in LA. Many women are claiming that they are on a vision quest or are connecting with their spirit by fasting. These cleanses involve often sustaining on nothing but liquids such as the master cleanse.
- Raw vegetable cleanses
Izo Cleanze and BluePrintCleanse deliver juices to their customer’s doors each day. For many, this is the only thing that touches their lips for 3 weeks or longer.
- Colonics
Colonics have become quite popular in recent years with more and more people getting them done to ‘flush’ out their body of toxins. If performed regularly, colonics can kill the good bacteria in our intestinal tract that protect us from infection. They can also disrupt nerve and muscle function in the bowel, leaving some patients unable to go to the washroom without a colonic.
- Extreme Calorie restriction diets
Howard Flaks (M.D.) from Beverly Hills advises his patients to consume only 800-1000 calories a day, under medical supervision. Personally, I am quite shocked that a doctor would advise his patients to consume such a low number of calories. Many of us know how badly restrictive diets can backfire too- they can slow our metabolism and make our body cling to every calorie we consume. Not to mention, feeling extremely lethargic, moody, and lackluster hair, skin, and nails. That is so not hot!
- Raw Food Diets
Aimee Popovich, a 39-year old mom and homemaker residing in LA, went on a raw food diet where everything she ate was raw. She said she felt great for the first year and a half, but after that time period she started to notice strange things happening to her body. For instance, she had to urinate often and she had a lot of anxiety. Five months later, she woke up in bed very dizzy and she had a seizure, stopped breathing, and passed out. When she finally came to in the hospital 2 days later, she was told that she was undernourished, devoid of vital minerals, and suffering from kidney failure and brain swelling due to a severe electrolyte imbalance. She also suffered from hyponatremia which is having excess water in the blood and can result in dangerously low blood levels of sodium.
There is even a medical term to classify individuals that have an obsession with health. Steven Bratman, an alternative medicine specialist coined the term "Orthorexia" for such a condition. Orthorexia denotes an eating disorder classified by an excessive focus on eating healthy foods. In rare cases, this focus may turn into a fixation so extreme that it can lead to severe malnutrition or even death.
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MY TAKE:
I absolutely loved this article in Self Magazine because I think it touches on a central issue that many women are struggling with right now. As women, we are not only expected to be thin, beautiful, and successful, but we are now expected to be healthy while we do it. Like anything else, it can get taken too far. No matter how healthy someone eats, if they are underweight and/or suffering medical consequences, then it is not healthy. In my nutrition courses, I was told time and time again that our bodies are experts at riding our body of toxins and we don’t need detox diets and cleanses.
I have never had a colonic, done a cleanse, or ate a raw food diet. For me, these things just seem too extreme. That is not to say that they don’t work for others and they can be done in a safe manner with proper education and supervision. I think this is what was lacking in the article, it failed to mention that some of these things can be done safely.
However, I do love how I feel when when I drink a green monster or when I eat a mostly unprocessed diet. I don’t see this as an extreme thing in my life, because I feel better than I ever have, my skin and hair glows, and my doctor tells me that my medical tests come back with flying colours. On the other hand, if I was noticing ill-effects from my diet, I would definitely re-evaluate it. For me, balance is key. I like to eat chips or sweet treats like the rest of ‘em, and I know that keeping a balanced approach keeps me feeling my best.
What are your thoughts?
Are you or someone you know obsessed with eating healthy or do you think that orthorexia is the new ‘socially acceptable’ eating disorder?
Have you or would you ever do a detox? Are detoxes and cleanses ok for a short amount of time?
I was introduced to the term orthorexia when reading Michael pollan’s book, In Defense of Food. It really intrigued me and I completely agree that it’s a legitimate disease. Even with food blogs, I see an obsession with healthy eating, though not to say everyone takes it to an unhealthy point. Scientists are adapting to he times, and I think orthorexia is a perfect example of an evolved disease. Thanks for the great discussion!!
I just wanted to commend food bloggers. I’m glad to see they are eating and enjoying their lives. Not sitting at home, not going out because they don’t want to mess up their diet.
I don’t think it’s an obsession of health really for some. They are eating wholesome foods and giving others ideas. Now if I see a blog where someone is skipping breakfast, eating a bowl of lettuce and an apple for dinner I may be concerned. The amounts of carbs that are consumed is wonderful! The hey I ate pizza today so i’ll eat a salad for lunch tomorrow is what this world needs to see! It’s about balance and not gung ho on my meat diet for this week and then stop and gain more weight.
I still don’t see blogging 3x a day on food as obsessive, if you are a food blogger. I am thinking mainly of people like Jenna, Kath, Angie, and others where…it’s their job. They make money from their websites. They have bakeries. They are studying to be nutritionists.
I don’t consider myself obsessed with semiconductor process engineering, though I spend 40+ hours a week doing it…I get paid for it. I like it, but how is it obsessive?
It’s crazy the things people will do to their bodies to be skinny. But people shouldn’t have to go through all these extremes. The key like you said is balance. Some people just aren’t meant to be a size 2, everyone’s body structure is different.
Just read this, as I had a little downtime to reread past posts.
I happened to read that article. What strikes me as particularly interesting is that people fast to lose weight. For religious reasons, there are points in the calendar that I abstain from solid foods for a period of time. But it has nothing to do with losing weight or some personal quest or trying to get a vision (though, hey — if I happen to have an epiphany, I’m all for that! ;)).
Many religions have points in their calendars when people do not eat, but I see that as OK, particularly as you are drawn together in community. It is distressing that a standard religious practice is being confused with some silly goal to lose 5 pounds. Good grief.
The “raw lady” in the article, Aimee, is in my family. She was not trying to lose weight, I would say it was more of a health obsession or OCD. She ate a lot of kale, other green veggies, and made a lot of juices. She even ate raw desserts. She is educated, and book smart, so she read all about it. She had her son on only the diet and her breast-milk since he was born and he was pale and weak and is now behind in school. He never had a choice. I know this article is old but I just came across it. I’m sure many of you do this to be healthy or trendy, but this seems like a disorder most of the time. Get some fresh caught salmon and eat it with some vegetables, rice, and a glass of wine. You won’t die from it. Get a life beyond eating this, reading this, and blogging this. Other people read this, emulate the trend or use it to justify their eating disorder and/or OCD, etc. and almost die. Smoking weed is less harmful then what many of you are doing to yourselves; yet many raw/vegans maintain their self-righteousness and promote a lifestyle that was created for giraffes, or people with specific food allergies. This is another “innocent thing”, like refusing to vaccinate your kids, that hurts people, creates children to physically suffer, and just doesn’t make sense scientifically. It is actually denying common sense. If anyone reads this feel free to ask questions, chew me out or tell me your opinion. I’ll listen. If you chew me out or debate me I’ll answer you and… most likely, I’ll send you a rebuttal.
Fantastic blog! Do you have any hints for aspiring writers?
I’m planning to start my own site soon but I’m a little lost on everything.
Would you suggest starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid
option? There are so many options out there that I’m
completely overwhelmed .. Any ideas? Bless you!
I’ve done the maple syrup/organic lemonade fast 6 times in the last 6 years. I usually do it for 10 to 14 days. I think it’s a very healthy cleases. I never lose any weight at all but don’t do it in order to lose weight. Your body goes into conserving your weight after about the second day so if your weight is normal you don’t lose weight. I like this fast because for two weeks I don’t think about food anymore. When I first did it I felt really bad and hungry for the first couple of days, but now it’s very very easy to do. On day 3 you start to feel full of energy. I had lots of energy and was able to cook for others without feeling any hunger at all. It makes you feel strong just knowlng that if for any reason you weren’t able to eat, if there was no food around, you’d be just fine. Your body gets really cleaned out, your digestive system gets a good rest and your metabolism gets reset. You can meditate a lot easier because food creates a lot of fluctuation in the mind and when there is no food in the body the mind becomes very peaceful. I think people who’ve never tried fasting shouldn’t knock it, unless they’ve tried it. And you can’t call it fasting if you’ve only been off food for two days. You need to do this for a minimum of 10 days to see the benefits. In my normal life I am vegan and eat very healthy food and cook in remembrance of God and offer my food to God. For me fasting isn’t a fad. I will continue to do a once a year fast for the rest of my life. I’ve had all my vital signs checked by a doctor and at 61 I’m in excellent health.