Comments on: A dishonest vegetarian

By: Heather

Heather — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 01:43:40 +0000

Vegetarianism was part of my eating disorder, and giving it up was part of my recovery. Even though I was a vegetarian for a short time before the ED, and continued to be a vegetarian for years after I was back up to normal weight, I really felt at the time like I hadn’t really put the ED behind me until I gave up vegetarianism. I stand by that decision. I was back to normal weight WAY before I was very far into actual recovery. Part of my recovery was relearning to eat “forbidden foods”, which included a lot of meat products.

I know that for me, giving up the vegetarianism needed to be a part of recovery, and even now I don’t think I could be a vegetarian without it triggering some major restricting. I read the book “Skinny Bitch”, which advocates veganism as a healthy means of weight control, and it felt like a “how to” manual for getting my ED back. I think some people with EDs can be vegetarians in recovery, but I think I can’t.

By: angrygrayrainbows

angrygrayrainbows — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:18:03 +0000

I am veggie and I am recovered from ED. While, I have known so many women who I suspected using vegetarianism and veganism to stay in their disorders, I was never accused of this. It was pretty clear to anyone that knew me that I wasn’t using vegetarianism to control weight. And… trying to eat meat, generally caused me to break-down and cry in sadness for the animal I was eating. I have always loved animals and won’t even kill a spider in my apartment. I’ll catch them and put them outside if it’s not freazing cold out… then I just try to deal with them until the weather gets better. I am really, really, really soft when it comes to animals.

So, ultimately, I think it really depends on what the real motivation for vegetarianism is. Some folks are probably so lost in the ED that they don’t even know what their reasons are. In those cases, maybe trying meat would be a good idea to dig on the issue and test the waters.

I think a disordered person, if they are motivated to do it, can turn just about anything into part of their illness. So, rather than looking at vegetarianism in ED’d people and painting it as a problem as a whole, I think it’s important that we look into the reasons we are doing something.

I think I know why I’m veggie. I was abused as a child by way too many people (including parents), so I really grew to mistrust people. However, I found a lot of solace in animals. I found most could be trusted and that animals didn’t lie to me. I grew to love animals so much that I could no longer eat them.

Given that many ED’d people are survivors of abuse, I wonder how many veggies had reasons similar to mine as motivation for their conversion…

By: sarah-j

sarah-j — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:13:11 +0000

Hi Grey Thinking.

I am a veggie and recovered/recovering ED sufferer too. It really is so hard to know what the connection is. I think for many years, I would have been what your old nutritionist would have called a dishonest vegetarian but I have made so much progress since then and yet the idea of eating meat has become less and less appealing. Maybe its because sometimes recovery and healthiness can be different things for different people. Vegetarianism as a lifestyle does have genuine reasons to appeal but I think anyone who has had an ED should be aware of the possible link between the two things and make it an area to try to take extra care of themselves in.

By: greythinking

greythinking — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 18:35:10 +0000

Hi Aurora,

Feel free to use my own blog against me My attitude toward some things really can change depending on the day…

I should clarify that my current dietitian has no problem with my being a vegetarian (it was a preview nutritionist who termed the phrase “dishonest vegetarian”). As long as I am following my meal plan and getting in enough protein exchanges, she has no issue with the vegetarianism.

All of that said, I clearly am putting up a lot of resistance to the idea of eating meat, at least for the time being. Maybe that is the eating disorder? I guess what I need to do is to talk to my dietitian about her view on vegetarianism and recovery…. because I can’t be objective about it.

Thank you for challenging my thoughts!!

By: Aurora Erratic

Aurora Erratic — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 15:20:59 +0000

I hate to quote your own blog back at you, but didn’t you recently post that those recovering from ED are most likely to be successful if they put recovery FIRST in their lives? First is first: not behind animal qualms, not behind Alzheimer’s fears. You ALSO said to stop trying to control your therapy…so listen to your therapist, and become a vegetarian after you have recovered.
Best wishes.

By: Lola Snow

Lola Snow — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 18:36:29 +0000

I was veggie for a while, but with me it genuinely was an excuse to get away from food. I couldn’t even lie to myself that it was for moral issues at all. But I do believe that if you have reluctance to eat meat because of it’s origins there is no sense in just eating it to prove a point. As long as you get the nutrients from elsewhere and don’t use it as an outlet for control or obsession. Happy New Year to you Grey

Lola x

By: K

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 19:36:17 +0000

I know a lot of eating disordered people go veg to mask the ED, but I also have a theory that vegetarians and people with EDs often have similar personality types.

I decided to be a vegetarian when I was 7, 5 years before the ED came along. When I went vegan it was partially for ED reasons, but I think I have good reasons now. Even when I’m at my worst I will choose the higher calorie vegan option over the low-fat, diet, etc, non-vegan option.

I don’t think anyone should be forced to eat meat. Because, I suppose, I haven’t eaten meat in 10 years, the idea of being forced to eat it is absolutely horrible.

By: exuvia

exuvia — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:03:48 +0000

I think it was Barry Neil Kaufman who said something to the effect of: I have never known anyone with a sexual problem but I have seen many people bring their existential problems into, and live them out, in the innocent arena of their sexuality. From this statement one might consider that eating – what ever you eat – is not the issue or bottom line in ED, but that the feeding ritual has been selected to symbolize a different issue. Eating supports life; not eating forsakes…

Greetings
Exuvia

By: BL

BL — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:51:57 +0000

I am not a full vegetarian, but I don’t eat red meat. As a kid, I never really liked it, but I would eat it. However, I decided around the start of my eating disorder not to eat it because I was freaked about the calories and fat, and like you said, it was a great excuse to not eat things. When I was IP a lot of the choices had red meat in them, and so I tried eating it and realized that I just don’t like the taste. I am guessing that this dislike probably grew from not eating red meat for months, but either way, the line for me is blurry. However, there are some things, like egg yolks, that I honestly don’t like. I have never liked whole eggs, even as a kid. Luckily now my family realizes this, but I used to feel so disordered everytime I got an egg white omelet even though that really has to do with taste and not the ED at all!

By: exuvia

exuvia — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:37:18 +0000

Vegetarianism has absolutely nothing to do with eating disorders. It is a very healthy choice and not to be confused with ED. Who ever said that could use a bit of cognitive therapy.

A person can do wrong things with any thing in this world; if that is what he or she chooses. If anyone becomes anorexic and stops eating, he or she could stop eating anything. Vegetarianism is not a step closer to not eating it’s a step towards eating a lot of healthy legumes, whole wheat bread, rice etc.. I am one for 32 years and I have gained real weight, real solid objective presence on the scale, not just in my mind. It’s great to be here. It’s great to be a vegetarian.

Greetings Exuvia