Because cancer can take years to develop -- and because certain dietary habits have been linked to an increased risk of cancer -- and because helping children adopt informed healthy habits of eating during the early years seems a practical strategy to a lifetime of cancer prevention -- this headline Parents health food fads make children ill, grabbed my attention. According to eating disorder expert Dr. Steve Bratman, parents who encourage their children to choose healthy foods are dangerous role models. It seems that limiting the amount of sugar, fat, salt and artificial additives are putting children at risk of serious damage to their health, and in some cases, death by starvation. With great pain, Dr. Bratman shares that he is deeply disturbed to be receiving an ever-increasing amount of email from children interested in healthy eating habits. Because no term exists in medical tomes to describe this condition, Dr. Bratman made one up. He calls the condition of junk food aversion and deprivation -- orthorexia. Dr. Bratman has written a book and developed a website devoted to this new life-threatening eating disorder where growing numbers of children, influenced by their parents, are taking an interest in eating healthy. To use the closing remark often used by John Stossel of ABC News 20/20 to a news story that defies sanity and common sense -- give me a break!
1. I believe you have Missed The Point.
What they're saying here is not "healthy eating is bad for you!". This is talking about children who attempt to improve their health by changing their eating habits, but take it to a dangerous extreme. The problem is not children taking an interest in healthy eating, but having an obsession with healthy eating the same way an anorexic has an obsession with sensible portion sizes.
"It seems that limiting the amount of sugar, fat, salt and artificial additives are putting children at risk of serious damage to their health, and in some cases, death by starvation," you say rather snobbishly. I regret to inform you that certain amounts of sugar, fat, salt, and various other things are required for basic life functions, and cutting them out of your diet is a good way into an early grave.
Posted at 9:37AM on May 10th 2006 by Benjamin