(This is cross-posted at BlogHer.)
A recent study published in Time Magazine asked the question, Is Vegetarianism a Teen Eating Disorder? Just by looking at the title of the article, even before I read the accompanying text, I formed the answer in my mind. Of course vegetarianism can be linked to eating disorders. It’s certainly not true for all teen vegetarians, but I was in no way shocked by the results of the study. Why? Even though I developed an eating disorder a little later in life — my early 20s — my decision to go vegetarian was a way to restrict my diet without having to answer a lot of questions.
It’s common for people with eating disorders to eliminate entire food groups from their diet. Early on in my weight-loss venture, I cut out most sweets and fried foods, but I quickly realized that the easiest way to refuse the high-calorie food at other people’s houses, or in restaurants, was to stop eating anything with meat in it. I could now feel justified in eating nothing but steamed vegetables for dinner (I used to go through mass quantities of 5-lb bags of frozen veggies).
I didn’t eat any meat at all for a few years. Then I added seafood back in. It was about five years, though, before I started to eat meat again on a regular basis. It was a gradual process, mostly chicken and turkey in addition to the seafood. It’s been almost two years now since I started eating meat again, and in that time period I’ve had a lot of other types of meat — bison, steak, sausage, bacon.
In the summer of 2007, not long after I officially became a non-vegetarian again, I talked about my reasons for returning to being a meat-eater. I briefly mentioned that my original intention for becoming a vegetarian was “for the wrong reasons,” but I left it at that.
I understand why it could be difficult for people to admit that they became a vegetarian simply because they were trying to avoid the calories. I guess I wasn’t ready to make that admission myself two years ago, but at this point I could really care less. I’m far enough past it now that I don’t care who knows.
I’m sure my friends and family had a good idea about my motivations for going veg. If anyone ever asked me about it, which wasn’t all that often, I’d mumble something about how eating this way was better for the environment, and better for animals, and healthier for me (after all, I’d read books like John Robbins’ Diet For a New America). Most of the time, though, I just wished they wouldn’t ask — I knew what my main motivation was, but I wasn’t about to admit it back then.
What I know now…what’s most important to me…is that I’m healthy. I’m not being negative about vegetarianism or veganism in any way; I still love my fruits and vegetables and I’ll happily scarf down some tofu. Yes, I was miserable during the time I was a vegetarian, but I don’t blame my misery on the lack of meat in my diet. I blame my misery on the fact that I wasn’t eating enough calories. There’s a big difference.
Has anyone had a similar experience?
Related Reading:
Emily Jean knows that lots of women have good reasons for becoming vegetarian, but she knows it’s also a good way to attempt to hide an eating disorder.
[L]et’s look at this from a different perspective…the teen who wants to hide an illness. Perhaps, an anorexic 8th grader feels she won’t be judged, if she opts for a socially acceptable eating preference. “I can’t eat meatloaf, Mom, because I am vegetarian” will certainly work better than “I don’t want to eat meatloaf, Mom, because I don’t want to eat.”
Tiptoe thinks it’s a good idea, if a teen expresses interest in becoming a vegetarian, for a parent to ask questions about their motivation.
[If the answer is related to] weight loss, a red flag should be alerted. However, at the same time, many teens also answer that going vegetarian is about “health.” This is when it can get tricky as the “health” scheme can become a guise for an already existing eating disorder or a pre-emptive eating disorder in conveniently restricting.
A recovering anorexic, Kim is interested in becoming a vegetarian but is “wary of introducing any food restriction into my life, even if the reasons are not related to calories.”
The Reluctant Vegetarian read the Time Magazine article and said it “really irked me.”
The Vegan Dietitian points out that Vegetarian and Vegan Diets Do Not Cause Eating Disorders.
12 Comments
Reading this got me thinking about a vacation I took in 2007 when a friend and I met up at a yoga ashram in France. Vegetarian food minus certain things (like onions and garlic) were served and almost everyone at the ashram were vegetarians or vegans in their everyday life.
This particular week had lectures/talks in the evenings by a medical doctor who specialized in heart conditions. He talked about how to eat and live healthy to minimize the risk of heart failure. Every single night one or more vegetarians would be surprised to find out that being vegetarian doesn’t automatically make you a healthy person, that a vegetraian can have just as clogged arteries asa meat-eater…
It amazed me that they thought they were healthy just by excluding meat. They didn’t consider what kind of fat they fried their veggies in or how much cream they put in the sauce…
This one is so tricky. As a long-time vegetarian (except when I’m pregnant) I’ve definitely used it as part of my eating disorder AND also did it healthfully. I try and respect people’s choices and so don’t see vegetarianism as an indication of an ED unless there are other symptoms present. That said, these days I’m closer to a “flexitarian”. Good for you for figuring out what you need!
I see many vegetarians who I know are using that label to justify an eating disorder, or disordered eating. On the other hand, I see many people who choose to be vegetarians and make healthy food choices.
I think it’s definitely a fine line….and if I had a teenage daughter who decided to become a veg, I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t be “on the lookout” for ED like behavior.
Hey, Zandria. I also used the vegetarian ‘excuse’ to aid my anorexia, but I did it in high school. And when I did ‘eat’ my gardenburgers, veggies, etc., I would let everyone try the vegetarian food so they would know it was tasty, in effect, allowing myself to eat almost nothing. Those were very sad times.
I never went vegetarian, but I’ve considered it over the years. I certainly eat lots of “vegetarian food” — I adore tofu and veggie stirfries, and one of my favorite restaurants in Ann Arbor was vegetarian. If I had a teenage child who wanted to go vegetarian and refused any meat I prepared, I would like to think I’d work hard to make tasty, good vegetarian food for everyone in the family. The sneaky part of my also realizes that making vegetarian food is a good way to still make sure your child eats healthy, decent meals.
Interesting! I would have never thought vegetarianism was used in that way. I’m curious Zan, what is your diet like these days? I ask because I know you’re really into health and fitness, and I’m curious if you follow any specific diet plan or guidelines. I’m trying to motivate myself to be more active AND eat healthier :)
Oh my, yes. I was vegan in my late teenage years. While I did identify with the environmental ideals behind veganism, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that my decision to cut out all animal products was mostly motivated by food and body image issues. In being vegan I had an excuse to follow my strict, basically no-fat, all vegetable diet. This isn’t to say that all vegans are closeted anorexics, but my own veganism certainly wasn’t born 100% out of social altruism.
I had a friend who read that book Skinny Bitch and really did turn into a Skinny Bitch. She stopped eating meat, diary, anything with sugar and would say stuff like “Soda is liquid Satan†and “Beer is for frat boys, not skinny bitches.â€.
Needless to say, her routine got old with her friends real fast.
She got skinny, but at what cost? Life is too short not to drink a beer or enjoy pizza. Wanna be healthy? Go for a run 3x a week. Eat sensibly and don’t gorge yourself every chance you get.
But shit, you gotta enjoy life. Who knows, you could get hit by a bus tomorrow!
This is an excellent point to raise! I think you’re absolutely right. A lot of people probably use things such as vegetarianism as a way to impose restrictions on themselves which are socially acceptable.
wow. REALLY INTERESTING Zan.
and a good perspective for me as I get a lot of criticism for NOT eliminating things from my diet.
and thats all Im saying here :)
A lot of this (i.e. Sagan’s comment) presupposes that vegetarianism is more socially acceptable than disordered eating, and I don’t believe that is true. I think it is more socially acceptable for a girl to pick at plain iceberg lettuce and say she just isn’t hungry than to say that she is vegetarian. Being a trim woman is a social positive in most American social circles, rejecting one’s place in “the food chain” in favor of some kind of loony toon belief that meat equates with murder is certainly not. I’ve been on both sides of this and I can vouch for it personally.
I just don’t get this whole discussion. I know dozens and dozens of vegetarians and none of them are unhealthily thin or appear to have eating disorders. Just like non-vegetarians, some of them eat healthy and have healthy habits, and others don’t. Some, like myself, are pretty much in the middle. I’m sure there is a small percentage that have eating disorders – I know vegetarians aren’t immune from it. But if some girls try to hide their EDs by calling themselves vegetarian, I don’t think that has anything to do with vegetarianism, that is about the sickness that is ED.
Also, not to be nitpicky but strictly speaking there is no such thing as being vegan to be thin or for health purposes. Veganism is an ethical system. If someone doesn’t eat animal products because they think it will make them skinny, that person isn’t “vegan.” Perhaps “strict vegetarian” would be a better term, although admittedly the lack of a good word for “anti-ovo lacto vegetarian” means that the word vegan gets thrown around inappropriately all the time.
sorry jen… but veganism itself is not an “ethical system”, it’s a way to describe someone’s eating habits.. the reason behind being vegan is the ethical part.
As for the ED issue, I can relate… I am currently both vegan and borderline anorexic. I don’t hide the fact that my veganism is health-related moreso than ethically based.
I implore anyone who reads this to be open minded about veganism. Just because someone doesn’t have the same reason as you, that doesn’t make their lifestyle choice any less valid.