Fwd: Letter to the editor

[Guest guest]

Here's my two cents on the orthorexia/raw food article, along with

info on letters to the editor at the bottom for anyone interested.

 

Jeff

 

 

Fri, 5 Sep 2003 00:04:32 -0700

" Jeff Rogers " <Jeff

opinion

Cc: jsommerfeld

X-Sender: jeff (AT) mail (DOT) soystache.com

Letter to the editor

X-RCPT-TO: <Jeff

Status: U

 

 

Re: Are raw-food diets enlightened or inane?

Wednesday, September 3, 2003

 

I'm sure Ms Spicuzza would not want to mislead her readers, so I

wanted to clarify some things.

 

Ms. Spicuzza, mentioned in her article about the Florida couple

charged with neglect. The couple was not following sound vegan

principles, even feeding their infant fish oil, which is not a vegan

food. Many raw foodists follow the raw diet because they believe it

to be a natural diet for humans. Instead of natural food the infant

in this case was fed " foods " such as ground nuts, juices, beans, and

flax oil. These are in no way natural for a human infant. The natural

food for a human infant is human breast milk. The infant in this case

was not fed breast milk or formula. The parents, as it turns out,

were neither good vegans, nor good raw foodists.

 

Ms. Spicuzza seems to be trying to fit a square peg in a round hole,

trying to make raw foodists into sufferers of orthorexia nervosa. She

shares this quote: " But most health professionals say any diet that

rules your life and leads you to worry endlessly about food sounds

like trouble. " I know and have known hundreds of raw foodists and

I've not met anyone among them that worries about food or lets their

diet rule their life. They have learned what gives them more vibrant

health and simply choose to eat that way.

 

Ms. Spicuzza seems to intimate that those on a raw food diet have a

problem and need correcting: " They advise seeking professional help

from a dietitian or therapist. " Most dietitians do not have training

in vegan diets, much less raw diets. How can a mainstream dietitian,

without adequate knowledge of raw food diets, offer " professional "

help regarding raw food diets? Raw food diets are still not well

studied, so obviously do not have results to suggest there is

anything wrong with them. Ms Spicuzza seems to suggest that anyone on

a raw food diet needs a therapist. If a person is simply making a

choice to eat raw food, is not obsessed with his/her food, and does

not fit the criteria for orthorexia nervosa as described by Dr.

Steven Bratman, then why try so hard to label them as such?

 

Of the following criteria for orthorexia nervosa, none apply to me, a

raw foodist, and from what I know of my raw food friends, they do not

apply to them either, although we all may, on occasion, plan for a

meal the next day while we are at the store. I did that far more

often while I was on a standard American diet (SAD).

 

" Orthorexia nervosa refers to a fixation on eating healthy food. "

 

People suffering from this obsession may find themselves:

 

… Spending more than three hours a day thinking about healthy food.

… Planning tomorrow's menu today.

… Feeling virtuous about what they eat, but not enjoying it much.

… Continually limiting the number of foods they eat.

… Experiencing a reduced quality of life or social isolation (because

… their diet makes it difficult for them to eat anywhere but at home).

… Feeling critical of others who do not eat as well they do.

… Skipping foods they once enjoyed in order to eat the " right " foods.

… Feeling guilt or self-loathing when they stray from their diet.

… Feeling in " total " control when they eat the correct diet.

 

I'm sure Ms. Spicuzza would have shared information about " digestive

leukocytosis " had she known about it. This is the increase in our

blood's content of white blood cells after ingesting cooked foods.

When raw foods are consumed, there is no such increase. This suggests

that the body is attacking the cooked foods as foreign, or unnatural.

It also suggests that the raw foods we eat are natural in our diet

and do not pose a threat as the cooked foods do.

 

While I overcame many ailments and eliminated many prescription

medications as a vegan, as a raw foodist I've had more vibrant health

and no longer experience colds or flues! I feel better and am able to

maintain my health and energy, simply by eating wonderful, vibrant

raw foods. It's a simple choice. No worry, no obsessing.

 

I've found that turning my back on the traditional views of nutrition

has actually helped me to overcome illnesses, get off prescription

medications, and have vibrant health. As long as my vision was

clouded by the mainstream views of nutrition, I was destined to

continue with the diseases I had and the corresponding prescriptions

I was being given.

 

The human body has an amazing ability to deal with almost anything we

put into our stomachs. Many of us have discovered that our bodies

have a much easier time with raw foods and thrive as a result. We

have more energy, less illness, and are much stronger than we look.

We raw foodists tend to not obsess, we simply make a choice and take

joy in what we eat. We choose to eat simpler, wonderful,

nutrient-dense foods.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jeff Rogers

 

 

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