Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Is That Why You're So Happy, Howard Schultz?
Pop Quiz time: Who can tell me who Howard Schultz is? Yeah, I didn't know off the top of my head either. But after I read this article: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2016734592_starbucks11.html , I became aware that Howard Schultz is the CEO of Starbucks. And, the picture the seattle times picked to represent Mr. Schultz freaks me out. I'm pretty sure he is so happy in the picture because Starbucks just, "paid $30 million Thursday (yes, this past Thursday) to acquire a juice company called Evolution Fresh, which it plans to feature in new stores it will open next year focused on health and wellness." I had conflicting thoughts as I read this article. Of course I'm always happy to see new juiceries become popular, but then it makes me nervous that Starbucks is the one making it popular. It's like Daddy Moneybags's daughter has taken a liking to the new hippie girl at school, and she is going to take her out on the town and make her over. And the only thing that hippie girl has to loose in the process is her integrity. I'm quite sure this analogy does not make sense; but it's late, and I like granola crunchers. Is that so wrong? Ok, ok, back to my point: Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but does this sound cocky to any one else: Schultz stated, "We feel strongly that we understand the beverage business perhaps better than anyone else who's been in small-box retail,"-- Yeah, you do. That's part of why millions of people are addicted to their morning cup of joe mixed with obscene amounts of sugar and cream. But I say, if you can get consumers addicted to fresh juices the way you have enticed people to drink your delicious coffees, the world will be a better place. I'll be watching you and your freaky face Howard. You can count on it.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Do you have Orthoexia?
When most people think of eating disorders, they think of anorexia and bulimia, right? What most people don't realize is that there are many more types of eating disorders. An eating disorder is exactly that: disordered eating, or when relationship with food is not balanced properly. For years, I have struggled with different forms of disordered eating. Not too long ago I was an Orthoexic. There are a lot of people who find a diet that works well for them and then think that EVERYONE should eat that way. Steven Bratman, MD, expounds upon orthoexia nervosa as follows:
Orthorexia begins, innocently enough, as a desire to overcome chronic illness or to improve general health. But because it requires considerable willpower to adopt a diet that differs radically from the food habits of childhood and the surrounding culture, few accomplish the change gracefully. Most must resort to an iron self-discipline bolstered by a hefty dose of superiority over those who eat junk food. Over time, what to eat, how much, and the consequences of dietary indiscretion come to occupy a greater and greater proportion of the orthorexic's day.
The act of eating pure food begins to carry pseudo spiritual connotations. As orthorexia progresses, a day filled with sprouts, umeboshi plums, and amaranth biscuits comes to feel as holy as one spent serving the poor and homeless. When an orthorexic slips up (which may involve anything from devouring a single raisin to consuming a gallon of Haagen Dazs ice cream and a large pizza), he experiences a fall from grace and must perform numerous acts of penitence. These usually involve ever-stricter diets and fasts.
This "kitchen spirituality" eventually reaches a point where the sufferer spends most of his time planning, purchasing, and eating meals. The orthorexic's inner life becomes dominated by efforts to resist temptation, self-condemnation for lapses, self-praise for success at complying with the chosen regime, and feelings of superiority over others less pure in their dietary habits.
This transference of all of life's value into the act of eating makes orthorexia a true disorder. In this essential characteristic, orthorexia bears many similarities to the two well-known eating disorders anorexia and bulimia. Where the bulimic and anorexic focus on the quantity of food, the orthorexic fixates on its quality. All three give food an excessive place in the scheme of life.
My take home message from this: Find out what foods assimilate well in your body. Recognize that what works for you might not work for others. Recognize that as you go through different stages in your life, you will probably have different dietary needs. Recognize that "messing up" just means that you had a food experiment that went very badly. Guilt will never do you any good, so just accept the decisions you make, for better or for worse.
Orthorexia begins, innocently enough, as a desire to overcome chronic illness or to improve general health. But because it requires considerable willpower to adopt a diet that differs radically from the food habits of childhood and the surrounding culture, few accomplish the change gracefully. Most must resort to an iron self-discipline bolstered by a hefty dose of superiority over those who eat junk food. Over time, what to eat, how much, and the consequences of dietary indiscretion come to occupy a greater and greater proportion of the orthorexic's day.
The act of eating pure food begins to carry pseudo spiritual connotations. As orthorexia progresses, a day filled with sprouts, umeboshi plums, and amaranth biscuits comes to feel as holy as one spent serving the poor and homeless. When an orthorexic slips up (which may involve anything from devouring a single raisin to consuming a gallon of Haagen Dazs ice cream and a large pizza), he experiences a fall from grace and must perform numerous acts of penitence. These usually involve ever-stricter diets and fasts.
This "kitchen spirituality" eventually reaches a point where the sufferer spends most of his time planning, purchasing, and eating meals. The orthorexic's inner life becomes dominated by efforts to resist temptation, self-condemnation for lapses, self-praise for success at complying with the chosen regime, and feelings of superiority over others less pure in their dietary habits.
This transference of all of life's value into the act of eating makes orthorexia a true disorder. In this essential characteristic, orthorexia bears many similarities to the two well-known eating disorders anorexia and bulimia. Where the bulimic and anorexic focus on the quantity of food, the orthorexic fixates on its quality. All three give food an excessive place in the scheme of life.
My take home message from this: Find out what foods assimilate well in your body. Recognize that what works for you might not work for others. Recognize that as you go through different stages in your life, you will probably have different dietary needs. Recognize that "messing up" just means that you had a food experiment that went very badly. Guilt will never do you any good, so just accept the decisions you make, for better or for worse.
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