The sweet nourishment of the body and soul; food is a central part of our chaotic teenage existence. A frothy cup of coffee can be a delectable companion to croissants and flaky pastries; or a scrumptious complement to stressful aesthetic “study” sessions and laughter with our buddies. As wholesome as these pleasures are, diet culture often ruins it. From insufferable “almond moms”, to “fat activists”, the internet is a cesspool of scarily questionable eating behaviors. The media exposes us to all sorts of people and lifestyles; and this often leads to the spread of misinformation surrounding nutrition. During the pandemic, an alarming number of people were sucked into the depths of the internet, and emerged with a warped view of the role that diet and exercise play in our everyday lives. With the help of Hmong Nguyen, Boulder High’s own health consultant, perhaps we can shed a light on the complicated and obscure world of Eating Disorders.
If you are highly sensitive to conversations about Eating Disorders, this is a perfect time for you to exercise your free will, and stop reading.
According to the NEDA (National Eating Disorder Association) Between 2019 and 2022, eating disorder-related medical visits (including Anorexia, Bulimia, Orthorexia, and Binge Eating Disorder) more than doubled among people younger than 17. Anorexia, which has the highest death rate of any mental illness, jumped a shocking 129.26%. 10,200 deaths each year are the direct result of an eating disorder—that’s one death every 52 minutes.
When asked why ED’s are so hard to treat, nurse Nguyen responded “Nobody can see that you have an eating disorder… especially in highschool, we’re embarrassed or shameful, because we live in a world where there’s food everywhere, and we feel it’s not a problem we should have.”
The most common behaviors in people with eating disorders include; excessive thoughts about losing weight, eating in secret, binging and purging, following limiting diets that were not prescribed by medical professionals, obsessive mirror checking, excessive exercise, and making excuses for not eating and skipping meals.
Living in Boulder, it’s easy to forget that we live amongst incredible world-class athletes in disciplines like running, biking, and rock climbing. There are 70 Olympians living in Boulder right now. These people get PAID to exercise! It is paramount that we avoid comparing ourselves to others in regards to physical fitness.
Young men are unfortunately not often included in conversations about eating disorders due to social stigma, however, they too, often struggle with severe body image issues due to how the media portrays the “ideal body’’. Since celebrities, body builders, and porn stars don’t often talk about the use of anabolic steroids; they are most likely left with an unachievable dream, and end up feeling dejected and empty.
Winnie the Pooh once wisely said to Piglet, “You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.”
And Ms. Nguyen more wisely-erly said to me: “Talk to a trusted adult. If you are hiding these behaviors you will only cause them to get worse, and it will lead to further health issues. ED’s are often linked to depression, anxiety, self harm, and suicidal thoughts. You need to seek help long before you can see the physical effects. I can’t stress enough how important it is to take nutrition seriously.”
