Eating issues and dieting in America

Eating issues and dieting in America

 

 

Dieting makes one hungry and predisposes one to binge eat, which predisposes one to feel guilty and either try to purge the food (e.g., vomit) or expunge it through even more dieting, setting up a vicious cycle. In short, dieting encourages one to conclude that food is the enemy and must be avoided at all costs (e.g., anorexia nervosa) or that any admission of food into the body must be counteracted (e.g., purging). In one study, a sample of 15-year-old schoolgirls in London was divided into dieters and nondieters. Of the dieters, 21 percent developed an eating disorder within the subsequent year, compared to about 3 percent of the nondieters. In a different study of 1,033 twins, researchers found that dieting status predicted subsequent diagnosis of bulimia nervosa over a 3-year follow-up period.

 

In your response, discuss your experience (or someone you know) with dieting, body image, and thoughts/feelings about food. Make sure your response includes how our culture in America impacts these three factors. Bring content from chapter 11 into your response by relating your example to the various causes of eating disorders covered in the chapter.

 

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