Almost Too Delicious For Words…

When Britain was labelled the fattest country in Europe, experts were quick to point the finger of blame at our modern lifestyles. Busy work schedules coupled with the demands of social and family life left us little time to cook, they claimed, the result being a reliance on unhealthy convenience foods.

In a nation where almost one in four people are so fat they are classed as clinically obese, it’s no wonder nutritionists are constantly warning us to eat more fruit and vegetables and less fat. But what happens when our obsession with healthy eating goes too far?

Ooooh, do tell!

According to some experts, focusing too much on foods low in fat, salt and sugar could actually be a sign of mental illness.

Heh….

Heh heh….

Bwahahahaha!

Eating disorder charities are reporting a rise in the number of people who suffer from a condition known as orthorexia nervosa – which derives from the Greek word meaning ‘right’ or ‘correct’.

Fantastic! A disease of the Righteous!

Those affected are so obsessed with eating healthily, they often cut out entire food groups such as wheat, dairy or meat, believing it’s good for them. However, it can have a devastating effect on their overall health.

Oh, this will be music to the ears of Dick Puddlecote, Leg-Iron, Captain Ranty, The Devil and all the other bloggers who have long warned that the ‘denormalisation’ of alcohol and tobacco would merely be the start of a slippery slope!

Now, the NuPuritans are hoist on their own petard! Let’s use their tactics against them, shall we?

Orthorexia affects both men and women. Sufferers tend to be over 30 but the condition can manifest at a much earlier age. ‘Children learn by copying – and that includes their parents’ eating habits,’ says Jenkins. ‘If parents are setting a poor example, then the same pattern can be reflected in their children.’

’Eat lard! It’s for the chiiillllreeeeennnn!’

Deanne Jade, from the National Centre for Eating Disorders, says the condition is becoming more widespread in modern society because of the pressures put on us to eat ‘healthily’ by writers, nutritionists and health and fitness professionals.

‘Ban them! Silence them! It’s for the chiiillllreeeeennnn!’

‘We’ve come to realise diets don’t work long-term, so writers instead tend to produce weight-loss plans disguised as healthy eating plans that make us feel eating this or that food type is bad for us because it’s the wrong thing for our blood type or might affect our bodies in this way or that,’ argues Jade.

‘This negative message is being reinforced by an army of nutritionists and personal trainers, all who have their own ideas of what foods are bad and good for us and they often use scare tactics. All these messages drip feed into our consciousness until we feel that if we are not on some kind of health kick or eating plan we are all going to die from horrible diseases.’

‘Hectoring nanny directives and fakecharity statements are making us all ill! They must stop! For the chiiillllreeeeennnn!’

Wow! This is so much fun!