Anorexic in an Obesity Epidemic

Written by Kate Le Page

Lately, it seems that everywhere I go, each time I turn on the television, read a newspaper or magazine the same message is being repeated – the UK is in the middle of an obesity crisis. There are also frequent adverts telling children to swap junk food for healthy snacks and to get active to become ‘fit for life.’ So, from a young age children are being conditioned to believe fat is bad and thin is good.

Yet at the same time, more and more I hear from parents, doctors, teachers and therapists that eating disorders, specifically anorexia nervosa, are on the rise

. It’s actually really hard being in recovery from anorexia in a world so obsessed with not becoming overweight. Sufferers of anorexia have to consciously ignore the obesity campaigns as we simply can’t engage in dieting and reach or maintain recovery. Nor can we afford to switch the food items we buy to diet products labelled ‘fat free’ or ‘very low-fat.’

As my therapist often reminds me: “Healthy eating recommendations are not designed to be followed by those with anorexia...” My concern is this: are we at risk of creating a generation who are so worried about their size and so therefore likely to be more susceptible to eating/body image problems? I believe that the health risks of being significantly overweight and the complications arising from anorexia are equally important...the latter of this message appears to be missing.

Eating disorder need to be treated as seriously as the government are treating obesity. I recently had my book (Goodbye Ana) on anorexia recovery published. My main aim for writing has been to break down the stigma and myths surrounding eating disorders and share how this impacts upon society. I believe that it is vitally important for us to be aware of both sides of the coin and work to educate those around us about the consequences.

About the Author
Kate was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa in 1998. During hospitalisations at Marchwood Priory EDU she found solace in writing poetry which helped her to express the intense emotions experienced in the fight for recovery. Kate is currently training to be a Counsellor and has recently been awarded a diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Her book has recently been published and is available here

Visit the Author's page here

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