| Health practitioners are becoming increasingly alarmed | | | | way to say it - cult members to greater and greater |
| at the growing problem of vegetarians and vegans | | | | denial, and to recruit others to do likewise. Some |
| who practice a restricted diet only to end up with a | | | | members of PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment |
| spectrum of malnutrition disorders. Where are these | | | | of Animals, for one, publishes and distributes a body of |
| cases coming from, and who is convincing these | | | | literature which ranges far afield of merely treating |
| people to slowly starve themselves to death? And the | | | | animals ethically, to encouraging the radical vegan |
| answers we will explore here aren't too cheery. | | | | lifestyle. These tracts find their way into the hands of a |
| Vegetarianism is practiced by individuals for either its | | | | target demographic, young teens, some of whom are |
| perceived health reasons or by some groups for | | | | impressionable enough to take them too seriously. |
| religious reasons. Not all vegetarians have the same | | | | As a disclaimer, this is not meant to point the finger at |
| dietary requirements; some are people who have | | | | all animal rights groups, all animal rights causes, or even |
| decided to give up eating some or all meat. A vegan is | | | | all of PETA. Nor is it a blanket condemnation of all |
| the strictest kind of vegetarian, a person who also | | | | religions that have laws governing diet. But the facts |
| abstains from eating all types of animal products | | | | as previously stated are nevertheless taking place. |
| including cheese, milk, and eggs. Some vegetarians will | | | | Only a few of the dietary necessities that vegetarians |
| eat items such as fish and eggs, and others will eat | | | | typically fail to fulfill: |
| some types of dairy products such as milk or cheese. | | | | * Zinc, which is an important element needed for |
| However, regardless of the various motivations and | | | | healthy skin and a healthy immune system. |
| practices, psychology has a name for vegetarians. | | | | *Calcium, which of course is not only needed to keep |
| "Orthorexia Nervosa" is a fixation on keeping a | | | | our bones strong but it is also needed for functioning |
| "righteous" diet, and it was first diagnosed by Colorado | | | | of the nerves and muscles, as well as helping our |
| physician Dr. Steven Bratman in 1997. The term is | | | | blood to clot properly. |
| derived from the Greek root word "ortho", meaning | | | | * Vitamin D, which is essential for the absorption of |
| straight and correct, and refers to a psychological | | | | calcium and phosphorous. |
| syndrome where the patient's food choices grow | | | | * Iron, a deficiency of which leads to anemia. |
| progressively narrower over time under the illusion of | | | | * Vitamin B-12, needed for blood formation and cell |
| keeping the peace with either nature or a deity. The | | | | division within the body. A deficiency in this vitamin can |
| restrictions grow progressively narrower, until the | | | | cause severe and irreversible nerve damage. |
| person is convinced that anything outside of the | | | | * And of course, plain old protein is needed for the |
| handful of food groups they will eat is either poisonous | | | | body to grow and repair itself. |
| or a sin. Nothing is allowed inside the body of a devout | | | | This is not to say that studious supplementation and |
| vegan which might be interpreted as a toxin. A vegan | | | | careful menu planning can not compensate for most |
| diet is an attempt to gain control over at least one | | | | of the gaps left by the extreme vegan diet. But as any |
| simple aspect of a person's otherwise ordinary life, and | | | | medical professional knows, whether you're talking |
| in this way relates to bulimia and anorexia. | | | | about a vegan or a body-builder, the human body |
| Like anorexia and bulimia, the disease of veganism is a | | | | cannot survive indefinitely on protein powders, shakes, |
| perpetual cycle. The patient cuts half the food pyramid | | | | and pills. And the extreme vegans won't even take to |
| from their diet, starts to feel sluggish, then is told that | | | | the protein powders (whey solids come from milk!), |
| the reason they feel down is because they have | | | | and are after all eventually mistrustful of the health and |
| more toxins in their body and need to cut out even | | | | food industries in general. |
| more food groups. For the religious motivation, the | | | | The problem of extreme diet restrictions is one more |
| rational is likewise that they are feeling the symptoms | | | | challenge that the health profession faces. The real |
| of starvation because they are not spiritually pure | | | | cure for this practice will be the eventual education of |
| enough, and the only cure for it is - guess what - to | | | | the public on proper nutrition. Unfortunately, given the |
| starve even more. | | | | past luck with convincing people that folk remedies and |
| Unlike other psychological disorders, extreme veganism | | | | snake oil cures are quackery, the prospects don't look |
| has its own organization spurring its - there is no other | | | | good. |