4 The Daily Collegian My Opinion Beth Harmen Bulimia life, about emotions y best friend was slowly killing herself and there was nothing I could do 'about it It didn't matter that I loved her, or that I was always there to listen. . From the outside, Rebecca seems like one of the luckiest people around. She's captain of an athletic team, has a 3.4 grade point average, and could get a date without even trying. She's young, beautiful and thin. She's everything her parents and friends expect her to be. But Rebecca's sense of reality was so drastically distorted, that when she received a C on an Econ 2 test, she panicked. She had never gotten a C before. Not living up to the expectations she set for herself was not accep table it could not be tolerated. A rational person would think, "In the scheme of life, what does this C really matter?" But Rebecca reacted differently. Rebecca somehow wound up in her dorm room. She didn't remember the walk home, or buying the food except that she had stolen two candy bars. She locked the door and her rit ual began. One bag of Cool Ranch Doritos, two bags of M&M's, a pack of Twizzl ers, 5 Sugar Daddy's, 4 packs of Twinkies, a bag of Oreo's and a liter bottle of Coke. Rebecca didn't even chew the food; it took her one hour to consume over 20,000 calories. Her binge stopped after self induced vomiting. And once again she felt like shit. Binge eating is typically done in secrecy and is not done in response to the sensation of hunger. The abnormal eating may be done in response to anxiety states in an effort to achieve a soothing emotional effect. She felt helpless and out of con trol. It happened again despite the promises she made to herself. Rebecca knew she was sick and wanted the disorder to go away, but was afraid to let her bulimia go. Eating disorders are never about food and weight there are always underlying issues. Rebecca started limiting herself to one meal a day when her family moved away. One day she ate a little more than her usual bagel and bowl of cereal. So to compensate for the extra bagel, she starved herself the next day. She liked the way her stomach looked, so she thought her life was falling in to place. But in reality, Rebecca was iso lating herself from her family and friends. Rebecca continued to starve herself throughout the week, and would binge on the, weekends. Eventually she developed bulimia, and was binge ing and purging five times a day. The disorder allowed Rebecca not to feel. In the process she had isolated people who cared about her. I was one of them, and it was painful watching Rebecca deteriorate. The last time she went to the dentist she had eight cavities. Her face was always swollen because of the purging. Her nails were brittle, nearly half of her hair had fallen out and her throat was always sore. But her eating disorder had become a survival mechanism to deal with depression and despair. I've heard people talk about Rebecca's disorder. "It's disgusting. What's the big deal, when you're full, you stop eating. She doesn't need to lose weight any way." IT'S NOT ABOUT FOOD. Rebecca was scared to feel pain. She believed she missed her childhood. Bulimics turn to food to cope, like the alcoholic turns to beer and liquor, like the drug addict turns to cocaine. Eating disorders are not scarce. They're dangerously common. Unlike alcohol or drugs, food cannot be avoided by the addict. Our cultural obsession with food and weight has blurred and in many cases erased the line between eat ing and having an eating disorder. For Rebecca, food became her central life preoccupation, ultima tely draining her energy and attention away from living a healthy life. Rebecca's recovery came when she started living for herself. Beth Harmen is a junior major ing in journalism and French and the science reporter for The Daily Collegian. Bottled water not always healthier Tap water may be as pure By BETH HARMEN Collegian Staff Writer Despite the tranquil moonlit lakes or cascading waterfalls depicted on many water bottle labels, bottled water is not always healthier or purer than tap water. "There's no need to spend a lot of money on bottled water if it's no better than your own," said Paul Robillard, assistant professor of agriculture engineering. In fact many brands rely on city systems for their water, Robillard said. "About 25 percent of bottled water in the United States is just proc essed tap water from municipal systems," Robillard said. Although public water must meet certain state and federal stan dards, bottled water does not have to meet all of the standards and is not tested as often, Robillard said. Bottled water can legally contain more toxicants than water that comes from the tap, but "anyone selling a bottled water is going to want to maintain the quality if the compa ny intends to survive," he said. "Our goal is to get people to examine the water they're drink ing," said Martin. "What we can guarantee is that the sources of water in Pennsylvania are tested two to four times a year for contamination," Robillard said. But sales of bottled water have quadrupled over the last decade, partly because consumers are Media's image of 'ideal body' may promote eating disorders By BETH HARMEN Collegian Staff Writer In the media almost everyone is portrayed as having the ideal body thin and beautiful. "Everywhere you look you'll find an attractive woman," said Melissa Martilotta, director of the University's Nutrition Clinic, Ritenour Health Center. "Even the weatherwomen are attractive. None of them are fat or ugly." But as many as 50 percent of college women and 5 percent of college men suffer from an eating disorder in attempt to reach the ideal weight. Women are pushed to achieve a perfect body more than men, Martilotta said. Our culture makes statements about women and weight, said Jill Morgan, psychologist at the Cen ter for Counseling and Psychological Services at Ritenour Health Center. "It is a culture that tells women they can be successful but they better be thin," she said. "If you pick up any magazine, it says you won't ever be accepted in a relationship if you're not thin." "The media creates this idea of a female that is basically anorexic," Martilotta said, adding that she would ban Cosmopolitan and said she refuses to have a copy in her house. Our culture also justifies the symptoms of an eating disorder, Morgan said. "There is a cultural ideal that a woman is a piece of shit if she weighs more than 100 pounds." An eating disorder is defined as a disturbance in eating behavior that jeopardizes a person's physi cal or psychological health. The common eating disorders are anorexia ner vosa and bulimia. Bulimia is characterized by binge-eating, com monly counteracted by a variety of weight control Dying to be Thin? The following questionnaire will give you an indication of whether or not you are living a lifestyle that indicates anorexic and/or bulimic tendencies. Answer the following questions honestly and circle your answer. Key on facing page. 1, I have eating habits that are different from those of my faintly and friends. 1) Often 2) Sometimes 3) Rarely 4) Never 2. I find myself panicidng if . I cannot exercise I:is I planned for fear of gaining weight 1) piton 2) Sorneffines 3) Rarely 4) Never thin tßit I I eta Beverf frimmis tell - 3 roily them 4) N debn't believe 3) Rarely 2) SOmabilmsPeried,•••: otten my men dtfe, ority itleguter , (Fameleased or became one. 4- has cea medical lees toecome • *tithe now abrained day:*r4ii"/-N,jt almat • I *it WOrtying WWII not shoat whai •• • *at • • • k 2)& vnis thus 3) limy 4) Ak gy • Science Although most bottled water companies claim their product comes fresh from natural springs this is not always true. About 25 percent of bottled water concerned that their water sources are endangered by chemicals accidentally released into the environment, Robillard added. "Because there's so much infor mation on water contamination, 8. I h ave (e a t mere t h an of the normal weight for my height (eq. 30 lbs. from 120 03e.) • rfue`2l Fatse , „ • ..,.. •, . , • • , become • ''• •' ' • _• • „4,....,..". „ Emil e me nave _ nd 1 what i oat a r-wkwriff i n _ 11„,"1,4 manic N i gOt an itlll ' i ~,,e VilitY_ _. ...11treStOrd • angrY at -and foUnd glit I 761" •.• ~,:: '... ,„ ~ t411111;aYMINJ• on me. tomorrow -- • . - -7. ~ ', ••:,,,:•,',-;• • ..,,,•410.11.imeen, 1) ogn , I} someranta 3 ) Rai* • 1') akin 2) - -, ' • , • ; •, ." • - ~ • and 1 t u t that., rolfoi.' , •. ...1.3 4 hove> , than used, --‘ -..'s . f: _lrritable Iminepancralg , alone , ~, :, , • —„,,,,, eme . „ people operate out of fear," said Kelli Martin, senior research technolog ist in agricultural engineering. The Food and Drug Administra tion has primary responsibility for ensuring the safety of bottled water. methods including self-induced vomiting, diuretic and laxative abuse and rigorous exercise. Anorexia nervosa is described as self-induced starvation. The weight loss is achieved through a variety of methods, most commonly severe calorie restriction and fasting. Eating disorders are less common among men because overeating for them is accepted if not encouraged, said Martilotta. "It is more acceptable for a man to sit down with two platefulls of food," Martilotta said. "If that was a woman, it would be disgusting." Martilotta said she is being bombarded with eating disorders in the University's clinic. "After seeing someone virith an eating disorder, I'm mentally and physically drained," she said, adding that emotional pain not food is the issue. Society places no premium on feelings or emo tions but emphasizes figure, stylishness and social sophistication, Martilotta added. "Eating disorders are not about weight, eating or culture," Morgan said. "Eating disorders are symptoms of other strug gles not feeling OK about yourself," Morgan said. "They're not this disgusting thing that people do with weight." The insecurities stem from childhood and lack of family approval, Morgan added. "Women who develop eating disorders have hard shit in their backgrounds," she said. "The message along the path is 'You're not OK.' " "Focusing on food and eating is not as painful as focusing on what's sitting underneath it," Morgan said. Often women with eating disorders don't know that part of recovery is realizing that purging or restricting has helped her to survive, Morgan said. 30, I use laxatives a means of phi 45. I itttintxtenjoy gourmet. • meals or Ireate for others as Rarely. 4 Lever ilind 1)18Ykli) galrteS Au as cutting k"Pto i4rt - In Piect-e-w hidin ftxxi y g , ate it, PeoPle wilt '"ltsat without u'uwngly it and SP ittin 9 • 1) Olsen 2) 3) #fir : : 4) Never « s :: Wednesday, Oct. 16, 1991 from the United States is processed tap water, said Paul Robillard, assistant professor of agriculture engineering. "The FDA's monitoring system is less frequently and by more relaxed pretty reliable," Robillard said. methods than tap water. "They're always sampling bottled "When bottled waters come in from waters looking for contaminants." Europe, the source is never tested." But both Martin and Robillard Martin said. "It spot samples an agreed that bottled water is tested individual bottle." 'Fake fats' misused by consumers, ads Eating properly important By BETH HARMER Collegian Staff Writer Although "fake fats" allow peo ple to consume cholesterol-free and fat-free desserts, these substitutes are ripe for misuse. "When we introduce products that are fat-free, we're not teaching people to eat correctly and in modera tion," said Joyce Gilbert, assistant professor of nutrition. Eating large amounts of prod ucts containing fat substitutes defeats the purpose of them, she added. "Before (fake fats), if you were an ice cream fanatic and had it every night, you would cut your fat intake during dinner," Gilbert said. "Now, with Simplesse, people are over compensating" by eating a full meal in addition to the guilt-free desert. Simplesse, a protein-based fat substitute that acts and tastes like fat, is found in the frozen dessert Simple Pleasures, Gilbert said. NutraSweet's Simplesse, approved by the Food and Drug Administra tion in 1989, allows a product to be lower in calories, fat-free and cholesterol-free, said Arun Kilara, professor of food science. For the maximum benefit "peo ple who consume Simplesse must make up for caloric differences by eating other foods not containing fat," Kilara said. 18. lend to be a podectioninot and ain' • not satisfied onlh myself unless likt 'MX* Piglet*. 43100 2)sc met at, 3) Reoso • • 19- Igo tuough.long pedode H of • with ° °l °la * arilliikig (tastinO) • , • . , ;."; 11 ! 3 00401. • freibil ‘ : , * . ‘li*OilWlNip ' 1 ..axerfoo c i • • .• •• •y • 94-• to try . tote , than * ut ility 'friend&Z,. ‘t..‘ Now tVien g)sontionail. Men* 4 - montr • Simplesse, made from egg or milk proteins, provides only 1.3 calories per gram compared to the 9 cal ories per gram fat provides. "Simplesse can only be used in cold products" such as ice cream, but ter, cheese spreads and mayo naisse, said Elaine McDonnell, a nutritionist at the University's Nutrition Center, 417 E. Calder Way. If heated the substitute coagu lates like the white of an egg, Patel said. The fat substitute olestra can be used in fried or baked products and is awaiting approval from the FDA. A sucrose polyester, olestra is a compound that tastes and acts like fat, but passes through the body undigested. "The FDA is examining all of evidence dealing with toxicology and safety, and will not be approving it quickly," Kilara said. Proctor and Gamble first peti tioned the FDA for olestra's approval as an additive in May 1987, said McDonnell. Caloric-free olestra can be used in shortening and cooking oils to replace some fats, she added. Gilbert said she fears that many people will gorge themselves on foods that were once fatty and then eat less fruit, vegetables and whole grains foods that provide nutrients and fiber not found in ice cream and cake. 1) tom! 2) Sarroi•liknos. Ran* 4) Never 16. The most pcnverful fear in my tile is the fear of gaining weight or becoming fat I) oft • 2) Samelimst IW* 4) Mover 17, I find myself totally absolbed when leading bOOks !beta tratttrm, exer cising and (*brie counting to the point that I spend how's studying them. M air mon avonentes*Rmir N t Callaghan M. Atkinson
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