With Authority Comes Responsibility

Mental health professionals, like medical health professionals, are responsible for DOING NO HARM.

I recently read a book about recovering from depression. After finishing the book, instead of feeling hope, I felt anger. I am angry because I am confident that this book will trigger people who struggle with eating disorders or disordered eating, especially orthorexia, who are not as far along in their recovery journey as I am. Although I believe the author had good intentions, and his book will probably help many people (maybe even me), I fear that it will harm others. I feel compassion toward the author who meant well, but I hope his writing becomes more responsible in the future.

A psychologist, not a dietician, wrote this book. Among the helpful information he shares about depression, stress, anxiety, the fight-or-flight reflex, techniques for stress relief, and the power of imagination, the author includes a section about diet’s importance in recovery from depression. He discusses this from an authoritative position, which the “Ph.D.” after his name on the front cover emphasizes.

Discussions of mental health and well-being can include consideration of diet, but unfortunately, his chapter endorses misconceived notions of what a healthy relationship with food looks like. I (also not a dietician but a person in recovery from anorexia nervosa) personally promote eating enough (and not worrying about eating past fullness sometimes) and eating a variety of foods based on internal food cravings, access, and circumstance.  (I also recognize that some people do not prioritize health-promoting eating behaviors, and that is okay, too!)

Rather than encouraging readers to eat a variety of foods while honoring their hunger and cravings, the author demonized certain foods by categorizing them as unhealthy. Trigger Warning: I am going to mention the foods that he listed as unhealthy in his book. I disagree with his conclusion that they are unhealthy, but if you are in a place where reading about “unhealthy foods” will cause harm in your relationship with food, please skip the rest of this paragraph. Please be honest with yourself. In the author’s list of “unhealthy foods,” he includes the following: “processed foods, fast food, junk food, sugary foods, artificially sweetened foods, fried foods, foods containing trans-fats, cold cereal, wheat and gluten, most dairy, conventionally raised meats, conventionally grown produce, and foods with ingredients you can’t pronounce.” In case it is not super clear to you, this list is ridiculous!! In fact, I believe that it is unhealthy to restrict or eliminate any foods in the guise of health (except for true allergies and food intolerance). (I do believe it is okay for most people to avoid some foods if their true motivation is for taste preferences, religious convictions, or ethics.) He even legitimizes the idea of food addiction without any supporting evidence.

In upcoming posts, I will try to dispel the myths promoted in this book. I believe that for people struggling with chronic dieting, disordered eating, eating disorders, or poor body-image, improving your relationship with food and your body by understanding the fallacy of these food myths is essential for recovering from depression.

What other foods do people label as unhealthy that you are curious about healthfully incorporating into your food repertoire?