Vegetarians may eat healthier diets and may be less likely than non-vegetarians to be overweight or obese, but a new study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association finds they may be more at risk for eating disorders like binge eating. The report also shows former vegetarians may be more likely to control their weight in extremely unhealthy ways like taking diet pills, making themselves vomit, or taking laxatives or diuretics.
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I don’t think being vegetarian makes you more prone to having an eating disorder. I think having an eating disorder makes you more prone to being a vegetarian, especially if you have an eating disorder focused on losing weight since many people believe that vegetarian diets keep you from gaining too much weight.
I think studies that say vegetarians binge more are not valid. Reason being that it’s probably too common for people who already have eating disorders to try veg. eating as a last resort. The diet doesn’t cause the eating disorder, it’s the other way around.
Good point, KristensGuide – it seems it would be more the case, than the other way around.
Dr. J – Makes total sense that it would be the other way around. Do you think the researchers didn’t look at that?
I think dr. j and Kristenguide are right…these false scientific correlations make we want to, well, vomit.
hb