When “healthy” can be deadly
I realized a long time ago that I will never be able to fully explain an eating disorder to someone lucky enough not to have one. I consider myself a decent communicator, but there is no way to describe internal torture without seeming dramatic or foreign to the unfamiliar. Words are powerful things and I can write or speak until the cows come home, but without personal exposure, there is so much in life that we just cannot explain.
So I sit here a decade into my diagnosis, trying to form a sound argument against the latest affront to the 130,000-plus Ontarians struggling with an eating disorder.
In a cruelly ironic twist, the disappointing setback has not come from mainstream media or poor celebrity influence this time. Rather, it is the product of the same government that spends millions of dollars annually in an attempt to address the many complications of these horrible diseases.
As of January 2017, the Healthy Menu Choices Act (HMCA) requires any restaurant with 20 or more locations to post the calorie content of all food items on its menus and display areas.
It is apparently the view of Ontario officials that the availability of a few imprecise numbers at profitable food chains will somehow magically resolve the obesity crisis we’ve spent decades digging ourselves into. You almost have to applaud the naïvety of it all.
I have had many discussions with folks of varying perspectives regarding my issues with this legislation. Some people share my sentiments, some are indifferent, and others still believe it does have the potential to cause a shift in Ontarians’ eating habits. There are valid points on all sides of this topic, but I believe the “anti” angle is too quickly dismissed.
As I said, there is no way to fully describe the distress of eating disorders in general or of how this legislation in particular is detrimental. I can, however, rebut the many claims made by those in favour.
First, it is important to note that the availability of nutritional information has long been mandated for any requesting consumer. If a person seeks to know how many calories they are eating, it takes a mere request for the food provider to be obligated to present that information. Now that this information is provided by default on every menu surface, it is quite literally impossible to escape. For a law that has the word “choice” in its title, it certainly fails to accommodate those affected.
Secondly, we are sending a terrible message to the public at large that traditionally “unhealthy” foods are to blame for our skyrocketing obesity rates, when this is absolutely untrue. So-called culprits such as soft drinks, candy bars, and french fries have been around for decades and they are not the reason for our health crisis. The inconvenient truth is that our fast-paced lifestyle is so overrun with technology and bubble-wrap, and is so deprived of time or affordability, that we have forgotten the importance of moderation.
Thirdly, calories by themselves are an atrocious way of classifying foods as “healthy.” By definition, calories are a biological unit of energy and their display provides zero information towards the content of other nutrients in food that are more important than calories alone.
Similarly, the estimates provided on menus often range by hundreds of calories, rendering them useless for any informed decision-making. This is to mention nothing of the obvious fact that caloric needs vary immensely day to day and person to person.
Those with disordered eating will not use the information provided by the HMCA to make healthy choices. Ranging in every demographic and body shape, we will take the numbers provided and obsess over them. We will compare ourselves to others. We will feel guilt—a lazy mechanism used to obtain desirable behaviour from others. And, we will respond to that guilt by punishing or depriving our bodies. Some will avoid social engagements or eating out and will revert to dangerous habits. The climb is arduous, but the fall is so incredibly easy.
I do understand that obesity is a serious problem. What is doubtful—and recent studies have failed to conclusively support—is that this legislation will make the difference intended. Its harsh impact on those suffering with eating disorders, however, is certain.
It frustrates me that with all our mental health initiatives and awareness efforts, we have taken a huge step backwards in supporting those with the most deadly of all psychiatric illnesses.
It is my understanding that doctors officially (and all health professionals by virtue) pledge to “do no harm” as they navigate their career. I am in serious doubt that this legislation will make any strides in combatting obesity, but I am sadly certain that from it, much harm will come.
Photo by Mariah Bridgeman/The Ontarion.