Anger at food guru: in search of healthy food has made me sick

So also the author Nils Binnberg had long years of nutrition experts will tell you what belongs on his plate – and what is not. When he realized that he was suffering from an eating disorder, he followed 20 food trends at the same time. Looking for healthy food was for the journalists to run the gauntlet.

He told in his book, “I have it – How to us diet gurus make you sick” (Suhrkamp, 12,95 euros). We talked with him about healthy eating, eating disorders and the status symbol of sourdough bread.

Mr Binnberg, there are diet trends that you believe in and yourself hold?

Nils Binnberg: My diet does not follow any Label more. I will be eating freely according to the motto that man is a natural omnivore. That is, it is adapted to all the food. Unless something is highly toxic, then you should refrain from. But Seriously, our food is extremely secure and is regularly monitored by the independent German Federal Institute for risk assessment. That’s why I say today, I’m hypersensitive to everything and I eat everything.

Also Finished Products?

Binnberg: I like cooking very much and for me the taste is the most Important thing. I am not dogmatic and I have no guilty Conscience when it comes time, other than to resort to a finished product. I don’t condemn that, because these diets are a sign of our times. We just don’t have the time for us to take as our grandparents ‘ generation – a two – hour break for lunch.

As a counter-movement of the hand has become made sour dough bread for a status symbol, if you take the time to go and eat “Slow Food”. One is not worse or better than the Other.

When you have noticed that your relationship to food is problematic?

Binnberg: During my eating disorder was to eat a very big challenge for me. I had developed a very tight meal plan and had me choose the Restaurants well in advance. If I change my fit a bit, then I sat the whole evening at the table, and simply have eaten anything.

I then advanced to not be hungry or have already eaten. As I stumbled in an article in the New York Times about the term “Orthorexia nervosa” am, therefore, Looking for a healthy diet, I became aware that my behavior is pathological. My mind was on 24 hours a day about food. I’m really panicked and felt dirty, when I have broken my own food rules.

I realized that my fixation could be on a healthy diet, I felt so much better than all the others, and even virtuous, but it is not so healthy, but a disorder.

Phase way you have practiced 20 Trends at the same time – how is that even possible?

Binnberg: It works well, because it is not necessarily only a certain food is concerned, the excluding, but also the way you eat. Someone who is orthorektisch, makes the whole day about how many antioxidants it has already intus, as long as he is chewing something or what color should have a food.

For example, I have paid attention to the fact, in the distance I fruit eat. The Trend is called “Food Combining”. The rule is: Two hours before a meal and no fruit should be eaten, because it is not digested properly. The principle is not new: In the 20s it was called food combining. I have combined with other Teachings, such as, for example, Low Carb, Paleo, gluten – free or lactose-free. A teaching led me to the next.

What was the goal of your nutrition: be Healthy or be skinny?

Binnberg: to be Healthy, for us is synonymous with Thin. The sticking point for me is when our idea of a healthy diet. Some food will be stigmatized by them, they would automatically lead to obesity and diseases such as Diabetes or cardiovascular diseases. If you read about obesity in the newspaper, then this article are illustrated often with burgers, fries and Cola.

But if you look at what the causes of obesity, and then often social phenomena such as loneliness, poverty, depression or eating disorders such as Binge Eating, so the food addiction. Nevertheless, we follow the advice of experts who say that by a certain diet you can eat are healthy or just not sick.

I think that’s fatal, because it implies that there are foods that are bad. It’s the “too much”, that can be harmful but it is not the food itself.

People today eat more consciously – is that so bad?

Binnberg: no, not at all. But we are hysterical in matters of diet. We feel the modern food production alienated, try to control our health through diet, although other factors such as noise, Stress, satisfaction or genes play a role. Not only are they affect. In truth, we don’t know what influence the food has on our health.

Nutritional Sciences based on observations and statistical correlation. There are 250 new studies, a Million studies already exist. To do this, an error rate of 96 percent. John Ioannidis, a statistician says, at least at the University of Stanford. He has studied publications on the effects of food on cardiovascular diseases and this leads to the conclusion that almost all were faulty.

What has helped you? Where to find Orthorektiker help?

Binnberg: Orthorexia nervosa is an eating disorder and should a therapy be addressed. Helped me work on the book. I’ve stripped the myths about my nutrition lessons. I wanted to understand why nutrition is like a Religion. These findings have taken me to the horrors in front of the food.

This article was written by Sarah Peters