Beware the dangers of hanging onto an extreme way of eating past the point where it’s enhancing your physical or psychological health.
This is one woman’s experience with adopting an extreme “Paleo” diet, but the lessons extend to any extreme system of eating. Her story shows how her initial intent created obsession and greater restriction to the point that her eating was no longer serving her.
The takeaway here is that you can and should find the “kernels of wisdom” from any type of eating that appeals to you, without attempting to take on every rigid rule. Listen to what your body needs, and figure out the compromises that work within your life.
Healthy eating doesn’t require that we create – or follow – rigid rules. Avoiding rigid rules leads to less guilt, less shame, and less obsession. And that in turn leads to healthier habits and more satisfaction in the long term.
Some people feel their best eating vegan, some naturally incline toward a Mediterranean diet, and others literally hate all fruit. We’re all different.
And just as all eating styles are valid, they are all equally susceptible to becoming the object of disordered behavior.
Summer Innanen’s story is a powerful example of how that can happen (and how to recognize when it does).
What “Going Paleo” Did To My Body | Read more at Refinery 29
