Shocked by that statement?  I certainly was.  But before we get all bothered, I know Israel is quite small, so I get that.  But what I don’t get is why do they have the highest rate of eating disorders?

I came across this article recently:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40607997/ns/health-womens_health/

And quite frankly it really makes a lot of sense.  They speak specifically about the food rituals that are part of the Orthodox practice of Judaism.  And while following a Kosher diet and observing fasting rules on designated holidays, the experts believe people in this community end up with eating disorders.

Just how does it go from disordered eating to an eating disorder?  And why isn’t this prevalent in other cultures?  In Christianity there are fasting rules and during lent many practices forgo eating meat on Fridays.  Why don’t we see a high correlation for that population?

My belief is that both the cultural shift that celebrates diets, fasts, cleanses, weight loss and being thin may simply add to the mix.  They say genetics loads the gun and the environment pulls the trigger.  Maybe this population already has a high genetic disposition to developing an eating disorder and once they are introduced to this particular environment an ED forms with ease.

I am hopeful that the Israelites will take these statistics seriously and began to do some serious research, prevention and of course treatment.  Nobody deserves to struggle with an eating disorder.  And while observing food rituals is a part of many religions, some people simply cannot start toying with food that way.

If you know anything more about this or efforts to aid this population please send me an email:  bridgetloves@gmail.com

Finally Free,

Bridget Loves