Today's Special: Air with a side of sunlight

I don't usually discuss dieting. Instead I prefer to believe that diets don't exist and the number of calories I consume has NOTHING to do with how I look in a swimsuit or how hard stairs have become... but I recently read an article that has me outraged and dying to share the insanity with you all.

Published in the May 2011 issue of Marie Claire, "I'll Have What She's Having", is a look at the eating habits of five of the most successful nutritionists in the business and if they heed the advice they give their body-conscience clients. Of the five blurbs , the stand-out, by far is the first section, on detox guru (and obvious anorexic) Natalia Rose.


The first thing we read about Rose is that she is 5'7" and 117 pounds and that she works out daily. I cannot fathom someone of her height and weight being able to hold their head up, let alone manage any physical exertion. Her diet consists of a disturbing mix of raw fruits and vegetables (all eaten at dinner time) and a daily dessert binge that makes up almost half of her daily calorie intake.

The real kicker is Rose's explanation of her regiment:

"I believe that we take our vitality predominately from the air, sunlight, and clean water,
so I don't take anything but this 'life force energy' until the sun goes down..."

Life force energy? Are we to believe Rose is recommending that we conduct photosynthesis for sustenance? Rose is clearly not ashamed to tell the world that she doesn't eat ALL DAY, but she works out 45 minutes a day. How am I supposed to read this as anything but an excuse for her anorexia?

A look at Rose's website, Detox the World, and the Life Force Families section make this all the more disturbing. The content is only available to registered members, but I can only imagine what kind of advice she is offering parents: "If your child complains about hunger, give them some water and have them run laps until they're too tired to eat. Remember, they are full off of solar energy AND your love, even if they don't know it!"

To be clear, I recognize that eating disorders are a major issue that should be treated with sensitivity and sincerity, but the fact that this woman makes a living telling people how to be healthy is seriously disturbing. Furthermore, it is a travesty that Marie Claire had the audacity to print this nonsense with the title "I'll Have What She's Having" like Rose's diet is something to be emulated. Interestingly, the online version of the article is published with the title "What Nutritionists Really Eat". Maybe they got the message that their promotion of this anorexic nonsense could lead to some seriously negative press. Or little girls eating air for breakfast.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.1