Vegetarians more likely to have eating disorders Hang on to your carrot stick. There's actually a new study that's got something negative to say about vegetarianism. You remember vegetarianism, right? It's the diet that is sure to bring an end to the Global Climate Crisis, and will eventually play a role in establishing world peace, along with international hand-holding, and spontaneous choruses of kumbaya. Well, it turns out that many people who are vegetarians have made this "lifestyle choice" because they think it will help control their weight - as opposed to simply swearing off meat for the principle of it. Because of this, some people are now saying that vegetarianism is a sign of an eating disorder. As you may have imagined this story isn't getting a lot of play - probably because most of the mainstream liberal media has bought into the idea that sees vegetarianism is the noblest form of eating imaginable. It's no surprise that the first I heard of this report was on the website of the conservative business magazine Forbes. Study author Ramona Robinson-O'Brien, an assistant professor of nutrition at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University in Minnesota, said that the vegetarians in the study were indeed less apt to have weight problems. But she said the research also indicated that these subjects were also twice as likely to have employed decidedly unhealthy diet tactics. "Current vegetarians may be at increased risk for binge eating, while former vegetarians may be at increased risk for extreme unhealthful weight-control behaviors," Robinson-O'Brien said. You should be especially wary when teenagers are the ones going meatless. According to the director of Yale University's Prevention Research Center Dr. David L. Katz, "When adolescents opt for vegetarianism on their own, it is important to find out why, because it may signal a cry for help, rather than the pursuit of health." The fact that the vegetarian lifestyle has been portrayed as the savior diet is surely what gets the attention of young people with a propensity for eating disorders. But without the guidance of actual nutritionists, young people are misled to believe that their bodies can actually survive purely on salad and sprouts. And not to just survive, but to actually be healthier because of it! This is hardly the case. But even in the face of this news that vegetarianism could be a refuge for folks - especially young people - with serious eating disorders, no one could seem to give in to bashing lettuce-munching completely. "When guiding adolescent and young adult vegetarians in proper nutrition and meal planning, it is important to recognize the potential health benefits and risks associated with a vegetarian diet," Robinson-O'Brien said. But she did add that it could be "beneficial" to dig a little deeper into the reasons that a young person changes to a vegetarian diet. The old adage "leave 'em laughing" may not just be for speech givers and comedians. A new study from the UK shows that women tend to believe that funny men are more intelligent than the wet blankets of the world. And in spite of copious amounts of evidence to the contrary broadcast on 24-hour entertainment news channels, women tend to favor intelligent men when choosing a mate. The study asked 45 women to read descriptions of themselves written by men. Of the 20 descriptions, the women scored half as "extremely funny." The majority of the women said the men who authored the funnier descriptions were likely to be smarter, and also more honest. According to the leader of the study, Kristofor McCarty of Northumbria University, "A quick browse of lonely-hearts ads will confirm that women look for a good sense of humor in a potential partner - our research may explain why this is the case." Hmmm … it's not the most scientific study in the world. I wonder if the true genius of the research was finding 45 women who could actually read descriptions of themselves written by 20 men, and still maintain their sense of humor…
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