Green Recovery Series
Green Recovery is my attempt to highlight stories of the many men and women who have moved beyond disordered eating patterns (at least in part) with the help of a plant-based diet. There is a very high incidence of ED histories in the plant-based community of eaters—myself included. At some point in the last few years I realized that there were many others who felt, as I do, that eating a plant based diet helped them to overcome their struggles, and redefine their relationships with food in a positive and productive way.
Some of the traditional attitudes within recovery circles maintain that any sort of strong selectivity about food (such as eliminating animal products from one’s diet) or overt emphasis on food’s significance is inherently at odds with the recovery process. I disagree. My goal with Green Recovery is not to suggest that veganism is the right choice for all disordered eaters, or that it’s a “cure” for disordered eating, but rather to explore the notion that a world view in which food choices have political, ethical, and personal significance may actually heal, rather than hurt, people with traumatic histories with food.
Please join me as I welcome the voices of men and women who are evolving toward a fresh and peaceful relationship with food, one green plate at a time.
If you would like to submit your story to Green Recovery, please email it to me (as an attachment or simply pasted into an email) at gena@choosingraw.com. Note that while the series is not exclusively vegan, I do prefer the emphasis to be firmly on the virtues of a plant-based diet.
Green Recovery Stories:
Freya Finds Self Respect and Self Care with a Vegan Diet
Casey Lorraine Finds Freedom Through Wholesome Food
Exploring the Link Between Diet, Sexuality, and Self-Esteem
Wendy Puts an End to Compulsive Eating Through a Plant-Strong Diet
Laura’s Story of Finding Balance
Andrea Falls in Love With How She Feels on a Plant Based Diet
Sarah Gives Veganism a Second Chance
Heather’s Positive Affirmations
I'm a Certified Clinical Nutritionist, a former book editor, and a post-baccalaureate pre-med student at Georgetown University. I'm passionate about helping people to discover and enjoy plant based foods in a simple and healthy way. My name is pronounced like "Jenna."
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Wow! I think this is a good thing. I am a dancer and about six months ago I started to get habits of disordered eating. I was not a true anorexic, but I started developing habits of one. I was secretive about food and I hated it when anyone would make me eat something. Well, I lost 15 pounds and then I started learning about health and nutrition. I had always been around it, as my father had taught me a lot about it and he was also a health food nut. I was able to read some of his books and use his machines (ex. Juicer, Vita-Mix, Dehydrater). I started to eat healthy and then I stopped worrying so much about my weight. I started thinking about feeding my cells instead of starving them. Now, although I may eat a cupcake or something “bad” once in awhile, I am mostly an herbivore. I love it! It makes me feel energetic and alive.
This is really an interesting topic. I was thinking about it one day, and what do you know? Other people think the same things.
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