The May 23 Columbian online story “5 red flags that your ‘clean diet’ is going too far” is a lazy attempt to appeal to either the health-conscious individual or the guilt-ridden overeater. The “5 red flags” phrase clearly means to attract the kind of interest sought by online pop-up ads like “10 symptoms of phase 4 lung cancer” or “5 signs your spouse is cheating on you.”
Not only does this story disparage thoughtful eating habits, but it violates many principles of competent journalism. Is the author a psychiatrist, dietician, or medical doctor? There is no serious attempt to discuss the diets or their physical benefits or risks. The author doesn’t cite sources to back up her claims — no studies, no research paper or other publications, no quotes from professional dietary experts.
Just look around you and you’ll see there are plenty of people who are morbidly obese and risk more physical damage from continuing their eating habits than they would from “clean eating,” as the author defines it.
Then there are those, like me, who suffer from food intolerances, and struggle daily to maintain a healthy diet despite our issues. I bet I have raised every one of those “red flags.” Yet, my diet is a “clean” one, must be rigidly held to, and has restored more of a long-term feeling of physical well-being than pizza or chocolate binges could ever do.
