HAVE A NOSH?

 

    Eating, in addition to being a need for survival, is probably one of the most popular and enjoyable activities in our life.   It also seems that three meals a day is not enough to satisfy us.  So, we resort to a “nosh” now and then.  The word itself has an interesting origin:   from the Yiddish meaning to nibble on, eat sweets or from the Middle High German naschen to eat between meals.  Nevertheless, to nosh is really not a need.  After all, most of us have three meals a day.  But, you see, eating is so much fun that we take advantage of it to try and satisfy ourselves. 

     There is a saying:   “Some people eat to live and some live to eat”.  Most likely, those who eat to live probably don’t face the problem of overweight.  Oh, yes, there are all kinds of dieting programs such as Jenny Craig, The Atkins Diet, Nutrisystems or Weight Watchers.  There is much more to consider when life conditions are examined.
     Once we get past the concept that eating is a necessity for survival why are there so many people having problems with food?   These problems are so prevalent that they are referred to clinically as eating disorders.  They are usually identified as having abnormal eating habits that may involve inadequate or excessive food intake resulting in harm to an individual’s physical and mental health.
     There are classic cases of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa (AN), characterized by individuals who do not maintain a healthy body weight with an obsessive fear of gaining weight.   Some of these people suffer from this condition unconsciously.  Unfortunately, the risk of losing one’s life is greatly increased with this disease.  Bulimia nervosa (BN) is characterized by recurrent eating followed by compensatory behaviors such as purging (self-induced vomiting, excessive use of laxatives or diuretics).   Sometimes fasting and over exercise may be used as a method of purging following a binge.   Binge Eating Disorder (BED) or ‘compulsive overeating’ is a type of eating disorder that is binge eating without any compensatory behavior.  It is more common than bulimia or anorexia.  This disorder can develop in a range of ages.
     We often associate eating disorders with younger people;   but, it is interesting to note that the elderly also experience these problems.   Seniors develop symptoms like younger persons in an attempt to feel in control.  Cultural idealization of thinness and youthfulness has contributed to eating disorders particularly among the young.  However, seniors frequently feeling the effects of their bodies failing, and loss of autonomy to loved ones turn to their diet as one of the things that they can control.   When they are depressed and lonely, they may find themselves denying food or even losing themselves in overeating.  
     Dieting is not always the solution to weight loss or gain.  Obviously, the social aspects of life can play a big part in how one eats.  It is true that one cannot always control the social life one has.  However, fundamentally, self discipline can be significant in how we address food.  As the philosopher once said, “Take everything in moderation”.

A nosh once in a while is okay but regularly eating between meals is not good. 

                                                   Think about  it!