Natures Bounty

A life coach in New York City brings his personal experiences with coming out to helping his clients understand life changes and putting themselves in harmony with their beliefs. A gay man who has overcome an eating disorder observes that gay men deal with anorexia and bulimia at higher rates than men in general, and that the gay community is often too accepting of eating disorders as somehow normal.

Coaching Life Transitions

Although he now helps gay men with coming out, a New York life coach recalls that when he came out to his parents in eighth grade, he thought he would never need to talk about it again. He soon realized that it was not as simple as making a statement and moving on with life. He came to see that coming out is not a one-time event, but rather a continuum and process. He recalls that events over the years have led him to see that the biggest challenge throughout the process is for him to be OK with his own sexuality, independent of what other people think.

Deep Internalized Self Shame

As he participated in a gay social boxing club event in New York, he found himself still possessed of a “deep internalized self-shame.” He recalls the voice in his head saying things like, “You’re standing very gay right now,” before remembering that he was in a room full of gay men who were not judging him on his stance or masculinity like his own internal critic was doing. He notes that it takes self-awareness and being open to change to see how the effects of a lifetime of critical thoughts can be changed for improved happiness in life.

Eating Disorders Among Gay Men

Typically in American society, eating disorders are classified as something that women deal with. While it is estimated that 4 to 10 percent of college-age men deal with an eating disorder, the gay community especially puts pressure on men with body policing and shaming of those who are overweight.

Something We All Should Be Doing

One man recounts his disturbing experiences when discussing struggles with eating disorders among his gay friends. While he notes that it is good that he can talk to other men about his recovery, he was shocked to hear tacit approval of eating disorders among gay men. When he talks to friends about his struggles, “it’s joked about as something we should all be doing – we should all be obsessed with counting calories and purging,” for example.

Eating Ethically

The life coach in New York discusses his vegan lifestyle, noting that, “it connects to so many things bigger than myself.” He lists the positive impacts that eating a plant-based diet has on issues like:

• Environmental health
• Climate change
• Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
• Intensive water and resource uses in animal agriculture
• World hunger
• Animal suffering
• Personal health

He loves to set an example of a vegan lifestyle that is healthy, fit, and thriving. No one needs to give up great taste and enjoyment of excellent food to eat a plant-based diet, he notes.

Dealing With the Disconnect

More importantly, he observes that many people are “disconnected from where our food comes from and the violence involved in producing it.” While many people live with the “out-of-sight-out-of-mind” mentality involving slaughterhouses and animal production, he notes that a healthy plant-strong diet is an exercise in “personal integrity, bringing my intentions, words, and actions into alignment.”

Realizing Connections Between All Creatures

For those who see themselves as a child of the universe in common with all other creatures, the connections between eating and living are obvious. To eat ethically and well without harming other creatures, and with the added benefit of drastically decreased negative impacts on the earth, is the natural thing to do for health and happiness.