Allegra Versace looking painfully thin at Fashion Group's 25th Annual Night of Stars.The 22 year old daughter of Donatella Versace was bequeathed 50% of the Versace fashion empire upon the death of her uncle Gianni Versace in 1997. She inherited approximately half a billion dollars on her 18Th birthday, and she has final say in the sale of Versace clothing line.
Allegra has been battling eating disorders for years.
Allegra's problem, though serious, is a rarity compared to the flip side of that coin, obesity.
Being severely overweight brings with it a host of physical, mental, and emotional problems.
The blame for this problem can be split several ways.
The American government, specifically the FDA, does have a hand in your weight issues.
The same hormones that are pumped into our livestock to make bigger chickens and cows, is being ingested by you, and making you bigger.
If you were told that it's OK to feed babies "formula" which in some cases is 50% sugars, rather than breast milk which boosts children's immune systems, know that you are priming your child for a lifetime of obesity and unhealthiness.
A young woman I know, who recently moved here from Canada(Hey Sara!) mentioned to me that there is high fructose corn syrup in American Heinz ketchup, and while they do have Heinz ketchup in Canada, it does not contain high fructose corn syrup.
I did some research, and this is true. Heinz ketchup in Canada does contain sugar (real Sugar), the American version contains
lots of cheaper, easier to produce, and far more dangerous to your health high fructose corn syrup.
Sara mused that maybe, because health care is free in Canada, they really can't afford for their citizens to be so unhealthy. So it is in the best interest of the Canadian government to keep the food as healthy as possible.
Imagine how many other "harmless" foods, are in fact unnecessarily unhealthy?
Some of the blame for obesity falls on culture, things you may have heard growing up can still have a strong root in your psyche. How many times have your parents told you to lick your plate clean, because someone, somewhere is starving? We know there are far more productive ways of helping the hungry.
How many times have your friends told you that "You need meat on your bones." Allegra needs meat on her bones, it is very likely that you don't.
But there are ways to find out for sure. Because the largest share of the blame for being unhealthy is on you. This means that you also have the biggest hand in being able to do something pro-active about it. Check out
this website to figure out if you are at a healthy weight for your height and age. The general standard that a doctor will give women is 5lbs for every inch they are over 5 feet, meaning a 5'5 woman should weigh around 125. Keep in mind that everyones body type is different, so don't force your weight up or down based on an arbitrary number. Use the BMI Index to make sure that you do not fall into the weight range of being over or underweight. It's a guideline to get and keep you on track.
No matter what size you are, exercise and healthy eating habits are important. Portion control is key, try putting less food on your plate. Or if you like the look of a full plate, use a salad or dessert plate instead of a dinner plate. Do your research, if the food generally available is not up to par, you may choose to start eating organic food. Most importantly always keep your body moving, one of my girlfriends and I still have cartwheel contests, and I hope to be able to pass that tradition along to our daughters.
Inspiration: “A woman whom Providence has provided with beauty of spirit and body is a truth, at the same time both open and secret, which we can understand only by love, and touch only by virtue.”
-Kahlil Gibran
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