Almost everybody knows that St. Patty’s Day is an Irish holiday celebrated on March 17th. Oftentimes, St. Patrick’s Day means little green men with pots of gold at the end of the rainbow, and of course, the lucky four leaf clover. With a variety of traditions to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, it can mean many different things to many different people. But have you ever wondered how this holiday came about, or what it really means?

     Initially, St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated as a religious holiday and feast. It became a public holiday in 1903 by the Money Bank Act. The public celebrated with a feast and traditions, which culminated into the shamrock and green-riddled holiday we know today. Even though it is celebrated by 6 different countries, it is not an official holiday.

    There is such a varietyof different dishes because it started as a feast. Most of the meals include meat, cabbage, and potatoes. Some of the things that are eaten during this time are corn beef and cabbage, and brown soda bread.

     Nowadays we just drink ’till we drop and dye stuff green.  Every year the Chicago river gets tons and tons of green food coloring poured into it.  Can’t imagine how happy the fish are, right?  Besides making the enviroment look like a sea of shamrocks, we pinch people if they dont wear green.  Fun fun!

     So remeber, wear green and don’t be suprised when the oceans turn a crisp green on the 17th.

by Cami B.

Imagine, going days without taking a bite of food, the sound of your stomach growling, overpowering your every thought. Imagine, staring at yourself in the mirror and not being satisfied by what you see, no matter how many bones are visible. About 8 million Americans go day by day feeling like this, like they are not perfect, or even good enough.

Anorexia and bulimia are very well-known eating disorders, but what is typically unknown are the causes. What causes a person to feel the need to starve themselves for days, or intentionally vomit after every meal? There are several causes of eating disorders, but the most commonly known cause for anorexia, is negative family influences.

Our families play a big role in our life, therefore, when your family is urging you to lose weight, it eventually takes it’s toll on you. Genetic factors can also contribute to these eating disorders. Anorexia is said to be eight times more common in people that are related to others with eating disorders (click). Cultural beliefs may also be a cause of eating disorders. Certain cultures prefer a curvy woman, while others find a very thin female more attractive. The most talked about ,and controversial cause of an eating disorder, is the media.  Only those naive enough, will be manipulated into an eating disorder by comparing themselves against an unrealistic and often times, unhealthy, size two model.

Identifying the causes of an eating disorder may vary, depending on the person. The same goes for the symptoms of eating disorders. Most people with eating disorders have a distorted body image of themselves. Meaning they see themselves as overweight people but in reality, their body weight is less than average. Certain people may refuse to eat and also deny that they are even hungry. Others may show lack of emotion. But, the symptoms that most people with eating disorders share, is an intense fear of gaining weight. This fear, causes many to go to extreme measures to remain at, or reach a certain weight.  “A person with an eating disorder will often go to great lengths to hide the problem, so it’s important to know the warning signs” , says Joelle Belmonte, writer for  helpguide.org (click).

These eating disorders shouldn’t go unnoticed. Eating disorders, are unhealthy and life threatening, if they reach a certain point. Therefore, if you think you may know somebody with an eating disorder, voice your concerns. Don’t just let it continue on, acting as though it’s not your problem. Of course, most people will deny the accusations. It’s just their natural instinct. The best thing to do in a situation like that, is to avoid an argument. Don’t give lectures, just simply state your concerns. The issue won’t just go away in the blink of an eye. It takes professional help. Just do your part in convincing them to take that first step.

Compulsive eating or compulsive dieting, are issues that need to be acknowledged and resolved. Next week we’ll explore how individuals see themselves.

-Ivanna M.