Who doesn’t love a good brownie? Whether from a box or from scratch using real butter, I enjoy making brownies for my family and friends. Rich chocolate, sugary, filled with that buttery fat—no one can possibly refuse an offer for just one.
When I was first out of college, I lived in a house with four other women. We shared many things besides clothing, books, careers, dreams and men problems. We shared a kitchen and food.
The heavenly smell invited a trip to the kitchen to grab a morsel. One of my roommates was drawn by the smell to the kitchen, but instead of biting a morsel, she threw the entire plate into the garbage disposal. I learned about the brownies’ fate from her later that evening.
I learned also about her struggles with bulimia and how chocolate brownies—in fact most sugary foods—were a trigger for her condition. I learned empathy for a disease I had only heard about through whispered exchanges with other women.
Weightless: Making Peace with Your Body by Kate Wicker, 
new from Servant Books, tackles the issue of eating disorders, along with other body image issues, with clarity and respect for Catholic women. Kate has an excellent page of resources for even further study at her web site.
Do you have an eating disorder story from your own life? What can Catholics do to help women deal with our culture’s obsession with body image?
Barbara Baker is St. Anthony Messenger Press’ Director of Marketing, Sales and Internet. She and her husband work with the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s Family Life Office at their monthly pre-cana weekends. Barbara spends too much time with her computer. 
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