Sometimes in life a really bad idea comes along… eating cotton balls is certainly one of them.

Why is this news? Because it has become a trend among teens, mainly girls. Dipping cotton balls in juice and eating them to stave off hunger pangs. Striving to replicate the emaciated looks that are often featured in the fashion and celebrity world.

Aside from the obvious, that cotton balls are not food and not part of a healthy diet, there is the added specter that cotton balls aren’t always made of cotton and are potentially full of many toxins due to the way they are processed. Consumption of a non-food like this can lead to something called a “bezoar,” an obstruction of the intestines, which, needless to say, along with the choking risk, can kill you (Liz Neporent, “Dangerous Diet Trend: The Cotton Ball Diet,” ABCNews.go.com, November 21, 2013).

Real, true, delicious food is a wonderful gift from God. Eating a nutritious, balanced diet which leads to good health is what God intends for us.

“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly,” (John 10:10, NKJV).

Unhealthy fad diets are a sad choice, and if they tempt you, please seek wise counsel to help you learn the basics of true nutrition. Starvation diets like this can lead to or be a symptom of eating disorders. Please seek help.

Remember, good food is a blessing from God.