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Thank you Health Ranger for re-posting this article from The Guardian, which explains an eating disorder called “orthorexia nervosa.”
This “disorder” label is given to people who have beliefs about what foods are “good” for them and what foods are “bad” for them, and who adhere to those beliefs when making food choices, thus resulting in obsession, stress, social isolation and possibly malnourishment.
HUH???
So let me get this straight.
If I eat only fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains, because that’s what I believe is healthy for me, and I avoid processed, chemicalized junk foods, dairy, eggs, and meat because I believe they are not good for me, the animals, or the environment, then I am mentally ill?
Did it ever occur to the author that perhaps in making these food choices I might not feel deprived and in fact actually feel good?
That I might be healthiest I’ve ever been in my life?
That I could have an abundance of energy and strength?
Would the author feel better if I sat on the couch with a bowl of Cheetos covered in hot sauce?
Sheesh!
PS: Full disclosure – I in no way strictly adhere to eating only fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans. I’m too much in love with cookies, ice cream, and cake! However, if I or someone I know DID only eat those foods, I’d say “good for you!” I would not try to send them to rehab.
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I just read the abc news article on this and was quite appalled that the abc medical correspondent actually said it was difficult to get complete proteins from vegetable sources. How much did the meat industry pay her for that statement?
Also, they cite an example of a girl who went vegan and lost a bunch of wait and almost died. Of course we know that going vegan doesn’t cause extreme weight loss and near death but abc so willingly implied that correlation. The girl is obviously anorexic and didn’t eat enough food. It has nothing to do with being vegan or food choices.
Great Blog, this is such a crazy article and it is funny to me how people walk around making others feel “CRAZY” for eating healthy while eating crap like cheetos.
Here are those questions I mentioned. These are from wikipedia:
Do they spend more than 3 hours a day thinking about healthy foods? When they eat the way they’re supposed to, do they feel in total control? Are they planning tomorrow’s menu today? Has the quality of their life decreased as the quality of their diet increased? Have they become stricter with themselves? Does their self-esteem get a boost from eating healthy? Do they look down on others who don’t eat this way? Do they skip foods they once enjoyed in order to eat the “right” foods? Does their diet make it difficult for them to eat anywhere but at home, distancing them from family and friends? Do they feel guilt or self-loathing when you stray from their diet? If yes was answered to two or more questions, the person may have a mild case of orthorexia.
This does really happen. As someone who specializes in eating disorders I would like to say that it is not the food, but rather the perception of the person with their relationship to food. Some people develop a fear of “bad” foods and take most of their time thinking about “good” versus “bad” foods. This becomes an obsession of sorts where the person will let wether they get the “good” food or not dictate their moods, or they will judge others to the extent of thinking another person is “good” or “bad” based on their food choices. But mainly it relates to the person’s relationship with food and how that becomes unhealthy when it consumes the mind and detracts from life.
I think maybe the problem really lies in what foods they think are good and which are bad. Not every knows the foods you listed are healthier and that Cheetos are bad. Someone could think that a box of Snackwells cookies are more nutrtious than a steak and a side of brocolli. All because the box says “Healthy Choice.” It’s a matter of perception and conditioning, I think, and then a fear of weight gain because of our extremely warped society.
I could easily find myself identifying with these people if I am not careful. I am on a super strickt diet because of my health and my naturopath has me on a gluten, wheat, sugar, soy, dairy, corn and process food free diet!
The article may be poorly written (remember, these are just laymen stringing words together and paraphrasing other sources), but the condition is NOT about people who eat healthy foods. Real sufferers fixate on certain foods, and it does cripple them, socially and health-wise.
I worked with a woman who once choked on a chicken bone and decided that soup was the only good, “safe” food. She lost a lot of weight, which was good–at first. Then she became severely underweight, and eventually developed renal disease from the high sodium content of the canned soups she was eating exclusively. Eventually, she got medical and psychological help. This is the real face of orthorexia–not someone who’s simply a vegan/vegetarian/healthy food eater.