Orthorexia An Unhealthy Fixation On Eating Healthy

[KeepingItReal]

...

[senior citizen]

Orthorexia: An Obsession with Eating "Pure"
Orthorexia
By Erin Sund
When obesity is a national emergency, a serious dedication to a healthy diet hardly seems like a bad thing. But for some, a fixation on healthy eating develops into an obsession. If someone refuses to eat food that is not "pure," starts skipping family meals or dinners out, rejects food she (sufferers for the most part are women) once loved, or can't bring herself to eat a meal she hasn't prepared with her own hands, she may be suffering from an emerging disordered eating pattern called orthorexia.
What is Orthorexia?
Orthorexia – an unhealthy fixation on eating only healthy or "pure" foods – was originally defined as a disordered eating behavior in the '90s, but experts believe it has been gaining steam in recent years, fed by the profusion of foods marketed as healthy and organic, and by the media's often conflicting dietary advice. Like anorexia nervosa, orthorexia is a disorder rooted in food restriction. Unlike anorexia, for othorexics, the quality instead of the quantity of food is severely restricted.
"Orthorexia starts out with a true intention of wanting to be healthier, but it's taken to an extreme," says Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Spokesperson Marjorie Nolan, MS, RDN, CDN, ACSM-HFS, who specializes in working with eating disorder clients. "If someone is orthorexic, they typically avoid anything processed, like white flour or sugar. A food is virtually untouchable unless it's certified organic or a whole food. Even something like whole-grain bread – which is a very healthy, high-fiber food – is off limits because it's been processed in some way."
Orthorexics typically don't fear being fat in the way that an anorexic would, but the obsessive and progressive nature of the disorder is similar. Orthorexics may eliminate entire groups of food – such as dairy or grains – from their diets, later eliminating another group of food, and another, all in the quest for a "perfect" clean, healthy diet. In severe cases, orthorexia eventually leads to malnourishment when critical nutrients are eliminated from the diet.
An Isolating Disorder
Sharing a meal is one of the key ways we socialize and bond in society. But for people suffering from orthorexia, a family meal can seem like a minefield. Eating food that they don't consider pure, or that someone else has prepared, causes an extreme amount of anxiety for orthorexics. "If someone is experiencing a lot of anxiety around food because they're not eating what they think they should be, or the amount they should be, that could be a sign of orthorexia," says Nolan.
Someone suffering from orthorexia likely doesn't enjoy food in the same way that someone with a healthy relationship to food does. Rather, orthorexics feel virtuous when they eat the foods they consider to be good or safe, while deviating from their self-imposed extreme diet restrictions causes anxiety and self loathing.
The Road to Recovery
Orthorexia is a serious disordered eating pattern that can have grave mental and physical health consequences, and people suffering from it need professional help. "If you think someone is orthorexic, recommend that the person see a therapist, even just for a one-time consult," says Nolan. "Don't just say, 'You need to go to therapy.' … Instead say, 'Why don't you talk to someone just to see if this is normal.'"
Orthorexics often harbor misunderstandings about food or nutrition. "People with eating disorders know a lot about food, and food science," says Nolan. "But they don't always have accurate information. Sometimes their sources are magazines and blogs that might not be reputable."
Nolan uses the science-based training she has as a registered dietitian to help dispel incorrect beliefs orthorexics may have about what a healthy diet looks like. "I always ask clients to think about what they're missing out on because they choose to eat this way all the time," says Nolan. "It can be very isolating."
For more information about eating disorders, and about how to get help, visit the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders website.
Reviewed April 2013
Erin Sund is an online content manager at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

From: What Is Orthorexia? - From the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6442471029)

More Information:

www.livestrong.com/article/481891-health-food-passion-or-dangerous-obsession/ (http://www.livestrong.com/article/481891-health-food-passion-or-dangerous-obsession/)


Thank you for posting the above information.

Believe me, I have seen it in action........and it does seem to be an obsessive compulsive type of behavior.

[graciegirl]

Orthorexia: An Obsession with Eating "Pure"
Orthorexia
By Erin Sund
When obesity is a national emergency, a serious dedication to a healthy diet hardly seems like a bad thing. But for some, a fixation on healthy eating develops into an obsession. If someone refuses to eat food that is not "pure," starts skipping family meals or dinners out, rejects food she (sufferers for the most part are women) once loved, or can't bring herself to eat a meal she hasn't prepared with her own hands, she may be suffering from an emerging disordered eating pattern called orthorexia.
What is Orthorexia?
Orthorexia – an unhealthy fixation on eating only healthy or "pure" foods – was originally defined as a disordered eating behavior in the '90s, but experts believe it has been gaining steam in recent years, fed by the profusion of foods marketed as healthy and organic, and by the media's often conflicting dietary advice. Like anorexia nervosa, orthorexia is a disorder rooted in food restriction. Unlike anorexia, for othorexics, the quality instead of the quantity of food is severely restricted.
"Orthorexia starts out with a true intention of wanting to be healthier, but it's taken to an extreme," says Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Spokesperson Marjorie Nolan, MS, RDN, CDN, ACSM-HFS, who specializes in working with eating disorder clients. "If someone is orthorexic, they typically avoid anything processed, like white flour or sugar. A food is virtually untouchable unless it's certified organic or a whole food. Even something like whole-grain bread – which is a very healthy, high-fiber food – is off limits because it's been processed in some way."
Orthorexics typically don't fear being fat in the way that an anorexic would, but the obsessive and progressive nature of the disorder is similar. Orthorexics may eliminate entire groups of food – such as dairy or grains – from their diets, later eliminating another group of food, and another, all in the quest for a "perfect" clean, healthy diet. In severe cases, orthorexia eventually leads to malnourishment when critical nutrients are eliminated from the diet.
An Isolating Disorder
Sharing a meal is one of the key ways we socialize and bond in society. But for people suffering from orthorexia, a family meal can seem like a minefield. Eating food that they don't consider pure, or that someone else has prepared, causes an extreme amount of anxiety for orthorexics. "If someone is experiencing a lot of anxiety around food because they're not eating what they think they should be, or the amount they should be, that could be a sign of orthorexia," says Nolan.
Someone suffering from orthorexia likely doesn't enjoy food in the same way that someone with a healthy relationship to food does. Rather, orthorexics feel virtuous when they eat the foods they consider to be good or safe, while deviating from their self-imposed extreme diet restrictions causes anxiety and self loathing.
The Road to Recovery
Orthorexia is a serious disordered eating pattern that can have grave mental and physical health consequences, and people suffering from it need professional help. "If you think someone is orthorexic, recommend that the person see a therapist, even just for a one-time consult," says Nolan. "Don't just say, 'You need to go to therapy.' … Instead say, 'Why don't you talk to someone just to see if this is normal.'"
Orthorexics often harbor misunderstandings about food or nutrition. "People with eating disorders know a lot about food, and food science," says Nolan. "But they don't always have accurate information. Sometimes their sources are magazines and blogs that might not be reputable."
Nolan uses the science-based training she has as a registered dietitian to help dispel incorrect beliefs orthorexics may have about what a healthy diet looks like. "I always ask clients to think about what they're missing out on because they choose to eat this way all the time," says Nolan. "It can be very isolating."
For more information about eating disorders, and about how to get help, visit the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders website.
Reviewed April 2013
Erin Sund is an online content manager at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

From: What Is Orthorexia? - From the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6442471029)

More Information:

www.livestrong.com/article/481891-health-food-passion-or-dangerous-obsession/ (http://www.livestrong.com/article/481891-health-food-passion-or-dangerous-obsession/)


We think along the same lines.

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/medical-health-discussion-94/when-eating-healthy-becomes-unhealthy-obsession-72546/

[buggyone]

I had a delicious "meat lovers" pizza for dinner tonight at Mallory Hill club.

I don't think I have orthorexia. But I did have a Coors Light beer!

[Meddick]

I am pretty sure I do not have this disease and have, in fact, a built-in immunity to it.

[DonH57]

I know for certain I don't suffer from this disease either.

[Villages PL]

Walter Breuning, lived to be 114 in good health, never took any medication and only went to the doctor twice a year for checkups. He attributed his longevity to eating only 2 meals per day (calorie restriction).

Did he have orthorexia?

World's Oldest Man Dies in U.S. at Age of 114 | Fox News (http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/04/14/worlds-oldest-man-dies-age-114/)

[graciegirl]

Walter Breuning, lived to be 114 in good health, never took any medication and only went to the doctor twice a year for checkups. He attributed his longevity to eating only 2 meals per day (calorie restriction).

Did he have orthorexia?

World's Oldest Man Dies in U.S. at Age of 114 | Fox News (http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/04/14/worlds-oldest-man-dies-age-114/)

Depends whether his eating habits were on HIS mind a lot of the time. Frequently people with obsessions are not easy to convince they have obsessions. A good example would be hoarders.

[Villages PL]

Depends whether his eating habits were on HIS mind a lot of the time. Frequently people with obsessions are not easy to convince they have obsessions. A good example would be hoarders.

So, even if the outcome for health and longevity was good, it could have been bad?

[graciegirl]

So, even if the outcome for health and longevity was good, it could have been bad?

I imagine a lot of folks who have obsessions do great things, it just isn't very comfortable being THEM. Or mentally healthy.

[ilovetv]

It's one of the Top 10 Ways to Wreck a Friendship or Relationship.

Right now, we have long-time friends who are on a newfound weight-loss and righteous eating jihad. They've always been normal weight, fairly tall and able to carry weight well.

Nobody in our circle of friends wants to invite them for dinner or go out to dine with them anymore, because 95% of foods we or a restaurant would make are not "pure" enough for them.

It's like a really bad religion or cult.

And to top that off, they're in a terrible mood from depriving themselves of the carbs and other things that satisfy normal food cravings.

It makes them mean and unattractive.

[Golfingnut]

Moderation in all things is not only the easy way, it is more healthy.

[Villages PL]

I imagine a lot of folks who have obsessions do great things, it just isn't very comfortable being THEM. Or mentally healthy.

I agree that people with "obsessions" often do great things. I put "obsessions" in quotes because I'm not sure how we would always agree on what constitutes an obsession. Was Albert Einstein obsessed or just following a passionate interest in the wonders of the universe?

What about other occupations:

Are chefs obsessed with food because they think about food every working day of their lives? Perhaps that's the reason they chose to become a chef in the first place.

How about the author of a cookbook or a series of cookbooks?

How about a dietition or nutritionist?

What about the person who came up with the idea of orthorexia? Did that person have an obsession? It must have been on their mind a lot.

What about people who treat such obsessions?

What about all the many health clubs in The Villages? Are they all obsessed?

What about The Villages preoccupation with becoming America's Healthiest Hometown?

How many people in the U.S. are on a diet at any given time? 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men.

How many people go on a diet each year (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_people_go_on_a_diet_each_year)

[Barefoot]

So, even if the outcome for health and longevity was good, it could have been bad?

Of course good health is important! And we'd all like to live a long time. But I think you're missing the most important aspect, GOOD QUALITY OF LIFE. And I'm talking about good friends, socialization, sharing meals and exercises with others, doing volunteer work to contribute back to the community. I think those things enrich the tapestry of life and fill it with joy. In my opinion, it's not how long you live, it's how well you've lived and how much love you've shared.

[Golfingnut]

I am obsessed with keeping my Bud Light between 28 and 31 degrees in the pool bar fridge. hee hee hee

[Villages PL]

Right now, we have long-time friends who are on a newfound weight-loss and righteous eating jihad.

It's like a really bad religion or cult.

Does that description include those who only eat Kosher?

[Villages PL]

Of course good health is important! And we'd all like to live a long time. But I think you're missing the most important aspect, GOOD QUALITY OF LIFE. And I'm talking about good friends, socialization, sharing meals and exercises with others, doing volunteer work to contribute back to the community. I think those things enrich the tapestry of life and fill it with joy. In my opinion, it's not how long you live, it's how well you've lived and how much love you've shared.

From articles I have read about Walter Breuning, it seems he had a pretty good quality of life. He lived his remaining years in an assisted living facility and liked getting together with other residents and having interesting discussions with them. Those were his friends that he socialized with and shared meals with in the dining room. Because of his age, he was treated like a V.I.P. and people from the outside (organizations like GRG) made appointments to talk with him. (I guess you could say that was his volunteer work.)

Why do you assume he didn't have a good quality of life?

[graciegirl]

I agree that people with "obsessions" often do great things. I put "obsessions" in quotes because I'm not sure how we would always agree on what constitutes an obsession. Was Albert Einstein obsessed or just following a passionate interest in the wonders of the universe?

What about other occupations:

Are chefs obsessed with food because they think about food every working day of their lives? Perhaps that's the reason they chose to become a chef in the first place. Maybe, if they think about it on their days off and when they get up to pee at night. And sometimes can't go to sleep thinking about it.

How about the author of a cookbook or a series of cookbooks? Not unless they have no other subject they enjoy or they don't have many friends or finding new recipes is making them nervous all of the time.

How about a dietition or nutritionist? If the nutritionist in question only wants to talk about nutrition to everyone and if he/she wants to improve others nutrition without being consulted and rarely goes to the movies, out to dinner or enjoys television because he/she is thinking about the result of good nurtrition on the lives of other...maybe.

What about the person who came up with the idea of orthorexia? Did that person have an obsession? It must have been on their mind a lot. Could be. I've heard it said that behaviorists are a chancy bunch of folks.

What about people who treat such obsessions? Well you never know. They could be obsessed with obsessions.

What about all the many health clubs in The Villages? Are they all obsessed? I don't think places can have human qualities but the people who go to them could be, if they don't ever want to go home.

What about The Villages preoccupation with becoming America's Healthiest Hometown? n/a

How many people in the U.S. are on a diet at any given time? 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men.

How many people go on a diet each year (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_people_go_on_a_diet_each_year)

Being passionate about something and being obsessed with something are two different behaviors. If a person is enjoying their life and being comfortable without the need to change everyone elses mind on a subject, and dont' think about one subject most of the time, then they are probably just passionate and not obsessed.

Disclaimer. My knowledge is limited to a few courses in psychology that I took with Martha Washington a couple of centuries ago and the fact that I am kinda interested in human behavior and read a lot of stuff about it.

I could be obsessed, but I don't think so because I play a lot of golf.

[Villages PL]

Being passionate about something and being obsessed with something are two different behaviors. If a person is enjoying their life and being comfortable without the need to change everyone elses mind on a subject, and dont' think about one subject most of the time, then they are probably just passionate and not obsessed.

Disclaimer. My knowledge is limited to a few courses in psychology that I took with Martha Washington a couple of centuries ago and the fact that I am kinda interested in human behavior and read a lot of stuff about it.

I could be obsessed, but I don't think so because I play a lot of golf.

According to your definition, fast-food advertisers are obsessed because they are always trying to change everyone's mind (or influence them) to tempt them into buying fast food.

Also, on a "Medical and Health Discussion Board" isn't it possible that some people are just passionate about having discussions on whatever the topic happens to be? Isn't that what a discussion board is set up for in the first place?

Those who don't appear to be at all interested in healthy diet/lifestyle, always seem show up to be against whatever the healthy suggestions are. Are they passionate in their rejection of healthy suggestions or are they obsessed with it? If they don't like the topic, why do they show up for it, unless they are obsessed?

It would be like me, a non golfer, showing up at a golf course and remarking, "Hey, look at all those golfers, is that all they do is play golf all the time? Then they go for lunch together and talk about golf. I sometimes wonder if they might be obsessed." No, I would never do that. What would be the point of it, unless I am obsessed with the fact that they like to play golf?

A golf course is for playing golf and a health discussion board is for having discussions about health.

[DonH57]

I am obsessed with keeping my Bud Light between 28 and 31 degrees in the pool bar fridge. hee hee hee

That's the ideal temp!

[Halibut]

Re nagging and friendships -- what really creams my corn is the assumption among some of the food police that anyone who becomes ill brought it on themselves through some manner of "unhealthy" living.

I don't give a rat's patoot if someone smoked 8 packs of cigarettes a day and weighs 600 pounds. If that person develops lung cancer or diabetes, another human being should offer comfort and compassion, not condemnation and self-righteous disregard.

Dog forbid anyone suffers from heart diease these days; those poor souls get bombarded from all sides.

I have a genetic neurologic disorder, but by golly, there must be something I ate or drank or inhaled in 62 years, or some amount of exercise I didn't do, that caused it.

[Barefoot]

From articles I have read about Walter Breuning, it seems he had a pretty good quality of life. He lived his remaining years in an assisted living facility and liked getting together with other residents and having interesting discussions with them. Those were his friends that he socialized with and shared meals with in the dining room. Because of his age, he was treated like a V.I.P. and people from the outside (organizations like GRG) made appointments to talk with him. (I guess you could say that was his volunteer work.)

Why do you assume he didn't have a good quality of life?

I wasn't talking about Walter. I was talking about people afflicted with Orthorexia.

[zonerboy]

Someone seems awfully defensive about the topic of orthorexia.

[Villages PL]

I wasn't talking about Walter. I was talking about people afflicted with Orthorexia.

How can anyone be afflicted with a bogus disease? There's no such disease except as imagined by the fast food industry or those who work for them, namely dietitians. Read the following link:

The Truth About Orthorexia | Raw Vegan Radio (http://www.rawveganradio.com/healthy-eaters-have-an-eating-disorder/)

[Barefoot]

How can anyone be afflicted with a bogus disease? There's no such disease except as imagined by the fast food industry or those who work for them, namely dietitians.


But that is just your opinion. I don't think it's imaginary or bogus. But I guess at one time, people didn't believe Anorexia was a real disease!

[Villages PL]

But that is just your opinion. I don't think it's imaginary or bogus. But I guess at one time, people didn't believe Anorexia was a real disease!

It's interesting that you haven't said the same about those who are promoting it as a disease. So far it's not clinically recognized as a disease. So it's only their opinion. Therefore, it's up to them to prove it and so far they haven't been able to. I don't think the burden should be on me to disprove something that hasn't been proven.

But I can tell you why I think it hasn't been officially accepted as a disease: They don't have any specifics on any of it. If they would say that going below a certain BMI is a sign of Orthorexia, then that would be something concrete. But the promoters don't want specifics, in my opinion. That wouldn't work for them because they want ALL healthy eaters to be under suspicion of having an unhealthy obsession. And the likely reason for that is because the fast-food industry is behind it.

[ilovetv]

It's interesting that you haven't said the same about those who are promoting it as a disease. So far it's not clinically recognized as a disease. So it's only their opinion. Therefore, it's up to them to prove it and so far they haven't been able to. I don't think the burden should be on me to disprove something that hasn't been proven.

But I can tell you why I think it hasen't been officially accepted a disease: They don't have any specifics on any of it. If they would say that going below a certain BMI is a sign of Orthorexia, then that would be something concrete. But they don't want specifics. That wouldn't work for them because they want ALL healthy eaters to be under suspicion of having an unhelthy obsession.

Orthorexia doesn't necessarily exhibit itself as a disease of body weight, malnutrition etc. It's a behavioral problem and maybe a psychiatric one, and actually "addiction" would be a better term to use than obsession. The person gets addicted to their grueling, expensive, punishing regimen and cannot stop.

The people I know well who have orthorexia have also been addicted to bingeing and purging (bulimia), anorexic, and alcoholic. They are addicts, I'm very sad to say.

[Polar Bear]

...the fast-food industry is behind it.

No paranoia here.

[Villages PL]

Orthorexia doesn't necessarily exhibit itself as a disease of body weight, malnutrition etc. It's a behavioral problem and maybe a psychiatric one, and actually "addiction" would be a better term to use than obsession. The person gets addicted to their grueling, expensive, punishing regimen and cannot stop.

You still don't have anything specific. It's too fuzzy. Saying that it's grueling, expensive and punishing, is your characterization of it. I could say the same about golfing, basketball and football.

The people I know well who have orthorexia have also been addicted to bingeing and purging (bulimia), anorexic, and alcoholic. They are addicts, I'm very sad to say.

They may have eating disorders and they may be alcoholic, but at this point we can't label them as having orthorexia. That's because there are no scientifically accepted parameters.

[Villages PL]

No paranoia here.

Well, if you notice, I said "the likely reason". You might imagine it's being promoted by some caring organization that just wants to be helpful. But, generally, nothing happens unless some organization stands to make money. Has any legitimate scientific organization stepped forward to endorse it? If not, who do you think is behind it?

I would rather be sceptical than gullible.

[Barefoot]

I don't think the burden should be on me to disprove something that hasn't been proven.

I don't think that anyone has placed a burden on you. I'm going to try to avoid this thread, it's making my head hurt.