When eating healthy becomes an unhealthy obsession.
 

An interesting opinion !
 

"No thanks" on the ding-dong ~ but an informative article :spoken:

You refer to the reference the author makes that one ding-dong isn't going to clog your arteries?

I have a question about the first sentence in the article: "There's a fine line between including foods deemed healthy in your diet and eating nothing but!"

The author admits that there's no such disorder as orthorexia and she can't describe what foods need to be eaten so as not to be orthorexic. Therefore, a parent of a teenager, for example, might just imagine that their child is being too fussy and call a dietition. This article is exactly what I would expect from a dietition: The idea is to find a brand new disorder and some day make it official so that there will be one more problem requiring their services. Ca-ching $$$$ :eclipsee_gold_cup:

I have this disease. Not fun, but I don't like much food anymore. My husband says that I only eat air. I only eat beans, rice, and raisin bran. Everything else makes me so sick when i eat it. Thanks Gracie for letting people know about this problem.

Very interesting article thanks for posting it Gracie. This reinforces what I try to practice----"everything" in moderation.

methinks it is an author looking for their 15 minutes of fame.

And of course what better way than to flirt with the main stream media to see if they will help senstionalize the subject.

This is like the one wher you can get cancer from grilled steaks.......if you eat 4000 pounds of it per day!!:laugh:

btk

I do find this an interesting topic. Google has many hits and articles about said subject, including MayoClinic.com which recognizes the symtoms as potentially falling into the mental health realm.
It bears reading and surely will continue to be a topic of study.:agree:

"What is so wrong with wanting to educate people on the benefits of 'good food' and the perils of 'bad' food anyway? The answer is in the latter. By eliminating entire groups of food and purporting their evil effects on everyone, even the casual orthorexic marks a dotted path to an elite, exclusive club. That dotted line emerges solid, bold and threatening on the other side of militant campaigns, member-only social networking sites, and exclusive gatherings.

The significance of sharing food slowly disappears from the militant, prostheletizing orthorexic's inventory of experiences. Time is spent alone campaigning, bulking up arguments that disparage meat, cheese, cooking food...not cooking food. These processes of slowly withdrawing from the full experience and commensality of sourcing, preparing, combining and sharing food threaten the orthorexic's continued participation in the seeking of pleasure in community.

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/ort...-way-eat-right

Thanks for sharing. Believe it or not, we've seen that syndrome in action for many years now.........probably longer than a decade or so.

Eating sparingly from all the food groups with a heavy concentration on the fruits and vegetables is smart. NOT eating a lot of junk food is smart.

However, when adults cannot even attend a wedding celebration where the hosts have gone to great lengths to provide "stations" of every food imaginable (buffet style and served at the table) such as these "over the top" weddings nowadays..........and still we can hear someone chime in, "There's nothing here I can eat". Ditto for the rehearsal dinners for out of state guests the night before the wedding....given at great expense by the hosts.

I'm serious. We've heard that so often at various functions. It's either lactose intolerant, diverticulitis, vegetarian, heart healthy diet, etc.........many more.

As if eating free range organic roast chicken for one meal is going to kill someone.............when nearby is all the "field greens" one could want plus abundant fruit selections, rices, veggies, etc.

I "get" the staying away from the prime rib roasts and hams etc...but staying away from the manicotti because it has ricotta cheese in it? There were also oriental food selections which were predominately vegetarian but they were perceived to have MSG, etc. in their preparation.....so the "chef" was called in. These were big hotel affairs.
Beautifully presented delicious foods.

This isn't just the trend at weddings or big celebratory functions but also at home parties..........where in the not so recent past, a hostess went out of their way to put out a "good spread" and spent hours and hours preparing the food..........only to hear, "Oh, I can't eat anything here".

I also "get" that some take very seriously what their doctors advise after a cardiac "incident" and such..........but platters of fruit, crudites (raw veggies)....a no no? Well, they have diverticulitis. I understand that as well.

Everyone has something.

It's very very difficult to know what to prepare even when someone thinks of every possible dietary concern.

Who else has run into this problem in the past ten to twenty years?

Prior to that, people were thrilled to chow down on something they didn't get to enjoy on a regular basis.........if only for a few hours.

Dietary restrictions have taken all the joy out of cooking.
Luckily, we still know plenty of folks who are not fussy.

Anyone out there who eats what they please?

Oh, and the ones who do "beg off" with their empty plate......then proceed to pull out their little "baggies" with all the supplements (which replace the food nutrients of the food they couldn't eat). Do some research on all of these vitamins and mineral supplements and how they were sourced or outsourced.

Years and years ago, the immigrants only had "sweets" and such on the big holidays like Christmas, Easter, a wedding, etc..........granted, now there is TOO MUCH FOOD at our disposal..........however, being fussy to the point of "there's nothing here I can eat"......is taking it to the extreme.

GOOD ARTICLE.......even if I went off topic. Thankfully, my husband eats everything and enjoys it.

**I should add that some of the above mentioned folks are borderline or actual hypochondriacs as they practically have a doctor appointment lined up for every day of the week........or every other day, for some others.

Life is short. No doubt about it. But, we should enjoy the time we have and not obsess over food. At our age, we should all know what is healthy and what should be eaten in moderation.

I liked your input senior c, it was honest..... and I've been there!

I have had many an experience of having dinner guests who flip from one way of eating to another from visit to visit, so just when you think you have it down pat and can accommodate them amidst the rest of the guests, the food list (or the source of it and preparation requirements) that they will ingest has changed. Of course, they announce that when you are serving.
(and I was a vegetarian in the past, so I know how to make lots of this stuff and source it well!)
This speaks to Gracie's link: GREAT ARTICLE, GRACIE!!!!!

I now tell guests (at the time I extend the invite) what I will be serving, period.

If my menu is not to their tastes, I tell them it's totally acceptable for them to decline. Stop by afterward for coffee... (unless the coffee preparation has to be done while jumping through hoops)... or don't. It doesn't offend me.

Smart lady. Good thinking.

I didn't think I would ever say this but that was a good post. It held my interest and parts of it even made me laugh. You mentioned how people would say "there's nothing here I can eat" when actually there was plenty to choose from. Well, I think those people are being somewhat rude and thoughtless to the host who went to a lot of trouble. I haven't been to a wedding reception for several decades but if I did get invited I would not complain about the food. I can't see doing that. It's just plain rude.

I told how I went to the birthday party of a man who was 100 years old. It was free and open to the public. I ate chicken because it was at KFC. And, don't tell anyone, I even had a piece of birthday cake. Having a piece of birthday cake once every 10 years is what I call "moderation". :icon_wink:

I'm sorry to hear about your problem but I'm also sorry to say that you don't fit into the category of being orthorexic. Furthermore, you described it as a disease when orthorexia is not even a bonified disorder.

"Moderation" is practically meaningless because it's totally subjective. I once knew an obese woman who claimed that she ate everything in moderation.

Well, you are invited if and when I end up in TV and I assure you I can cook anything vegetarian and/or vegan.

KFC is tasty but has "Accent" in it.....monosodium glutamate.
If you take the skin off the chicken......you save that unhealthy part.

What I'd like to know is what you eat when you go to the GOLDEN CORRAL???? The salad bar? Make sure there are no sulfites on it.

Glad you had a chuckle.......I also have a sense of humor.....but somtimes you come across as a bit rigid.........if truth be told.

As far as the wedding receptions......I'd say that finally all of the neices, nephews, adult children, adult neighbors children, etc. are married.....

The next round of weddings will be the grandchildren........but not for awhile yet.

I also would host large holiday parties for our employees and neighbors, friends, etc. There was the bunch that would partake of everything and enjoy it .........and then there were the fussiest of the fussy.

You know, because I've told you, about the vegetarians and vegans who are (or were, as they are dead now) avid cyclists and sports enthusiasts, who were quite fussy also........regarding their food.........all stick thin.
Unfortunately, they all died of cancer. It's the truth. Not an anecdote as you like to call these remembrances. They ate so sparingly with no "fats" at all added to their food........even their salads were raw and unadulterated with salad dressing.......not even plain wine vinegar and olive oil. Plain eating.......and yet they are dead.

I'd say, indulge yourself occasionally and you will live a happier longer life.
I'm sure you are basically a healthy person by nature and will achieve your goal of a long life. More power to you.

By any chance does the Mayo Clinic offer mental health counseling? Ca-ching! ($$$$) Industry, including healthcare, wants in on this lucrative venture.

Orthorexia is not even a disorder. It makes me think that this has all been dreamed up by the food industry. In case anyone hasn't noticed there's a food war going on between health advocates and the food industry.

It's already known that the food industry hires dietitions and nutritionists to plead their case that "there's no such thing as bad food". There's a doctor of nutrition in central Florida that speaks out over the airwaves to say exactly that. And, by the way, she forgets to tell people that she works for a major supermarket chain.

And I went to a lecture given by a dietition, back when I belonged to The Wellness Center. She worked for the same supermarket chain and she also said "there's no such thing as bad food".

So what is to stop the food industry from coming up with the idea of orthorexia and having someone like a dietition or nutritionist write about it and post it on the internet? The idea being that if anyone tries too hard to support good eating habits, that person can be called orthorexic.

...

My viewpoint is that we should all eat in moderation with moderation being defined as portion control and maintaining a healthy weight. Some people have medical considerations that require eating certain foods or some people like to eat healthy.

I agree that breaking down and eating some foods outside of what is considered healthy sd good for us psychologically. With that being said, an occasional treat is not the end of the world, as we know it.

The article says that some people will not go out to eat with friends and that's a little extreme for me.

Just sayin.........

If you'd ever lived with somebody who is addicted to their rituals of righteous grocery shopping, food storage, cooking, picky eating, and droning that implies everyone else is an ignorant slob who doesn't know how to eat, you would know that orthorexia is a real mental illness, regardless of whether it is classified in the DSM (Diagnosis & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) for getting bills paid by insurance or government.

Worse yet is living with, or seeing next door, parents who inflict this disordered thinking and jail-like lifestyle on their innocent little kids in their most formative years.

We actually had neighbors whose kids would roam the (upscale) neighborhood, looking for food from other moms who allowed their kids to eat normally (which means allowed them to have a snack when they got home from school instead of forcing "no snacking" on them).

In the DSM, the other main eating disorders described here encompass much of what orthorexic behavior is:

Eating Disorders | psychiatry.org

They were jolly and ate with gusto
 

That's a great post. Another aspect of carrying things too far with regard to perceived healthy eating.

We've known people who limit their kids to plain water rather than milk or juice. Chocolate milk is poison in their minds. One family belonged to a Chiropractor in town who just happened to buy a home next door to us. They had seven children who were severely limited in what they could eat. My daughter, 16, at the time....was an occasional babysitter.
The mom, college educated like the dad, would write a list of what she could and could not give the children.........only beverages to be had: water. No snacks at all. They were vegetarians and I believe adopted the B'hai faith........eventually moved to Uraguay? South America.

Whether or not cows milk is popular today or not, ours had milk, juices and an occasional chocolate milk. Lemonade in the summertime. Water was not the "in thing" then.

I never ever rationed food. We had ice cream in the freezer for them and their friends. Big bowls of fruit on the kitchen island....to take as they pleased. Never rationed a thing. Both were thin healthy kids, thin healthy teens and now thin healthy adults.

Whereas I had another neighbor who also rationed food and her kids are all seriously obese........as they felt deprived. Go figure.

We also served all different types of ethnic meals.

I even made Mushu Pork in the little pancakes after we enjoyed it in Washington, D.C. Always tried various cousines and both still enjoy exotic foods............where other kids we know grew up to be picky eaters.

It's when a BIG DEAL is made out of eating or not eating.
I think people should just eat when they are hungry.
They say 6 "small" meals a day is ideal to keep one's blood sugar up.
They are not saying to gorge six times a day......but a healthy snack here and there.

But, GREAT POST ABOVE..........it's probably easier to do the righteous grocery shopping if one is single, never married and never had children.
Then you can eat what you alone desire. But, when you have a family and the children bring home friends.......you want to have kid friendly snacks around. I was one of those cookie baking moms.....so when they came home from school, always with friends in tow........they had fresh cookies. It didn't kill them and I used oatmeal and raisins and nuts.
Plus chocolate chips. Ginger, etc. Molasses, etc. I had the luxury of being a stay at home mom...........and our house was always open to the friends...........they all turned out well, thankfully.

Rigidity in any form is not healthy.......especially as you say, for the person living with them or near them.

I may have been five years old but I still remember those years at my Italian grandmother's dining table......with many generations of inlaws and outlaws........never once heard anyone say "I can't eat that" or "I have this or that ailment"........they just were jolly and ate with gusto and all lived into their 90's. Anyone that remembers all the dishes and plates on top of plates plus all the "various courses" of an Italian family dinner, will know what I'm talking about.............the miracle in my mind is how they did it from those tiny kitchens??? Must have been that home made Italian vino.

I think your definition is fine as far as it goes. I would just add this: For most people, especially the elderly, the foods to be eaten (in moderation) should be non-processed foods. That's because the older we get the harder it is to "cheat" and maintain a healthy weight. And the older we get the harder it is for our digestive system to absorb nutrients. So we need the maximum nutrients possible from healthy whole foods.

As most of us know, there's no shortage of overweight seniors (about 70%) and no shortage of seniors taking multiple medications (about 9 out of 10). And yet the average senior will claim to eat a balanced diet in moderation. So something doesn't add up. I think most people are addicted to processed foods and are in denial. After eating processed foods for several decades throughout their lives, it ends up looking normal. Therefore, careful eaters, to them, look abnormal (orthorexic).

Ah yes. Set 'em up Joe.
 

I can't catch orthoexia I grew up with an Italian mother:D

Since I have moved to the villages and have been exposed to REAL Italian cooking by REAL Italian cooks..THIS German descendant is feeling a little bit of ethnic origin envy. What yummy stuff Italians know how to fix!

Tonight we are having one Italian inspired side. Fresh spinach wilted in hot olive oil that has sauteed garlic in it. Yum.

The problem with anecdotes is: There are always plenty of anecdotes that can "prove" the exact opposite. Here's a real life example:

My aunt Lucy felt like she had been deprived of candy when she was a child, but she never became overweight as an adult. However, she made up her mind at an early age that she didn't want her children to grow up feeling deprived. So she made it a point to always keep a large bowl of candy in the kitchen and told her children that they could take as much as they wanted at any time of the day.

She had four boys and one, who was a controlled drinker, died at age 60 of liver cancer. The other three are drinkers as well and sport large waistlines. They grew up with poor eating habits because, without proper supervision, they often ate candy right before meals. She, for example, would make a salad and her boys would typically take only a tablespoon of salad with their meals. In addition to the one with liver cancer, another one had thyroid cancer and had his thyroid removed at sometime around his early 20s.

So, in that case, I don't see anything that was gained by being permissive. If anything, they were harmed by the fact that they didn't learn good eating habits as they were growing up.

So then you'd have a scenario where--as it was with my neighbors who deprived their kids of everything they had a taste for--if the mom had kept candy hidden from plain sight or never bought any, the kids would get it from neighbors or buy it, and then hide it under their mattress.....where they could eat 3 lbs. of it in the dark before sleeping....and rot their teeth besides getting obese.

The lesson of "forbidden fruit" has many other lessons to be learned in it.

I like your active imagination where you see them getting candy from their neighbors. That's assuming that the neighbors are permissive and have loads of candy just waiting to be distributed, on a regular basis, to anyone who's going through withdrawl. It makes sugar look like a serious drug addiction.

The kid says to the neighbor: "Please, please, do you have any candy for me today? I can't stand being without it, I need it.." In that case, if the neighbor has a backbone, she would say, "NO, go home and eat your lunch."

As far as buying it: 1) I don't recall them having money at a young age and 2) there were no nearby stores.

What do they do today when a kid doesn't get any candy, or not enough candy? Do they report it to the state as child abuse? :1rotfl:

I often wonder if you have children.

When I taught we would have what I called "food moms" who would not allow their child to have sweets when they were sent in for holiday parties. or requested...STRONGLY that holiday parties have snacks like carrots or fruit.

I always knew the food moms loved their children deeply but I always thought that if they allowed a child an occasional sugar treat it would not kill them. Obviously for children with juvenile diabetes, it was a much easier plan. We just didn't have sugary treats EVER...and the same for peanut allergies.

I was faced with deciding if we should not have any food treats at parties, or have only healthy ones which aren't all that ....um...festive.

When I had a food mom which was not every year....I would just say no treats. It was too hard to watch the child who couldn't have the iced pumpkin cookie eat his packet of raisins. Remember, I taught five and six year olds.

We all survived. I wonder what happened to the little ones whose moms were so strict about food?

Were you young enough to be in my class Villages Pl?

Love it. Gracie, I grew up on that and I always ate my spinach....whereas in public school cafeteria, kids would turn up their noses at the spinach on the lunch trays.

Try the garlic sauteed in olive oil over steamed broccoli.
Another great way to enjoy your vegetables.

Garlic is a natural antibiotic.......plus, garlic keeps the vampires away.

I think depending on your eating habits they may not be an obsession rather a 'way of life'

I laugh when friends say oh you two can't eat this or that,
(being vegans) of course we can, we chose not to. :shrug:

From other things you've posted, cancer does seem to run in your family, so perhaps their bad luck was due to their genetics? Or environmental reasons if they were raised in what is frequently called a "smokestack environment". I've never heard of sugar causing cancer. Now, perhaps aspertame or other sugar substitutes might be a culprit.....and of course, today's food is loaded with high fructose corn syrup. Everything corn.
Too much corn is not good for one's health in general.

I understand the need to restrict sugary snacks in those with childhood diabetes , however, when our two children were in elementary school there was only one little girl who suffered from that malady. Everyone knew not to give her a candy bar or cookie.

What would Halloween be for children of all ages without their treats????

As Gracie asked, have you ever had children?????

I still remember bringing in huge trays of home made sugar cookies for whatever season it was.....to my kids' classroom...decorated with food colored frosting and cookies shaped to represent either Christmas, Halloween, you name it. They were a huge success. No one gorged on cookies. It was a special treat.

Ditto for their birthday cakes and such........

Any mom or dad who has had children........know that a carrot stick or celery stick or box of raisins, although a healthy snack otherwise, does not spell "celebration".

Ditto, I never restricted juice or milk..........water was not the beverage of choice back in the 1960's, 1970's, 1980's when we had children at home.
Now, we all drink water.......constantly. I also fed all of my kids' friends who were always welcomed in our home..........plus the neighborhood kids. They are all still alive and well with families of their own.

We also did not drive through the fast food drive up window every morning for breakfast, lunch and dinner..........I cooked three meals at home.

Except on school days when they ate the cafeteria food. But they went off with a good breakfast and came home to COOKIES AND MILK.....then a nourishing supper............and maybe cookies and milk again before bed.

I always had a HUGE seasonal fruit bowl on my kitchen island........that they could take from, as they pleased. They still are big fruit eaters......and big salad eaters.
Not to mention big veggie eaters. I deprived them of no foods at all. They learned to make wise choices.

Heavens to Betsy......home baked chocolate chip cookies and milk.
Vermont is the dairy state after all and it's been said we have more cows than people........so more power to the cows.

My two are middle aged adults now with families of their own. They are tall, THIN, and healthy.....and highly intelligent. Never have had cancer or any other serious disease, Thank God. They both have high I.Q.'s.

Their Halloween candy and cookies and milk did not do any harm.
They eat a healthy diet now that goes with "TODAY'S" nutritional standards..........but still give their kids an occasional treat.

It's when one BANS a food substance that it becomes an obsessive thought.

Giving a kid a cookie or candy bar on Halloween is NOT being permissive.
Baking them cupcakes for school birthday parties is NOT being permissive.

Do you know any little children personally?????

Someday, when you are in the mood, I'd be happy to see a list of what you consume for breakfast, lunch and dinner.......plus any healthy snacks throughout the day? When one sets themselves up as a role model, it would be helpful to see the exact menu of choice.

The ones I've known who were so rigid in their eating habits were not necessarily healthy and they are all dead now. One of our favorite beverages is a nice big glass of Sunsweet prune juice with the pulp.
Can't recommend it enough. Regular prunes are good, as well. Raisins too, of course.

I've tried putting my hubby on a "sugar free", "dessert free" regime....by not bringing it into the home (except on special occasions such as celebratory holidays)......well, guess what? He can drive himself to the supermarket and stock up on his favorite ice creams, doughnuts, etc.

He will eat the fruit and yoghurt I put in front of him..........but wouldn't choose that in place of a doughnut. But, I do sneak in all the healthful snacks I can.

But vive le difference. Everyone's viewpoint is valuable. The most boring thing would be for all of us to be clones of each other.

O.K.....so you do have some redeeming qualities with regard to food consumption.....(said with a smile). Ditto for the birthday cake. I'm happy to hear that....and glad I went back to read some old posts.

Was the KFC good? We are having that for lunch today (huge bucket of the crispy version) with the sides of cole slaw, etc., etc., etc...........just don't feel like cooking as we are beginning some spring chores. Only bad thing about the KFC is it contains ACCENT , another term for MSG. Monosodium Glutamate....a flavor enhanser.

Also, you've mentioned in the past that you've eaten at the Golden Corral.
Isn't that a steak restaurant?????? Or, what exactly is on their menu?

Enjoy your posts, rigid as they might be.....with regard to food or lack thereof. Hard to believe you are of Italian descent. I'll bet the new pope would eat my cooking..........and he is frugal and prefers a simple existence.......I'm going to send him some of my leftover baked ziti....came out very creamy with the excellent ricotta cheese. Vegans do not eat ricotta, correct? Or mozarella?

I know U know the answer to that, it has a 'mother'

Meaning if it has a "face" don't eat it? Like a Vermont cow?
Just teasing.

Our niece shuns all meat and dairy (the dairy because she is lactose intolerant, but also the meat as a slight boycott of her dad's meat business).

Another niece eats dairy in the form of cheese and such, but absolutely no "flesh"....no matter what the animal is.

Both girls chose this way of eating in high school.

So, ricotta cheese has a mother? What about a father?

Would you guys eat stuffed zucchini (stuffed with veggies, bread crumbs, etc. no meat) but if it was "held together" with a bit of mozarella before putting into the zucchini "boats".........very yummy, with very little non fat mozarella cheese. Par boil shells, concoct filling, refill boats and then bake in oven. I do the same with eggplant.....but I do add ground sausage meat to that.........eggplant halves; baked.

What do U think?

Yep. But no one killed it's mom to get the milk..

I am going to look at my canine teeth in the mirror. I have a terrible feeling they are growing.

Gracie, we could get into the teeth not being designed to eat meat, but that would take us into a totally different direction.

I have nothing against Italians, after all, I am Italian. But I don't eat any of the standard Italian dishes that you might consider "yummy". I've been living in the villages for almost 14 years and I think I went to an Italian restaurant only twice, and both times I was disappointed.

What does Italian food mostly consist of? It's mostly high in starch, fatty/salty cheeses and fatty/salty meats. How about a big dish of spaghetti with fatty/salty grated cheese and fatty/salty meatballs? That's typical and many other dishes are variations of that. The vegetables are skimpy and merely an after thought.