I loved all the responses I received yesterday in regards to my progress post about giving your body a break! I actually wrote yesterday’s post in order to lead in to todays topic about orthorexia. Although orthorexia is not a medically recognized term, it has been a topic of concern in recent news.
sourceIn 1997, Steven Bratman coined the term orthorexia, defined as an ”unhealthy fixation with what the individual considers to be healthy eating.” While an anorexic desires to be thin, an orthorexic desires to be pure, healthy, and as natural as possible.
From that last statement, maybe there are those who would consider myself orthorexic. I enjoy the feeling of making healthy choices and learning about new nutritious foods to add in to my diet and other ingredients or chemicals to avoid. It’s no secret that I place Brandon and I’s health very high on my list of “to-do’s,” but I’m not orthorexic.
I am still very skeptical about any new nutritional promises that come on the market. I do my research and don’t follow an eating style just because it is what everyone else is doing (veganism, gluten-free, low-carb, high protein, etc). I honestly place NO restrictions on what I will or will not eat, I just choose not to eat certain foods or ingredients MOST of the time. That doesn’t mean there aren’t exceptions!
While I strongly believe it’s WONDERFUL when anyone wants to achieve optimal health, they must first be properly informed. If an individual is even a little misguided, they can suffer malnutrition, emaciation, and even death. They can take what they feel is “healthy,” to the extreme.
sourceI suggest that before eliminating complete food groups, giving yourself daily enemas, drinking or swallowing numerous supplements, or shunning your favorite foods, please see a dietitian.
This may sound bias, but dietitians have a stronger education in nutrition than a “nutritionist,” a physician, a certified health educator, a personal trainer, a fellow food blogger, and the like. No matter what type of eating style you desire to follow, a dietitian can guide you in a healthy direction. They will help dispel myths, answers questions, and lead you down a path of life-long health.
sourceQUESTION: What are your thoughts about orthorexia?
I hear you! I absolutely agree that you guys have the training and knowledge to give true nutritional advice. I’m getting tired of people saying they’re qualified to give advice because they’ve done some short course on nutrition that has a biased slant rather than being based in true science. Sorry if that sounds harsh; it’s just one of my peaves (if that makes sense). One day, if I go back to uni I’d like to be a dietitian or a dietetics nurse (if there’s such a thing!). x
I think anything in extreme is extreme. There is a difference between avoiding processed, in-organic, unhealthy foods and allowing that avoidance to become an obsession that takes over your life. Anything can become an obsession to an unhealthy degree – running, fantasy teams, video games, alcohol, sex…eating, not eating, only eating very specific foods. I would draw the line for myself when I allow my desire for “purity” (in food) to get in the way of my life. If I am avoiding seeing friends out, won’t compromise even in “dire straights” (ie, you have no organic or otherwise healthy options but you are starving so you just go for the chain-restaurant scrambled eggs and side of oatmeal, knowing that the oats are not steel-cut, and the eggs are not free-range…). You know you have a problem if you find that (thinking about food) is occupying all of your time. Otherwise, I feel that the USA needs to be less concerned with people being overly healthy and more concerned with putting so much crap on the shelves of grocery stores!
Great post! I think they plan to include this as a legitimate diagnosis in the next version of the DSM along with a bunch of other not otherwise specified disorders.
I think the prevalence is certainly on the rise, and I often see what I suspect is orthorexia in the health blogging community. A lot of times it seems that those who had struggled with other disordered eating habits in the past shift their anxieties to “healthy” eating, or a very specific diet – all natural, vegan, etc, etc. I’m not saying everyone who eats this way is suffering from orthorexia, but I believe a good percentage of them may be.
Andy Bellatti wrote a great post about this a couple weeks ago following a Today Show story. While I think anything can go too far, the “symptoms” of orthorexia such as reading ingredient labels and having a concern for what goes in your body isn’t, to me, a disorder.
Hi there! I’m a long time reader of your blog–but I think this is the first time I’ve commented!
It is great that you posted about this- not many people outside of the “healthy blog” world know about orthorexia!
I’m actually doing my thesis on orthorexia in college-aged students…I’m really interested in learning more about the disorder, and how it relates to other disorders such as anxiety and OCD.
I think that it could be so easy to “fall into” the criteria for orthorexia, particularly if a person is trying to lose weight and reading about a lot of different “diets” without researching them before they try them!
Thanks for spreading the word!!
Just getting caught up on my blog reading and I am so glad you touched on this subject. My best friend’s little sister was recently “diagnosed” with orthorexia, a concept I had never heard of before that. It intrigues me since I am a former bulimic, and now that I think about it, I believe I had orthorexia tendencies as well. While I’m not a dietitian, I feel that I can usually spot eating issues in friends and family members, and have serious concerns about a friend of mine and my MIL, who, I believe, both suffer from forms of orthorexia. It pains me to see them go through something like this, but sadly, I’m not sure what I can do because BOTH my friend and MIL truly believe they are “healthy,” while I watch them continually reform and restrict their diets.
Great post– I do think this is problem that is becoming more and more relevant in today’s society, as everyone becomes more and more obsessed with “superfoods,” gluten-free eating, eliminating all processed foods, etc. I understand that all of these things are wonderful when practiced in a moderate, healthy way…but I do think you can become too obsessed with the idea of living the “healthiest” life possible.
I think orthorexia may now be recognised within the catch all ‘eating disorder not otherwise specified’ category. It’s certainly something I’ve heard more about over recent years, and I can see how the ‘health’ messages can be taken to extremes by those who are vulnerable. I really believe that being able to make exceptions to healthy eating (for a birthday, or whatever) is just as important as eating healthily most of the time.
I think orthorexia will become more and more serious. It is a problem and it is disordered. I believe that “healthy eating” is being flexible and realistic…not obsessing over being SO clean and healthy all the time. I take what I put into my body very seriously overall…but also don’t fret and get too insane over it 100% of the time. If I go to a brunch wedding and eat some waffles for instance
not going to beat myself up!
I think orthorexia is now recognised in the catch all ‘eating disorder not otherwise specified’ category. I really believe that no matter what your beliefs and values, if you can’t make exceptions to strict or strictly healthy eating at times (on a birthday, if you’re out with friends and the menu isn’t your first choice, if it’s Christmas) then things aren’t quite right. Great discussion here
Great post Erin and a problem that is too often overlooked! So many people do not realize the way that stress can affect your health and stressing to be perfect is just part of that.
Great post, Erin. I think Orthorexia is going to start appearing more and more among both men and women alike. I’ve already seen it in some of my own clients, and it can be just as serious and heartbreaking as anorexia and bulimia. I know I am a very healthy eater, but like you said, I do not put any restrictions on what I eat (other than my IBS diet…obviously). I think the question you should always ask someone is, “does food stress you out or make you anxious?”. And it the answer is “yes”, there may be a problem.
I definitely think orthorexia is a real problem. I think theres definitely a line between what is healthy, and what’s just going too far. Its hard to say where the line is, but its there. People can easily take anything too far, even something thats meant to be a good thing.
I think it’s all about your approach and attitude towards it. Two people could be doing the same thing, but one person could have an obsession and one could approach what they’re doing with a completely healthy, balanced attitude. I think too if affects your social or everyday life it is unhealthy too.
this is definitely a very real problem. that picture of the very thin girl is scary!! never knew this term, thanks for sharing
I think orthorexia can definitely be real! There are people who restrict their food so much based on what they think it most healthy and might be vegan, gluten-free, all organic, and more. If that works for someone, that’s good. If they’re doing it just because they’ve read it’s “healthy,” then that might be a sign. Freaking out over eating one piece of candy or a cupcake at a birthday party might be a sign of orthorexia. I do try to eat the healthiest I can, but being healthy means I eat desserts or “unhealthy” food once in a while. Also, I hate the idea of classifying foods as “good” or “bad.”
I think that anything done to extreme poses risks. Like you, I try to avoid certain things like refined sugar MOST of the time but I also recognize that there will be occasions where I won’t or can’t. I am a big believer in finding a healthy balance that works for you!! I am loving these topics by the way!
I think this is a really good post, especially among healthy living bloggers. Real ‘health’ surely involves a relaxed attitude towards food, and if that means indulging in some ice cream and chocolate when you want it, then that is healthy. Being ‘afraid’ of eating certain foods or following a plan so religiously that you miss out on social activities is obviously problematic behaviour. Is easy to see how health messages can get skewed – I have a friend who proudly told me that she had not eaten ANY fat all week :/
You said, “I just choose not to eat certain foods or ingredients most of the time. That doesn’t mean there aren’t exceptions.” I’ll drink to that!
That’s exactly how I eat.
What a great post! I think this is something we are seeing more and more.
As a dietitian, I believe in moderation but also trying to lead as healthy a lifestyle as I can. I know there are times when I should be eating healthier, but I don’t ever want to feel as if I am being deprived. I love good food.
I define orthorexic behavior, for myself, as the desire to continue with healthy habits that negatively affects the other areas of my life, especially my relationships. I think part of living a healthy life is living balanced, and if I shy away from all social gatherings because I know the food provided will have preservatives and processed ingredients, and not be local and/or organic, I’m really not living a healthy lifestyle at all.
For me, my balance is this. I try to keep my groceries as natural/organic, local, and as whole-food-oriented as reasonable for my geography and what’s available to me. I buy my meat from a local rancher who uses sustainable practices…because I can, and for our family, it is reasonable. But I do not shy away from eating out when invited by friends, even though I know absolutely nothing will be organic or local, and any meat I have will be factory farmed and cooked in soybean oil. I do not turn up my nose when someone offers me a homemade muffin made with white flour and sugar. I try to practice good manners and accept good hospitality without complaint.
Of course, there are times when I’m legitimately not hungry or I’ve had too much grease, beans, and/or gluten and my stomach is turning inside out. And I do still tend to gravitate toward healthier choices simply because I know that’s what my tasebuds and my body like. But for the most part, I try to keep it balanced.
My boss brought this to my attention when she heard about it. I don’t think she really thought I had it, but just her bringing it to my attention made sort of stop and think about how people might see my healthy choices. I’m with you, I choose to eat or not eat certain foods based on the way they make my body feel. If it is going to make me tired or cranky, why eat it? If it is going to protect me from getting sick, bring it on!
I think that anything can have a label and, in turn, labels are entirely overused. For example, you try to follow a balanced lifestyle and eat everything in moderation. Therefore you suffer from moderexia. Labels always seem to have a negative stigma and can even make the most normal life sound bad. For example, normalexic. See what I mean? In the end all the labels just sound silly.
Great post lady! I wrote about this a few months ago… this was my take on it
http://amazingasset.com/a-new-eating-disorder-and-giveaway-winner/ feel free to check it out if you would like!!
Great post lady! I wrote about this a few months ago… this was my take on it
http://amazingasset.com/a-new-eating-disorder-and-giveaway-winner/ feel free to check it out if you would like!
ok that is a scary picture of that girl
I definitely desire to be as pure, healthy, and as natural as possible but don’t consider it and unhealthy desire. I don’t follow any specific diet either although most of my meals do fit the category of gluten-free/vegan. I just do what feels best to me =)
I can definitely see that being a problem–it’s easy to get carried away with only eating the “right” thing, and I catch myself wondering if I obsess too much about being healthy–but then I just have cookies for dinner and everything alright again
Great topic, especially after the post I wrote yesterday about what it means to be healthy! I totally agree with you that it is possible to be too attentive to one’s health, eating habits, etc. It’s all about maintaining a good balance, and when people focus too intensely on trying to be perfect and making only the healthiest choices, things can get out of hand. Thanks for highlighting this Erin!
I think it’s a very real thing. Kind of goes against the “everything is good in moderation” that I believe in. You know what I mean? People can go overboard without realizing it- leading to possibly harmful results (such as a more harmful disorder).