We’re all taught thathealthy eatingis important not only for fitness, but for living a long life.
For many of us, that means eating whole foods and trying to stay away from processed junk.
Most people consider me a very healthy person.
But some believe my diet is not healthy at all.
That it is actually a telltale sign of disordered eating.
Not anorexia or bulimia, but orthorexia, which is a sign that being too healthy has become unhealthy.
What is orthorexia?
The term orthorexia was created by Dr. Steven Bratman in 1997.
It literally translates to “fixation on righteous eating.
“Orthomeaning “right” andorexismeaning appetite or diet.
It was not originally intended to be a diagnosis.
Over time, however, he realized he was on to something.
Dieting on its own does not assume this condition.
Bratman makes that very clear.
Veganism, gluten-free dieters, even the health-conscious label readers like me, do not an orthorexic make.
There’s a line.
Is it a ‘real’ disorder?
Orthorexia is not yet recognized by theDSM.
Or by the American Psychiatric Association.
Even Bratman admits giving yet another set of human behaviors a pathological label is not contributing to the solution.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Certified Weight Management Specialist, and Certified Nutrition Coach,Dr.
Who is prone to it?
She fit the bill perfectly for the orthorexic jot down- A.
What are the signs and symptoms?
Eat organic, whole and unprocessed foods.
Avoid too much sugar.
Eat more meals at home or prepare meals to take on-the-go.
The problem is when these guidelines become rules, and the rules become unbreakable.
A telltale sign is when the diet escalates.
The “good” list gets shorter.
The “bad” list just keeps growing.
And sometimes, you tack on more diet theories to the already-rigid one you’re currently following.
Dr. Williams explains that orthorexia can look different for different people.
Why is this happening?
Some say it’s a backlash to the obesity epidemic.
We’ve all heard the statistics.
More than one-third (36.5 percent) of US adults areobese.
More than 29 million people suffer from diabetes.
Oh, and let’s not forgetheart disease.
One in four people die of it in the United States every year.
But the rise in obesity alone is not necessarily the reason people are going to dieting extremes.
According to many practitioners, there’s a catalyst.
It exists in our homes, in our hands, pretty much everywhere we go.
Social media influence
Social media is healthy eating’s megaphone.
According toone study,50 percent of consumers learn about food through Twitter and Facebook.
Another 40 percent say they learn about it via websites, apps or blogs.
Heather Lehman, MS, author ofDon’t Eat It.
She has conducted over 3,000 health coaching sessions where she says, addressing orthorexia is the most common goal.
Is all dieting bad?
Sure, there are some extreme diets out there.
Fromcabbage soupdiet, tograpefruit, people are willing to do (and eat) anything to lose weight.
But the diets in question here are the ones that start for good reason.
That’s why Shannon Werner, PhD, started paleo.
“As a scientist, I had to knowwhymy health was crumbling.
In her opinion, it’s not the diets themselves that are dangerous.
It’s the way we all use Google to self-diagnose.
So what can we do to stay healthy, but not ‘too’ healthy?
Psychotherapist and eating disorder specialist,Carolyn Karollhas a very clear answer.
She reminds her patients food is just as much about pleasure as it is about function.
Food, after all, is an emotional experience.
“What is healthy is not some grand definition.
And stop being so hard on ourselves,” says Karoll.
