Although the condition has recently been recognized as a new eating disorder, it is fast becoming a health concern for people with what has been coined “orthorexia nervosa.” The term means ortho means “right or correct” and the term orexis means appetite. Together, the term signifies a fixation on correct eating behaviors and was first identified by Dr. Steven Bratman who suffers from the disorder himself. Bratman is a holistic physician practicing in Ft. Collins, Colorado, who is author of the book, Health Food Junkies, and “Alternative Medicine Sourcebook: A Realistic Evaluation of Alternative Healing Methods.”
Basically, these are individuals who have a preoccupation with healthy foods such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. These are considered “good” foods. Everything else is classified as “bad.” Furthermore, if they happen to give in to something they deem unhealthy, perhaps a cup of coffee (caffeine), they self-punish with exceptionally stricter eating, fasts and exercise.
Who would think that eating healthy would pose health risks? The issue lies not in the foods they are eating, but in what they are not eating couple with what they are thinking. A very restrictive diet coupled with an obsession with food can lead to a lack of poor nutrient balance. In addition, it can lead to the consumption of far fewer calories than what would be needed for daily survival. The human body’s needs vary based on gender, age, weight and height. Once you determine your basal metabolic rate (BMR), you can determine how many calories you need if you simply slept all day. In general, those calories are about 1200 for women and 1800 for men. With orthorexia, a person could literally eat vegetables all day and not consume 500 calories. That puts the body at a dangerous risk for disease and sickness.
Recent scientific studies have found several common characteristics among those with this condition. They believe that being overweight is a sign of weakness, they disapprove of people who do not eat like they do, they believe the most people can be blamed for their own diseases for what they consume, and they spend a significant amount of time preparing their meals.
This type of behavior is not considered a weight loss type of regime. It is an intense phobia about eating only “pure” food. Anything else is off limits, permanently. What’s interesting about the characteristics of someone with orthorexia is that their food intake is far more important than their personal values, interpersonal relationships, careers, family, and friends. Therefore, besides the potential of consuming too few calories to survive, they have also placed themselves into social isolation because of it.
Psychiatrists have developed a test to determine a diagnosis. Many of the questions revolve around your thoughts and feelings about food, diet, and life in general. It seems to fine to be concerned about your dietary intake, most of us do. However, it is not healthy to be obsessed with it. Bratman stresses that a healthy diet and being concerned about your foods is not an issue. It only becomes an issue when you add the following:
1. it is taking up an inordinate amount of time and attention in your life
2. deviating from the diet causes extreme guilt and punishment
3. it causes you to avoid others and become socially isolated
Our world is consumed with the concept of “health” foods. We have low-fat, no-fat, low-carb, no sugar, caffeine-free, and so on. Couple that with the society’s fixation on being thin and it is very easy to fall victim to the orthorexia mindset, especially if you are already vulnerable through low self-esteem.
If you think you might be a victim on orthorexia nervosa, you might want to talk with your doctor or a psychologist about the condition.
Works used for this article:
Bratman, S. (1997). Health Food Junkie. Obsession with dietary perfection can sometimes do more harm than good, says one who has been there. Retrieved from http://www.beyondveg.com/bratman-s/hfj/hf-junkie-1a.shtml
Brytek-Matera, A. (2012). Orthorexia nervosa – an eating
disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder or disturbed eating habit? Archives of
Psychiatry & Psychotherapy, 14(1), 55-60.
Collins, S. (2014). Approximately how many calories do you
need to survive? Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/300423-approximately-many-calories-survive/
Kratina, K. (n.d.). Orthorexia nervosa. Retrieved from https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/orthorexia-nervosa
Varga, M., Konkoly Thege, B., Dukay-Szabo, S., Tury, F., and
van Furth, E. F. (2014). When eating healthy is not healthy: orthorexia nervosa
and its measurement with the ORTO-15 in Hungary. BMC Psychiatry, 14(1), 1-23.
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