Orthorexia Nervosa - healthy eating obsession
- Poster: Broxy
- Tue May 12, 2009 11:51 am
Orthorexia nervosa is defined as an obsession with eating to improve health. Those who suffer from orthorexia have an unhealthy obsession with healthy eating. The condition orthorexia comes from the Greek word “ortho”, meaning straight/correct and “orexia”, meaning appetite. Dr.Steven Bratman, an MD who specializes in treating eating disorders, has seen many people in his practice with strict food habits, such as vegans (vegetarians who eat no eggs, dairy or animal products), raw food followers, and people who follow the strict food rules of macrobiotics [Dietitians of Canada; Addiction, Mental Health, and Eating Disorder Network, 2009].
The term “orthorexia nervosa” is a label given to those who push interest in normally healthy foods to extreme levels. Experts believe that the condition can begin with a desire to overcome illness or to simply improve general health, but over time, what they eat, how much, and the consequences of dietary restrictions come to occupy a greater and greater proportion of a person’s day. It becomes a way of life filled with concern for the quality of food being consumed. When a person suffering with orthorexia nervosa slips up from the “perfect” diet, they may resort to extreme acts of self-discipline including further restriction.
Orthorexia shows close links to anorexia nervosa (AN) or an eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS). There is an obsession about food and restricting what they eat, for example, cutting out fat, or whole food groups, often seen in those suffering from AN [Dietitians of Canada; Addiction, Mental Health, and Eating Disorder Network, 2009].
By no means is this post suggesting that I think anyone in the gym has this condition. However, with a background in Foods & Nutrition and Life Sciences (two B.Sc.’s) I often listen intently when people discuss their views on healthy eating and various diets (i.e. The Zone, Paleo, etc.) that seem to be popular with CrossFitters. Sometimes I leave the gym wondering, “Can someone really eat the same 10-15 items every single day, seven days a week, and NOT get bored of the routine?” or “I wonder how weighing exact portions of foods works when visiting friends, family, or out to dinner at a restaurant… or is that a part of their social life they can no longer fully partake in due to their food restrictions?”
To quote Ellyn Satter, a Registered Dietitian and Social Worker who has been writing on this topic for a decade or more, “Normal eating is being able to eat when you are hungry and continue to eating until you are satisfied. It is being able to choose food you like and eat it and truly get enough of it – not just stop eating because you think you should. Normal eating is being able to use some moderate constraint in your food selection to get the right food, but not being so restrictive that you miss out on pleasurable foods. Normal eating is giving yourself permission to eat sometimes because you are happy, sad or bored, or just because it feels good…Normal eating is trusting your body to make up for your mistakes in eating. Normal eating takes up some of your time and attention, but KEEPS ITS PLACE AS ONLY ONE AREA OF YOUR LIFE. In short, normal eating is flexible. It varies in response to your emotions, your schedule, your hunger, and your proximity to food”. [From Ellyn Satter’s book “How to Get Your Kid to Eat But Not Too Much”]
So here is my two cents on “healthy eating”:
Healthy eating is eating a variety of foods, from all of the four food groups, in moderation. Enjoying delicious and healthy food is one of life's pleasures. Today's dietitians have an approach to healthy eating called, the total diet approach. This means that no food should be labelled as good or bad. In fact, all foods can be part of healthy eating patterns. A healthy diet is one that is based on moderation, and variety, not restriction, and combined with regular physical exercise, can help individuals achieve an appropriate, maintainable bodyweight for life.
