Could you be suffering from orthorexia nervosa?
You say you never heard of orthorexia nervosa? Well, neither had I until I read Jenny Thompson′s article "April [Fool′s Day] in August" in the September 8, 2009 edition of the HSI e-Alert (1). Here is how she introduced the subject:
"Do you read nutrition labels to avoid hidden trans fats, harmful additives, and sugar-substitutes? Do you choose organic foods to keep your intake of pesticides and herbides to a minimum? Do you even go out of your way to purchase free-range meat so you′ll get a maximum of omega-3 fatty acids and a minimum of trace antibiotics and growth hormones? If you answered yes to any of these questions, don′t be surprised if your doctor breaks the bad news: You have an eating disorder."
That supposed eating disorder — orthorexia nervosa — is an obsession with healthy eating, an obsessive compulsive disorder centered around food.
Here is what an article in the Observer (2) had to say about this grave new "disease":
"Eating disorder charities are reporting a rise in the number of people suffering from a serious psychological condition characterised by an obsession with healthy eating. The condition, orthorexia nervosa, affects equal numbers of men and women, but sufferers tend to be aged over 30, middle-class and well-educated."
A serious psychological condition characterized by an obsession with healthy eating? Hm.
"I am definitely seeing significantly more orthorexics than just a few years ago", the chairwoman of the mental health group of the British Dietetic Association was quoted as saying. "[Orthorexics] are solely concerned with the quality of food they put in their bodies, refining and restricting their diets according to their personal understanding of which foods are truly ′pure′."
What kinds of foods do these seriously disturbed orthorexics refuse to touch? Sugar, salt, caffeine, alcohol, wheat, gluten, yeast, soya, corn, and dairy foods are mentioned, as well as anything likely to contain pesticides, herbicides, and artificial additives. A bit strict maybe, but hardly a sign of a serious psychological problem. Even mainstream nutritionists warn against excess sugar, salt, and alcohol consumption. Gluten (wheat) as well as dairy products cause problems for many, and when did unfermented soy beans become food? I also try to avoid pesticides and herbicides; I should think you do too.
Who came up with this new-fangled disease called "orthorexia nervosa"? The term was introduced in 1997 by one Steven Bratman, M.D., who describes the affliction this way:
"Many of the most unbalanced people I have ever met are those who have devoted themselves to healthy eating. In fact, I believe some of them have actually contracted a novel eating disorder for which I have coined the name ′orthorexia nervosa.′ The term uses ′ortho,′ meaning straight, correct, and true, to modify ′anorexia nervosa.′ Orthorexia nervosa refers to a pathological fixation on eating proper food." (3)
"[people concerned with healthy eating] are sometimes affectionately called ′healthfood junkies.′ However, in some cases, orthorexia goes beyond a mere lifestyle choice. Obsession with healthy food can progress to the point where it crowds out other activities and interests, impairs relationships, and even becomes physically dangerous. When this happens, orthorexia takes on the dimensions of a true eating disorder, like anorexia nervosa or bulimia." (4)
To better understand Bratman and his "disease", one has to read his (short) original essay on orthorexia (3). It describes his experience with the lunatic fringe of the health food movement at a commune of health fanatics. He himself was part of that commune, before he was brought back to his senses; he is a "recovering orthorexic" himself. On reading this article (3) it becomes clear that he doesn′t apply the term orthorexia nervosa to people who simply focus on healthy eating. It is meant to describe someone with cockamamie ideas about food and a tendency toward obsessive compulsive behaviour.
Bratman is apparently quite sincere in his belief that orthorexia nervosa is an affliction to be taken seriously, a genuine disease requiring treatment. I suppose such misguided eating can actually lead to health problems. But does your typical "orthorexic" believe he needs treatment? And would he take nutritional advice from the medical establishment? Mainstream nutritional advice may be less extreme, but can be just as wrong-headed (dangers of cholesterol and saturated fat, etc).
I have to admit though that the term orthorexia nervosa appeals to my sense of humour. The lunatic fringe of the health food movement deserves a good ribbing, and orthorexia nervosa describes them wonderfully well. Still, there is something very sad about the extent to which we have lost our way in such a simple everyday matter as food.
Sources:
"Do you read nutrition labels to avoid hidden trans fats, harmful additives, and sugar-substitutes? Do you choose organic foods to keep your intake of pesticides and herbides to a minimum? Do you even go out of your way to purchase free-range meat so you′ll get a maximum of omega-3 fatty acids and a minimum of trace antibiotics and growth hormones? If you answered yes to any of these questions, don′t be surprised if your doctor breaks the bad news: You have an eating disorder."
That supposed eating disorder — orthorexia nervosa — is an obsession with healthy eating, an obsessive compulsive disorder centered around food.
Here is what an article in the Observer (2) had to say about this grave new "disease":
"Eating disorder charities are reporting a rise in the number of people suffering from a serious psychological condition characterised by an obsession with healthy eating. The condition, orthorexia nervosa, affects equal numbers of men and women, but sufferers tend to be aged over 30, middle-class and well-educated."
A serious psychological condition characterized by an obsession with healthy eating? Hm.
"I am definitely seeing significantly more orthorexics than just a few years ago", the chairwoman of the mental health group of the British Dietetic Association was quoted as saying. "[Orthorexics] are solely concerned with the quality of food they put in their bodies, refining and restricting their diets according to their personal understanding of which foods are truly ′pure′."
What kinds of foods do these seriously disturbed orthorexics refuse to touch? Sugar, salt, caffeine, alcohol, wheat, gluten, yeast, soya, corn, and dairy foods are mentioned, as well as anything likely to contain pesticides, herbicides, and artificial additives. A bit strict maybe, but hardly a sign of a serious psychological problem. Even mainstream nutritionists warn against excess sugar, salt, and alcohol consumption. Gluten (wheat) as well as dairy products cause problems for many, and when did unfermented soy beans become food? I also try to avoid pesticides and herbicides; I should think you do too.
Who came up with this new-fangled disease called "orthorexia nervosa"? The term was introduced in 1997 by one Steven Bratman, M.D., who describes the affliction this way:
"Many of the most unbalanced people I have ever met are those who have devoted themselves to healthy eating. In fact, I believe some of them have actually contracted a novel eating disorder for which I have coined the name ′orthorexia nervosa.′ The term uses ′ortho,′ meaning straight, correct, and true, to modify ′anorexia nervosa.′ Orthorexia nervosa refers to a pathological fixation on eating proper food." (3)
"[people concerned with healthy eating] are sometimes affectionately called ′healthfood junkies.′ However, in some cases, orthorexia goes beyond a mere lifestyle choice. Obsession with healthy food can progress to the point where it crowds out other activities and interests, impairs relationships, and even becomes physically dangerous. When this happens, orthorexia takes on the dimensions of a true eating disorder, like anorexia nervosa or bulimia." (4)
To better understand Bratman and his "disease", one has to read his (short) original essay on orthorexia (3). It describes his experience with the lunatic fringe of the health food movement at a commune of health fanatics. He himself was part of that commune, before he was brought back to his senses; he is a "recovering orthorexic" himself. On reading this article (3) it becomes clear that he doesn′t apply the term orthorexia nervosa to people who simply focus on healthy eating. It is meant to describe someone with cockamamie ideas about food and a tendency toward obsessive compulsive behaviour.
Bratman is apparently quite sincere in his belief that orthorexia nervosa is an affliction to be taken seriously, a genuine disease requiring treatment. I suppose such misguided eating can actually lead to health problems. But does your typical "orthorexic" believe he needs treatment? And would he take nutritional advice from the medical establishment? Mainstream nutritional advice may be less extreme, but can be just as wrong-headed (dangers of cholesterol and saturated fat, etc).
I have to admit though that the term orthorexia nervosa appeals to my sense of humour. The lunatic fringe of the health food movement deserves a good ribbing, and orthorexia nervosa describes them wonderfully well. Still, there is something very sad about the extent to which we have lost our way in such a simple everyday matter as food.
Sources:
- Jenny Thompson. April in August. HSI eAlert Sep 8, 2009.
http://mail.live.com/default.aspx?wa=wsignin1.0 - Amelia Hill. Healthy food obsession sparks rise in new eating disorder. The Observer Aug 16, 2009.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/aug/16/orthorexia-mental-health-eating-disorder - Steven Bratman, M.D.. Original essay on orthorexia.
http://orthorexia.com/index.php?page=essay - Steven Bratman, M.D.. What is orthorexia?
http://orthorexia.com/Index.php?page=katef
Some of people are now suffering from it because of very busy scheduling.But we have to take care for it.
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I read this post with a furrowed brow. Finally . . . by the end . . . I was able to laugh along with you. I like to eat right (orthorexically), but I haven't lost my sense of humor about it.
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One of my uncle had suffered from this and that time it was too costly to get cured, it's a very uncommon disease.
www.healthcareandlife.com
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It's not a question for me. It is rather a healthy way to approach unhealthy eating in its truest sense of the word. Better to have this so-called "illness" rather than that of anorexia nervosa which really is a sickness.
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Orthorexia nervosa is better than anorexia. But if not properly supervised, may lead to deadly eating disorder too.
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There isn't a great deal of difference between giving CPR to a child to giving a CPR to an adult. However, since a child's body is smaller and a little more fragile, there are some things to keep...
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There has been no investigation into whether there may be a biological cause specific to orthorexia nervosa. However, Donini et al. link orthorexia to a food-centered manifestation of obsessive compulsive disorder, which has a lot to do with control.
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While orthorexia nervosa is not a formal medical condition, many doctors do feel that it explains an important and growing health phenomenon.
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This disease is quite rare but with proper treatment it can be cured.We must make sure that we include some rare diseases in our insurance policies but prevention is much better than cure so it is better to know more about different diseases.
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I hope that each and every person reading this article feel the same appreciation I felt when I read it, I am very grateful for the fact that they shared this information with everyone, I congratulate you wholeheartedly, I would like to continue sending more articles to the network, it would be helpful for many people as I love reading.....fantastic...
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Great work
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Great work
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I never heard of orthorexia nervosa before...
There are so many different types of eating disorders...
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Time has a way of demonstrating that the most stubborn are the most intelligent.
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Hi, I must say that you have made some good points in the post. I performed searches on the topic and found most people will agree with your blog. Thanks for sharing this information.
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There seems to be a disturbing rise in these kinds of people. It appears to be a real obsession with eating so healthy. Too much information effect by media?
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Very amusing thought, well told, just do everything laid out on the shelves
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Your blog is simply AMAZING! I like your blog content very much.
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Gluten (wheat) as well as dairy products cause problems for many, and when did unfermented soy beans become food? I also try to avoid pesticides and herbicides; I should think you do too.
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Thanks for post!Nice
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