Eating right all the time? You might be suffering from orthorexia.
Unlike anorexia, where someone will not eat, the tendency of an orthorexic resemble a compulsive fixation to change lifelong diet and lifestyle habits in order to live a healthier lifestyle.
The word orthorexia was coined in 1997 by a Colorado alternative medicine specialist Steven Bratman from the Greek words orthos, "correct or right", and orexis, "appetite", thus making Orthorexia mean "Correct Appetite".
Extreme Fixation with Healthy Eating
Orthorexics becomes so fixated on healthy diet that they cannot bring themselves to eat anything that does not meet the rigid standards of quality set by themselves.
A healthy diet is a balanced one, not that one that consists of no fat, no carbohydrates, and no sweets. Orthorexia is not just the desire to live a healthy lifestyle; it is taking that desire to the level of an obsession and making it the focus of your life.
Bratman says, "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."
The condition is not an officially recognized disorder and is generally viewed as a source of psychological distress, not a physical danger. However, eating disorder specialists state that when an obsession becomes extreme it can lead to malnutrition, underlying health problems and sometimes even death.
Orthorexics often choose foods based on their overall nutritional value, but the focus on eating healthy goes far beyond the normal needs of the body.
Certain fats and foods with preservatives are avoided, which otherwise provide important nutrients to the body’s organs and muscles. Orthorexics forget that the body needs some calories as fuel for everything, from powering our muscles to feeding our brains.
Cause for Concern
Any obsession is unhealthy and can have major repercussions.
The disorder may be a major cause for concern when the orthorexic is the parent of a child. They can promote unhealthy body images in their children and focus on calorie count and fat content rather than healthy eating.
Children need some fats in their diet, and when a parent's desire for a healthy lifestyle turns to their children it can be problematic.
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