Can A Fixation With Healthy Eating Actually Be Unhealthy?
An interesting news article published in August of last year in a UK newspaper discusses the possibility that a "fanatical" obsession with eating well can actually be classified as a mental disorder.
The new "disease" is called orthorexia nervosa, which means "nervous about correct eating" in the Latin language.
Apparently the condition, which is on the rise among both men and women equally, affects mostly those who are over the age of 30, middle-class and considered well-educated.
This is an interesting turnaround from the harmful conditions of obesity, anorexia and bulimia.
Actually, the fixation with healthy eating has been considered a diagnosable condition since 1997.
Until recently, there were so few people connected with this condition that it was simply classified under the all-encompassing label of "Ednos," which are eating disorders not otherwise able to be categorized.
Now though, with the intense societal focus on living a healthy lifestyle, some people are taking it too far.
Orthorexics are so strict about their eating habits that they refuse to ingest anything with noticeable amounts of sugar, salt, caffeine, gluten, corn and dairy, just to name a few.
With such a tight dietary restriction, some orthorexics can ironically end up malnourished.
Deanne Jade, the founded of the National Centre for Eating Disorders comes right out and says that "there is a fine line" between those that eat very carefully and those with orthorexia.
What I see day to day is a society that has become obsessed with eating right because of the recent uncovering of dangerous foods, preservatives and use of pesticides.
To me, these claims that fanatical healthy eaters need powerful psychotropic drugs to treat their condition are a little far-fetched.
Yes, any habit can become dangerously obsessive when taken to an extreme, but there is nothing wrong with forming your diet around healthy suggestions made by your doctor.
The important thing to consider is that every food group has positive and negative effects.
While there are near-perfect foods, a balance of foods from different groups is important for a well-balanced diet and proper nutrition.
Blueberries and carrots, for example, are considered very healthy foods, but you fill your diet with only these two power foods, you will miss out on other important nutrients.
A disease may exist in relation to a fixation with healthy eating, but unless you are starving your diet of some very important parts, I wouldn't be too worried.
The new "disease" is called orthorexia nervosa, which means "nervous about correct eating" in the Latin language.
Apparently the condition, which is on the rise among both men and women equally, affects mostly those who are over the age of 30, middle-class and considered well-educated.
This is an interesting turnaround from the harmful conditions of obesity, anorexia and bulimia.
Actually, the fixation with healthy eating has been considered a diagnosable condition since 1997.
Until recently, there were so few people connected with this condition that it was simply classified under the all-encompassing label of "Ednos," which are eating disorders not otherwise able to be categorized.
Now though, with the intense societal focus on living a healthy lifestyle, some people are taking it too far.
Orthorexics are so strict about their eating habits that they refuse to ingest anything with noticeable amounts of sugar, salt, caffeine, gluten, corn and dairy, just to name a few.
With such a tight dietary restriction, some orthorexics can ironically end up malnourished.
Deanne Jade, the founded of the National Centre for Eating Disorders comes right out and says that "there is a fine line" between those that eat very carefully and those with orthorexia.
What I see day to day is a society that has become obsessed with eating right because of the recent uncovering of dangerous foods, preservatives and use of pesticides.
To me, these claims that fanatical healthy eaters need powerful psychotropic drugs to treat their condition are a little far-fetched.
Yes, any habit can become dangerously obsessive when taken to an extreme, but there is nothing wrong with forming your diet around healthy suggestions made by your doctor.
The important thing to consider is that every food group has positive and negative effects.
While there are near-perfect foods, a balance of foods from different groups is important for a well-balanced diet and proper nutrition.
Blueberries and carrots, for example, are considered very healthy foods, but you fill your diet with only these two power foods, you will miss out on other important nutrients.
A disease may exist in relation to a fixation with healthy eating, but unless you are starving your diet of some very important parts, I wouldn't be too worried.
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