Orthorexia – Unhealthy Obsession of Healthy Eating
Over the past few years, we have heard a lot about eating disorders, particularly in the Fashion industry. We all have seen staggering images of grossly malnourished models hitting the runway. Then, thankfully, massive Anorexia awareness campaigns, taking fashion pros, models and the rest of the world to a new level of awareness. Our perception of eating disorders, so common in the fashion industry, has shifted, with top Italian designers banning size 0 models from catwalks and top Fashion Weeks the following suit.
Ever since, the healthy and balanced eating has become a new hot topic. According to Soil Association , organic market exceeded £1.86 billion in 2014.
“With nearly one third (29%) of shoppers seeking out ethically sourced and environmentally friendly products and over two thirds (68%) making the choice to support local farmers and businesses, the organic sector allows consumers to make more environmentally sustainable choices, with over 83% of UK households purchasing organic products in 2014”.
These figures, if nothing else, reveal new trend taking hold of UK and world population.
But are we really becoming healthier or rather more obsessed with the idea of healthy eating?
What Is Orthorexia?
Term Orthorexia, despite being in use since late 90’s, is not currently recognised as a clinical diagnosis in the DSM-5. Word Orthorexia is derived from Greek term ορθο- (ortho, “right” or “correct”), and όρεξις (orexis, “appetite”), literally meaning ‘correct appetite’, but in practice meaning ‘correct diet’.
Healthy Eating On Itself Is Not Eating Disorder.
It is important to understand that desire to eat healthy produce doesn’t mean one is suffering from Orthorexia but is rather a normal occurrence. We can speak of Orthorexia when 1) healthy eating is taking up an inordinate amount of time and attention in one’s life; 2) deviating from that diet is met with guilt and self-loathing; and/or 3) it is used to avoid life issues and leaves you separate and alone.
Healthy eating obsession normally starts with innocent attempt to eat healthier but soon gets out of control and dominates lives of those affected. Just like in cases of anorexia or bulimia, orthorexics would start feeling guilt for “slipping-up” and will have worked methods to deal with that. For orthorexics every day is a chance to eat right, be “good,” rise above others in dietary competence, and self-punish if temptation wins. Self-esteem becomes wrapped up in the purity of orthorexics’ diet and they sometimes feel superior to others, especially in regard to food intake.
How Is It A Bad Thing?
First and foremost, any unhealthy obsession doesn’t fit with WHO definition of health: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
In order to sustain our health and wellbeing we all require balanced and nutrient diet. Various health implications are inevitable once food choices become very restrictive, in both variety and calories.
But this is only the tip of the iceberg. What we don’t see on the surface is incentives, secondary gain, and other potential emotional issues that are manifested in obsession of healthy eating. Feeling of guilt is probably one of the most prominent and important markers in diagnosing various eating disorders and refers to underlying unresolved issues that must be addressed.
Dr. Bratman, who recovered from orthorexia, states “I pursued wellness through healthy eating for years, but gradually I began to sense that something was going wrong. The poetry of my life was disappearing. My ability to carry on normal conversations was hindered by intrusive thoughts of food. The need to obtain meals free of meat, fat, and artificial chemicals had put nearly all social forms of eating beyond my reach. I was lonely and obsessed. … I found it terribly difficult to free myself. I had been seduced by righteous eating. The problem of my life’s meaning had been transferred inexorably to food, and I could not reclaim it.” (Source: www.orthorexia.com)
Recovery And Treatment
There are many ways to deal with any eating disorder, including Orthorexia. Some of them are: Art Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitisation, (EMDR), Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), Hypnosis, Coaching, and Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP).
According to Karin Kratina, PhD, RD, LD/N, recovered orthorexics will still eat healthfully, but there will be a different understanding of what healthy eating is. They will realize that food will not make them a better person and that basing their self-esteem on the quality of their diet is irrational. Their identity will shift from “the person who eats health food” to a broader definition of who they are – a person who loves, who works, who is fun. They will find that while food is important, it is one small aspect of life, and that often other things are more important.
As we shift towards greater awareness of health and wellbeing a lot of organic and healthy food manufacturers and stores are striving to raise their turnovers without realising the potential harm that is hiding behind obsession of healthy eating. I believe we will be better off if this approach changes and big stores will get a little bit more responsible about raising the awareness of the issue. It’s about time.
Do I Have Orthorexia?
Consider the following questions. The more questions you respond “yes” to, the more likely you are dealing with orthorexia.
- Do you wish that occasionally you could just eat and not worry about food quality?
- Do you ever wish you could spend less time on food and more time living and loving?
- Does it seem beyond your ability to eat a meal prepared by someone else and not try to control what is served?
- Are you constantly looking for ways foods are unhealthy for you?
- Do you feel guilt or self-loathing when you stray from your diet?
- Do you feel in control when you stick to the “correct” diet?
- Have you put yourself on a nutritional pedestal and wonder how others can possibly eat the foods they eat?
Editor in Chief of Ikon London Magazine, journalist, film producer and founder of The DAFTA Film Awards (The DAFTAs).
