Orthorexia Nervosa: the new eating disorder

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Honeycat89
Honeycat89 Posts: 149
in Food and Nutrition
I just wanted to get your opinion on this. Since all this 'fitspo' stuff started on instagram I couldn't help but think it was actually unhealthy. Some of the pictures/comments are promoting eating NOTHING but whole/healthy foods and exercising excessively.

I started to follow fitness accounts on instagram and was shocked how many people''s lives were taken over by eating healthy and exercising. Don't get me wrong, I'm a self confessed gym bunny and consider it my hobby, but I have no problem eating a chocolate bar every day with my lunch or going out for food/getting takeaway at the weekend.

I was thinking to myself this is an eating disorder... yeah it isn't anorexia or bulimia but it's an obsession that rules peoples lives, i was reading one blog where the writer was SO fitness obsessed she would turn down drinks with her friends/meals, even though she had her 'perfect body'.

I found this post on the blog Chocolate Covered Katie:

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2010/03/01/orthorexia-nervosa-the-new-eating-disorder/

I completely agree that this is a from of eating disorder. I don't want you to think that I'm saying eating healthy and being dedicated is a bad thing, as I am totally into that way of life myself; but when it BECOMES your life even after you've reached your goal weight and you can't enjoy the little things in life then what's the point?

Would love to know your opinions :)
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Replies

  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    I can see how people's lives can be taken over by exercise, but healthy eating doesn't take much time.

    My definition of "enjoying the little things in life" includes having the health, energy, focus and stamina to enjoy all the aspects of my life. Processed or fatty foods take that away from me.
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,641 Member
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    I would say anytime you have to embarass your kid to refuse a piece of birthday cake that you are medicaly cleared to consume or have a food scale with you at a restaurant...you might have orthorexia nervosa.

    If you've ever trimmed the fat on a boneless chicken breast...you might have orthorexia nervosa.

    If you'll eat a cake from whole foods but won't eat a salad at mcdonalds...you might have orthorexia nervosa.
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
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    Orthorexia Nervosa, AKA Strict Paleo
  • PaleoPath4Lyfe
    PaleoPath4Lyfe Posts: 3,161 Member
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    I just wanted to get your opinion on this. Since all this 'fitspo' stuff started on instagram I couldn't help but think it was actually unhealthy. Some of the pictures/comments are promoting eating NOTHING but whole/healthy foods and exercising excessively.

    I started to follow fitness accounts on instagram and was shocked how many people''s lives were taken over by eating healthy and exercising. Don't get me wrong, I'm a self confessed gym bunny and consider it my hobby, but I have no problem eating a chocolate bar every day with my lunch or going out for food/getting takeaway at the weekend.

    I was thinking to myself this is an eating disorder... yeah it isn't anorexia or bulimia but it's an obsession that rules peoples lives, i was reading one blog where the writer was SO fitness obsessed she would turn down drinks with her friends/meals, even though she had her 'perfect body'.

    I found this post on the blog Chocolate Covered Katie:

    http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2010/03/01/orthorexia-nervosa-the-new-eating-disorder/

    I completely agree that this is a from of eating disorder. I don't want you to think that I'm saying eating healthy and being dedicated is a bad thing, as I am totally into that way of life myself; but when it BECOMES your life even after you've reached your goal weight and you can't enjoy the little things in life then what's the point?

    Would love to know your opinions :)

    Its stupid and just another money maker for them to say people that are very conscience about what they put in their mouth and body is an eating disorder.

    Most Dr's want their patients to be mindful of what goes in their mouth and is digested through their bodies.

    My husband and I eat out within the guidelines of our eating plan, we cook most of our meals, buy the highest quality foods that we can afford and search out healthy ways of living.

    If that is a disorder, I am happy to have it.
  • NumbrsNerd
    NumbrsNerd Posts: 202 Member
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    Its stupid and just another money maker for them to say people that are very conscience about what they put in their mouth and body is an eating disorder.

    Most Dr's want their patients to be mindful of what goes in their mouth and is digested through their bodies.

    My husband and I eat out within the guidelines of our eating plan, we cook most of our meals, buy the highest quality foods that we can afford and search out healthy ways of living.

    If that is a disorder, I am happy to have it.

    I'm with you on this one! I have the right to refuse birthday cake - and it shouldn't embarrass my kid because we've taught him that forced social eating is not a good habit. If you don't want it, politely say "no thank you" and move along.
  • flet2
    flet2 Posts: 43 Member
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    I agree that being very health focused isn't a bad thing, sticking to certain principals and guidelines etc is all good. i think the point is that for some people it really goes beyond that to be an obsession. if it's affecting your social life and preventing you from having normal interactions with other humans, something is wrong. It's one thing to decline dinner at a crappy junk food restaurant but to let it totally rule your life probably is a bad thing.
  • Kamikazeflutterby
    Kamikazeflutterby Posts: 775 Member
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    I know someone IRL who is scared of food and convinced that everything except a few specific brands of organic, gluten-free, non-gmo things will cause him crippling pain. All of the "evil toxins" build up to damage his nerves. He will tell you all about it while chain smoking. I wish I were making this up.

    So somewhere between that and meal planning for weight loss and fitness goals attention to detail becomes a disorder.
  • tmm_0127
    tmm_0127 Posts: 545 Member
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    My sister has something similar to this. It's not that she avoids foods because she percieves them to be unhealthy for her, but she developed really bad reflux issues a few years ago and is now completely afraid to eat certain foods. I came across the term orthorexia a while ago and knew it was what she was going through, but she doesn't have orthorexia nervosa - she's not doing to it because she's afraid to gain weight she's just terrified of the reflux.
  • TheGymGypsy
    TheGymGypsy Posts: 1,023 Member
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    Being consumed and obsessed with calorie counting, health foods, and exercising is definitely a mental disorder. I went through a period where it literally preoccupied every moment of my existence and it was miserable. I'm working on changing that mindset.
  • Bernadette60614
    Bernadette60614 Posts: 707 Member
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    I know women who weigh every morsel, log in to MFP, eat only nutrient dense foods and wear a device to track their calorie burn. But, they also go out with their families, friends, will snarf an occasional Big Gulp and thoroughly enjoy birthday cake.

    I think it is all about balance.

    Also, I don't know if Instagram/Facebook etc., depict people who are obsessed. Some people are obsessed with posting status reports about every minute of their lives and it is isn't what I juiced that a.m. it is what clothes I chose to wear today.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Anything taken to the extreme can be bad.... I don't think thinspo can be to blame entirely, lots of people look at thinspo without developing an eating disorder.
  • licorice_tea
    licorice_tea Posts: 59 Member
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    I think there's an obvious and clear difference between choosing to live a healthy lifestyle and having this disorder. Those of you who turn down cake at a birthday party aren't remotely captured by this definition. In fact, the symptoms are very similar to anorexia.

    - Continually cutting out foods that are not "pure"
    - Feeling out of control, disgusting and like a failure if you eat "impure" foods
    - A euphoric feeling of control when eating your chosen "pure" foods
    - Food purity having no strong link to what is actually nutritionally sound
    - Spending the majority of your thought power and waking hours on planning your meals and foods

    etc etc... it's obvious this is far closer to OCD-spectrum disorders with ruminating thoughts and obsessive rituals than being targeted at people who are just eating healthy.

    So, basically I think that sounds like a disorder to me. If you can't stop obsessing over it and think about anything else, it's a disorder. Granted, obsessive personalities could really get obsessed with anything, so maybe there's an argument to be made that it's not worth making a new disorder for everything an obsessive persion gets obsessed with.
  • Honeycat89
    Honeycat89 Posts: 149
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    Yeah this is what I was talking about. I'm all for eating whole foods and eating healthy but coming from someone who has had eating issues in the past, if you start denying yourself any 'treats' or 'cheat days' (no matter how rare) it starts to become an obsession. I've seen girls as young as 15 on social media sites obsessing over their diet and exercise, and telling other young girls that they shouldn't be eating pizza or chocolate. Yeah kid shouldn't eat too much pizza and chocolate, but I don't think this is a healthy mindset, a young girl not going out for pizza with her friends because it will ruin her healthy eating?

    If you don't have any history of eating disorders or an obsessive personality than of course there's no issue but it's when something becomes an obsession and affects your day to day life that I think it becomes a problem.
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,641 Member
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    Yeah this is what I was talking about. I'm all for eating whole foods and eating healthy but coming from someone who has had eating issues in the past, if you start denying yourself any 'treats' or 'cheat days' (no matter how rare) it starts to become an obsession. I've seen girls as young as 15 on social media sites obsessing over their diet and exercise, and telling other young girls that they shouldn't be eating pizza or chocolate. Yeah kid shouldn't eat too much pizza and chocolate, but I don't think this is a healthy mindset, a young girl not going out for pizza with her friends because it will ruin her healthy eating?

    If you don't have any history of eating disorders or an obsessive personality than of course there's no issue but it's when something becomes an obsession and affects your day to day life that I think it becomes a problem.

    the right kinds of chocolate have some tangible nutritional benefits...
  • lmhbuss
    lmhbuss Posts: 282 Member
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    I work in a hospital. We had a patient who literally starved himself to the point of being admitted and having to get a feeding tube...because he was so terrified of all the bad chemicals in food..to the point that he ate almost nothing except organic strawberries. He died because his body was too depleted to handle an actual illness once it hit him. I think that people who are prone to obsessive thinking can go overboard on anything they take a shine to. People who seek perfection in anything are bound to go to far on occasion..but this is pretty different from just trying to be sensible and eat a healthy diet. So, yeah...maybe it is a thing...but I suspect it's only a thing for people who are already prone to disordered thinking and have an intense need to control all aspects of their bodies/food intake.
  • Honeycat89
    Honeycat89 Posts: 149
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    You're talking to a complete chocoholic here! Haha can't get enough of the stuff.
  • almc170
    almc170 Posts: 1,093 Member
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    I have a family member that suffers from this. In his quest to become "healthy", he's eliminated so many things from his diet that he's now suffering from extreme osteoporosis and malnutrition.
  • favoritenut
    favoritenut Posts: 217 Member
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    I think my boss must have this, He has lost over 100lbs and now tells everyone how much he exercises and what he eats, he even brings stuff to restaurants like dressing for his salad and such, he won't ever eat anything that anyone brings into the office, even if its fruit or somewhat healthy, I know he is afraid of gaining all that weight back, so I understand, but it sure gets irritating that he is always talking about it!
  • lmhbuss
    lmhbuss Posts: 282 Member
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    I think there's an obvious and clear difference between choosing to live a healthy lifestyle and having this disorder. Those of you who turn down cake at a birthday party aren't remotely captured by this definition. In fact, the symptoms are very similar to anorexia.

    - Continually cutting out foods that are not "pure"
    - Feeling out of control, disgusting and like a failure if you eat "impure" foods
    - A euphoric feeling of control when eating your chosen "pure" foods
    - Food purity having no strong link to what is actually nutritionally sound
    - Spending the majority of your thought power and waking hours on planning your meals and foods

    etc etc... it's obvious this is far closer to OCD-spectrum disorders with ruminating thoughts and obsessive rituals than being targeted at people who are just eating healthy.

    So, basically I think that sounds like a disorder to me. If you can't stop obsessing over it and think about anything else, it's a disorder. Granted, obsessive personalities could really get obsessed with anything, so maybe there's an argument to be made that it's not worth making a new disorder for everything an obsessive persion gets obsessed with.
    This. They said it better than I did.
  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
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    People are ill informed and they feel guilty. Its a lack of understanding clouded by myths and popular belief.

    Its the "nutritionally stupid". They may have great SAT scores, but, they don't know F all about nutrition. That, or they are so clouded by popular beliefs that they can't swallow the truth. Regardless, it fuels a guilty conscience and poor body image.

    These types of people are a dime a dozen and their success makes them look like a credible source of advice. People really need to get back to the books and stop hazing themselves. The "fitness religion" is probably the worst religion in existence and its followers are growing in numbers rapidly.

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