Orthorexia Nervosa: the new eating disorder

Surely the issue here isn't what people eat, but their cognitive disposition. Some people are just a bit obsessive about everything they do.

To be honest the food thing is just a vehicle for their obsession.

I actually agree with this.

Surely the issue here isn't what people eat, but their cognitive disposition.

What a novel approach. I wish I had said that earlier, like several posts ago on the previous page. That would have been cool.

I would guess that -- in a vacuum: a carrot- which is food is probably healthier than a twinkie - which is food.

I would imagine there are very few, if any, instances in which a carrot is not healthier than a twinkie.

Wow - an eating disorder where eating healthy food is bad.

Part of the problem is the belief that there is such a thing as a healthy food.

And then people continue this mindset by placing other foods in an "unhealthy" category. As if health is a scalar quantity, and eating one type of food increases this number and eating 'bad' foods decreases it. And then they seek to become 'healthy' by avoiding all of the foods they've categorized as 'unhealthy.' As if these foods actively destroy your body.

No food is healthy in a vacuum.

It's about context.

If you eat nothing but broccoli, you will die of malnutrition. Broccoli is no better than cake. The difference is that very few people actually WANT to eat nothing but broccoli. So it's easy to blame overeating of cake and correlate it with being unhealthy, and mistakenly conclude that cake actively destroys your health.

But someone who includes reasonable amounts of both broccoli and cake in their regular intake will be just as healthy as they would if they had only included one or the other.

I never understood this mindset - there is nothing healthy about cake. Why are people against labeling foods as unhealthy?

Someone who eats a whole-foods based diet with no cake will be healthier than someone who eats a whole-foods based diet and regularly has cake as well.

Nope. There's zero evidence to support this.

It's not a knock on someone who eats cake. For many people the satisfaction they get out of eating cake is worth the little bit of unhealthiness involved. For others, it's not.

Except that you just said that people who eat cake are not as healthy as people who don't. That IS a knock. "I'm healthier than you are because I don't eat cake and you do"... yep. Knock knock... who's there? YOU.

For me, l don't try to fool myself into thinking it's healthy because it's just a little bit. (I'll still eat some anyways but I make sure it's good cake or an important occasion so that it's worth it to me)

Except that for people who do "IIFYM", cake can easily fill a macro void that they should fill.

Just stop with all YOUR judging.

I'm not judging - people can eat whatever they want. If you want to have a piece of cake and it fits into your lifestyle - that's 100% cool with me. I sometimes enjoy having a piece of cake.

I feel that this is the problem. People assume that because I'm not having cake because I prefer not to it for my health, I'm automatically judging them for eating it and saying they're unhealthy.

I'm not saying that people who eat cake are healthier than people who don't or that you can't be healthy and eat cake.
Just like you can be rich and spend a few hundred dollars on a purse (you'd be richer with a less expensive purse but if it's worth it to you, buy it).

I'm just saying it's a personal choice and people shouldn't be made to feel bad for refusing to eat certain things for their health.

In my entire life, I have never been made to feel bad because I refused a piece of cake. Or cookies, or what ever. Anyway, that is not orthorexia. Orthorexia is an extreme fear of eating an 'impure' food. There is no logic behind what constitutes a pure food such as nutritional value, as it is not a logically based though process. It can be a case of someone only willing to eat white food (for example). It is a mental disorder, not a case of being made to 'feel bad' when refusing cake.

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.

Hey man.... I've trimmed fat off of chicken breast before. it happens.

I know someone who I believe fits the criteria for orthorexia. Their food choices consisted only of fruits and veggies. No meat, no dairy, no grains - nothing. Just fruits and veggies.

isn't that a vegan-paleo hybrid??

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.

Gee, thanks, you doodoo head! Now I want cake! And not just any cake... EVIL cake!!!

I'm saying that people should be allowed to eat how they want without being accused of having a disorder.

Is there such thing as orthorexia? Probably. But to me it would have to be *extreme* and they would have to be physically or mentally damaging themselves to get to that point.

This thread, however, is full of people saying that someone who doesn't take cheat days or occasionally allow themselves a piece of cake or bread are cases of orthorexia.

As an example in the message below:
"These people will opt out of spending time with people they love in favor of maintaining that obsessive control. Some take it down a notch and attend the events, but bring their own food...personally, unless the person suffers from a medical disorder and cannot eat the food I prepared, I would be a bit offended."

What about vegetarians? Are vegetarians orthorexic because they refuse to eat meat? Would you get offended if a vegetarian brought a veggie burger to the barbecue? Why is it so different if someone doesn't want to eat cake or pasta salad?

You'd see a lot less of people avoiding social eating situations if others weren't so judgy about how you ate. I personally eat Paleo (not strict, but all the power to those who do) and have had to bring my own snacks at times.
If people were supportive and instead of "Oh you're on a diet? You don't need to lose weightI Have this cake that I made or else I'll be offended" people were like "Ah that's really cool. I did notice you looked healthier. If I'd had known I'd have put out some veggies", you'd see a lot less of this 'orthorexic' behaviour.

I do have friends who are vegetarian/vegan as well as some who are diabetic or lactose intolerant etc and I am respectful of their dietary needs or preferences. If I know someone I am inviting to my home or planning a dinner out with has a specific need, I try to plan the menu accordingly or give my friend first choice of restaurant...I figure that b/c I have no medical restrictions and few things that I won't eat (seafood) it is easier for me to find something edible on most menus. I live on Cape Cod and often take out of town guests to seafood restaurants b/c I can find at least one item on the menu that appeals to me.

My point in saying that I have seen people who would rather miss a social gathering and spending time with friends and family in favor of maintaining obsessive control over their eating habits is just that: they are so obsessed with what they eat that they are allowing it to dictate the rest of their lives. It is affecting them and their friends and family in a negative way b/c they are unable or unwilling to find a healthy option on a restaurant menu or allow for a meal cooked by a family member or friend on occasion. To have so little leeway in one's diet is obsessive. There was a girl on the message board who was debating going to her brother's graduation dinner b/c she didn't know how big the portion of prime rib was! She wasn't even concerned with the side dishes based on the context of her post, but she was freaked the hell out to the point where she didn't want to celebrate her brother's graduation with her family. WTF!?!?! One meal on one day over the course of your entire life and all of the things you will eat will not make or break your weightloss plan. Make the best choices you can in a given situation, estimate to the best of your ability and move on! Suggest healthier restaurants for future outings, let family and friends know that you are trying to eat more healthfully, suggest a potluck dinner and bring a healthy dish, etc, but do not exclude yourself from your social life for the sake of your diet, don't sacrifice your relationships with the people in your life b/c that isn't healthy either. Doesn't mean you can't politely refuse cake or any other food that doesn't appeal to you, but don't let food avoidance take over your life. You cannot expect that for the remainder of you life you will never be invited to a wedding or birthday party, a holiday celebration or dinner party, a girls night out or a dinner date...you have to establish a healthy relationship with food and have the tools in place to be able to gracefully navigate these situations, enjoy good food and maintain a healthy weight.

Interesting thread. I have never heard of this disorder before now and have quickly googled it. I actually thought it was that disorder where people excersise too much lol. Quite a lot of info out there and from what I have read only briefly is not so much about bringing a scale into restaurants, or refusing a piece of cake or not having a cheat day, but is more a psychological condition where people are afraid to eat food they haven't prepared themselves or don't have control of what's in it.

"Orthorexia is a term coined by Steven Bratman, MD to describe his own experience with food and eating. It is not an officially recognized disorder, but is similar to other eating disorders – those with anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa obsess about calories and weight while orthorexics obsess about healthy eating (not about being “thin” and losing weight)"

Some questions posed on one of the sites I visited...
•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 with love by someone else – one single meal – and not try to control what is served?
•Are you constantly looking for ways foods are unhealthy for you?
•Do love, joy, play and creativity take a back seat to following the perfect diet?
•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?

http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/orthorexia-nervosa
http://www.susieburrell.com.au/10-signs-healthy-eating-may-have-gone-too-far/
http://www.quotev.com/quiz/200413/Orthorexia-Self-Test/

I think I may be orthorexic. I will not eat no name brand ice creams. It has to be top shelf or I am not letting it enter my system. I will feel lethargic and sometimes nauseous so I choose to avoid it.