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Orthorexics Anonymous

mrd232
mrd232 Posts: 331
edited September 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Healthy eating 'disorder' on the rise
17-Aug-2009
from foodnavigator.com
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Financial-Industry/Healthy-eating-disorder-on-the-rise?nocount

An obsession with healthy eating is on the increase, but cutting out of large number of foods, or foods that contain certain ingredients may increase the risk of malnutrition.

According to a report in The Guardian newspaper, Britain is currently experiencing an increase in the number of cases of orthorexia nervosa, a psychological condition whereby sufferers restrict the consumption of sugar, salt, caffeine, alcohol, wheat, gluten, yeast, soya, corn and dairy foods. They also cut out any foods which contain artificial additives, or have come into contact with pesticides and herbicides.

Ursula Philpot, chair of the British Dietetic Association's mental health group, is quoted by The Guardian as stating: "Other eating disorders focus on quantity of food but orthorexics can be overweight or look normal. They are solely concerned with the quality of the food they put in their bodies, refining and restricting their diets according to their personal understanding of which foods are truly 'pure'."

Replies

  • mrd232
    mrd232 Posts: 331
    This is the dumbest thing I've read yet this week.

    I'm REALLY malnourished eating REAL food, guys. Better wake me up outta my stupidity and feed me some cheesy poofs and a loaf of wonder bread!
  • Poison5119
    Poison5119 Posts: 1,460 Member
    OMG how stupid is that?

    Y'know, these doctors might not have funding for their JOB S if they didn't label and classify every single cell in the human brain with some dreaded 'disorder'!

    I understand the part about being overweight despite an obsession with eating healthy, but that's another concept/problem altogether. One has nothing to do with the other.

    Sheesh! :ohwell:
  • cassandra1220
    cassandra1220 Posts: 284 Member
    Geez, how terrible to be soley concerned with the foods that you put in your body! Are these people serious?!? :huh:
  • PattyTheUndefeated
    PattyTheUndefeated Posts: 302 Member
    Oh, the humanity! Are you telling me that there a truly people out there concerned with putting 'pure' foods into their bodies? That must be a horrible existence.. (not.)

    :laugh:
  • metsgirl31
    metsgirl31 Posts: 45
    I know that's how the article phrased it, but there is more to it than that. It's not just watching what you eat to make sure that it is healthy ( like we do!) but it takes it to the absolute extreme. These people never have a "cheat" day or snack, and never eat anything out of their proclaim diet. They can't touch anything they don't feel is "pure". I've had close friends go through this problem. They can't eat in restaurants or other people's houses. In fact, many of them absolutely must cook their own food or they won't eat it. It causes a lot of stress and tension for the family and friends of these people.

    I'm not saying that eating "pure" healthy foods is a bad thing in any way- I pay attention to that myself! The article is just saying, when taken to the extreme, it can cause problems.
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