Thanks to many of your blog posts, I learned that last week was National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. You had some great, insightful posts on intuitive eating and on celebrating our bodies for the amazing things they enable us to do.
When one thinks of eating disorders, anorexia, bulimia, and compulsive overeating come to mind. But in this post, I want to highlight another eating disorder, because I feel it’s the one to which we healthy-living bloggers and readers can probably most relate:
Orthorexia Nervosa
Orthorexia Nervosa is characterized by an excessive focus on eating healthy foods. Basically, its sufferers start out with a simple desire to live a healthy lifestyle, but they become so preoccupied with eating healthily that it becomes an unhealthy obsession.
Unlike with anorexia, orthorexics don’t necessarily think they’re fat. Their underlying motivation, therefore, is not to be thin or lose weight, but to be “pure.” However, with such restrictive diets, they can become just as malnourished as anorexics. People suffering might avoid certain foods, such as non-organic foods, cooked foods, or processed foods. (Feel free to click over to the following post for more about my thoughts on processed foods.)
This doesn’t mean that every vegan, raw foodist, or person who strives to eat a healthy diet has orthorexia. It’s only when the healthy diet becomes an obsession; when a person spends hours planning out his/her “perfect” diet, calculating nutrients, preparing everything in a very specific way (and not letting anyone else prepare his/her food), that one can be seen to have a problem.
People suffering from orthorexia may display some of the following signs:
- Feeling virtuous about what they eat, but not enjoying their food much
- Continually cutting foods from their diet
- Experiencing a reduced quality of life or social isolation because their diet makes it difficult for them to eat anywhere but at home
- Feeling critical of, or superior to, others who do not eat as healthily they do
- Skipping foods they once enjoyed in order to eat the “right” foods
- Choosing to eat foods based solely on nutritional value, instead of eating what they’re craving
- Feeling guilt or self-loathing when they stray from their diet
- Feeling in total control when they eat the “correct” diet
I can definitely see myself, if not careful, displaying some of the other orthorexic tendencies, like feeling critical or looking down on certain foods, such as white bread, white pasta, and white rice, deeming them “valueless.” Does having one of the characteristics mean I have orthorexia?
No, of course not.
But I do have to remind myself that just because it’s white bread does not mean it’s worthless. After all, a food is so much more than its numerical nutritional value. The French have been eating white bread for years, the Japanese eat white rice, the Italians enjoy white pasta… and so on.
Sure, it’s great to eat a healthy diet 90% of the time, mostly choosing whole-grains over white ones. But honestly, a little nutritionally valueless piece of white-flour-white-sugar cake every now and then is not going to hurt you. It’s not something you should feel guilty about, but something to be enjoyed! And the enjoyment you can get out of eating it will boost your mental (and thus physical) health! My great-grandma ate processed foods, drank coffee, and—as an Italian—loved her daily servings of white pasta. But one thing my great-grandma did NOT invite into her life was stress. She lived well into her 90s.
There’s a lesson to be learned here: Stress and guilt are much more detrimental to one’s health than eating a few refined grains every now and then. In the end, “Orthorexia Nervosa” is just a label. Whether you fit that label or not, we can all probably benefit from the reminder that food is only one component to a healthy life. Eat what your body truly craves, exercise (but not excessively), feed your soul, and–above all–try to stress as little as possible. Such is the way to a healthy life. (Sounds like something Confucius would say!)
What are your thoughts on all of this?
By the way, great post Katie!
I can relate so much, not just to what you wrote, but to what Kiersten wrote as well. Kiersten, I am exactly the same way! Sometimes I think I would have been better off had I never entered therapy for anorexia. It wasn’t bad before the therapy, but they taught me to count calories etc, which morphed into counting sugar grams, fiber grams, etc 🙁
That’s why I love this blog. I’m not a vegan, but this site has so many great tips for doing what’s best for your individual body. I’ve struggled with orthorexic tendencies for years and I’m trying to learn to eat intuitively, which has led me to cut way back on animal products and find great blogs like these! Thanks Katie!
McKella
Like others have mentioned, I definitely recognize some of these things in myself, but I KNOW that they are in no way an eating disorder for me! Maybe to people who don’t understand my diet, my reluctance to eat out at a restaurant/eat food that I’m not positive is vegan/gluten free might seem restrictive, but I’m just trying to avoid getting a stomach ache! From what I’ve heard of orthorexia, people that suffer from it become emaciated because their quest for optimal health limits what they can eat to the point where they’re not getting near enough calories (but like you said, this has nothing to do with wanting to be thin). Anyways, I think that this fact (and things like obsessive calorie counting/meal planning) is what separates healthy eating from having a disorder. Good post! 🙂 -Eve
Love love LOVE this post! Did I say I loved it?
I was planning on writing a very similar post, but I am glad you did (you have much more readers). You put is so well. I also read your post from June and completely agree. I am so glad there are more people who think this way. Thank you!
I am currently writing a post on good food vs. bad food, that ties in a little bit with the subject. I should be done soon.
I really enjoyed today’s post! I read a while ago that this was the ‘next ED’ and it is interesting to see that its now an official ED. Your writing style is so much fun to read, thank you!
(Oh, and thank you for the reminder of PeanutButter Day-I now know what to have for dinner!)
Have a good day, Miss Katie!
🙂
This is a brilliant post! I never thought such a condition had a name, so I learnt something new today! I can relate to some of what you wrote too, but then I made a chocolate cake this weekend with white flour and white sugar and enjoyed eating it without any sense of guilt. Posts like these are very enlightening and great to read. Great work, Katie!
A good thought provoking post.
I think the important denominator in all types of eating disorders (whether anorexia, orthorexia, compulsive exercising etc..) is the way in which they are used as a weapon of control, a way in which a person uses their diet to fix other problems.
At the same time as its good not to feel guilt if you have a cake etc. its also ok to feel a little guilt. It doesn’t mean you have an eating disorder, just as long as it doesn’t become self-destructive or obsessive/compulsive. Just be aware of your thought processes and why you feel guilty.
Everything in moderation!!! That’s the key.
As briefly touched on, another interesting one is compulsive exercising – what’s the line between beiing a highly-trained athlete and a complusive exerciser?
yes, but i’ve always been confused on what “moderation” is. Is it once a week, month, once every two weeks. A small piece every day? I know it means not constant copious amounts, but how often can you have a decent sized slice of dessert and still stay on track. How often can you just eat whatever the heck you want to too?
a compulsive exerciser exercises to the point of injury or doesn’t consume enough energy to keep up the active lifestyle. The difference is that the devoted athlete knows to rest when he has a sprained ankle, and eats plenty of food to fuel his muscles. He also takes occasional breaks to let his tissues heal.
Great post Katie! Awesome. I guess I do have orthorexic tendencies in so far as I sometimes feel guilty if I haven’t eaten as healthily as normal (ie more sugar than usual- what can I say, I love the stuff). But I’m all about minimal stress and enjoying foods not just for their nutritional value (hence the number of posts I write on yummy baked goods :)) x
Best. post. ever.
That is all.
🙂