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?
I agree with everyone. This is SUCH a great post for our blogging community!
wonderful post, katie!!
i totally, totally agree with you! i lead a very healthy diet/lifestyle myself, but if feel when you have cravings now and again it´s better to give in instead of stressing yourself!
thx so much for bringing up this topic!
love
hela
very honest and great post! 🙂 we all need to have balance! that is key! orthorexia i always think “ohh just another term for an anorexic” But there is a difference. But so similar, so similar that one suffering from Orthorexic tendencies, must be so careful not to let it become something life threatening. You made such great/valid points in this Katie! everyone deserves to eat what ever they LOVE. 🙂
xx
maya
Hi!!
Loved this post! I must say, while I have anorexia I don’t have orthorexia…phewww! I eat lots of take-out and processed stuff, as long as it taste good.
I will also have wheat bread rather than white…but that doesn’t mean I have orthorexia. 😉
And I don’t want to imagine how much I’ll spend on food if I had orthorexia!! Chia seeds, organic this/that…omg! Much prefer to win this in a giveway :p
What a brilliant and perfectly said post!! I’ve seen a few food bloggers in recent times who appear to have orthorexia. Although appear is they keyword b/c of course I will never know for sure, but I know enough to worry and hope that it is not the case. You brought up such a priceless point, that stress is far worse than white bread or processed foods!!!! So, so, so true and wise of you to say!! This past weekend, I’ll be honest when I say to you I worried about eating my grandmother’s white lasagna noodles and her white flour in the homemade pie she made. Then I thought, WAIT, this is soooooo worth it. It’s not everyday I get to eat my grandmother’s cooking and one meal will not derail all of my healthy habits.
Thanks for bringing this up. You are awesome!! 🙂
I agree with the comment before me. There are definitely a few (two fo sure) bloggers I hope will read this post because I worry about them and hope they’ll realize it doesn’t have to be this way!
Great post! I think blogging can be both enlightening and restrictive. It really can take a strong mentality to not let what you see others eating as a “rule” you should follow. There are so many studies that say that what you order at restaurants is influenced by what others with you order; it can be the same with reading blogs. Being diligent and mindful to not that happen takes metal strength. Especially for people who are a little on the Type A side, as we bloggers tend to be!
Thanks for posting this.
oops, i didn’t know it would add the actual video! Sorry, I’m new to computers, apparently! 😀
woah, what a very interesting post!! I love reading healthy/foodie blogs and have picked up some fantastic ideas, but I have to remind myself that what works for some people won’t necessarily work for me. I haven’t found what works for me yet but I’m just going to keep trying and hopefully one day I’ll get to a place I’m happy with! I also feel sorry for some bloggers who get attacked in comments by people who are just taking out their own insecurities on them (I know this has happened to you but I think it’s happened to a lot of other people…).
Thanks for linking to your post on processed food, hadn’t read that before. I had definitely noticed the soy thing….I mean, every single foodstuff out there seems to be loaded with negative connotations if you look hard enough. One day X is the best thing ever, the next day X gives you cancer…argh!! I love the internet but sometimes there’s just TOO MUCH out there 😉
I know what you mean, X can be fat, saturated fat, carbs, ugh. The nutritionists need to make up their mind, that or shut up and just let us be!
Haha no worries, Katie, I fixed it… I didn’t know it would do that either! I’m right there with you on not knowing a ton about technology. Heck, I didn’t even have an ipod until 2 years after they came out, and I’ve never done a you-tube video even though I’ve gotten so many requests for a video post that I really ought to learn!!