“Does your way of eating isolate you from others?”
“Do you feel guilty when you eat something that is not permitted by your dietary beliefs?”
“Do you care more about the quality of food than the pleasure of eating it?”
If you have answered yes to at least one of the above questions, you can consider yourself candidate for healthy food addiction; a new eating disorder born of contemporary ecological culture. This concept is known as ‘Orthorexia‘.
This disorder, increasingly evident in Western societies (recently concerned about the consumption of poorly processed food; an example of this is the so-called paleo diet), was appointed by the American doctor Steven Bratman.
Bratman, who suffered from this disorder, describes a type of obsession with consuming foods that the affected person considers healthy (organic, vegetable, without preservatives, without fats, without meat, or only fruits), or with consuming only foods with a way of preparation specific (only raw foods, only prepared by steaming or grilling, etc.), rejecting all those that cannot be included in these categories. In this disorder, the precipitating factors are obsession with diets, body worship and fear of food treated with artificial products.
More and more people are concerned about eating healthy, chemical-free foods, and at first, it may seem like an appropriate behavior that will be beneficial for those who practice it. However, it can become a serious problem and have serious repercussions on quality of life and health. When this normal behavior becomes an obsession, that is when we can talk about orthorexia.
The desire of orthorexic people to achieve physical beauty through diet is inevitably reminiscent of other eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. The difference between anorexia and orthorexia is that the first is related to the amount of food ingested and the second refers to the quality of the foods eaten.
Anyone can develop this pathological inclination; these are the groups of people most likely to suffer from orthorexia:
Also women and young people are more likely and, in general, all those excessively concerned about their physique, since the decision to eat “only healthy foods” is usually associated with achieving and maintaining a good body image, factors that could lead to orthorexia.
Effects of orthorexia
According to Bratman, orthorexics They think that they will achieve great physical and psychological benefits thanks to their eating behaviorand this can lead to a dependence on healthy food similar to that other addicts have on drugs. In addition to the benefits they hope to obtain from healthy foods, orthorexics also aim to rid themselves of hidden threats in rejected foods, such as anisakisthe salmonellosisor mad cow disease, and in this sense his attitude is similar to that of a schizophrenic, who fears being poisoned, or a hypochondriac, who thinks he may contract a disease if he does not take proper precautions.
An obsession with health… that can be counterproductive
Rejecting fats, additives, artificial substances, or vegetables and fruits grown with pesticides or transgenic origin and chemical fertilizers is not bad (since the more natural, the better), Orthorexics even exclude nutrients necessary for the proper functioning of the body from their diet. because it is found in foods that are considered inappropriate. This can cause: anemia, vitamin and mineral deficiency, malnutrition, osteoporosis, increased incidence of infections due to a decrease in the function of the immune system, lack of energy, etc.
Social isolation
But orthorexia can not only have negative consequences on health, In most cases it also affects their daily and social life.. By limiting the foods allowed, the daily menu becomes a real problem since it must be planned and prepared in time. Furthermore, as affected people also need to be sure that the products used in the kitchen are appropriate (even the utensils and food containers must be made of a specific material), they cannot eat outside the home, not even in restaurants. nor at the home of family or friends, unless they follow the same rules when preparing the menu.
If we consider that eating is a very social act that accompanies many celebrations (birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, Christmas parties, business meetings…) and everyday moments (eating with friends and family), considering most foods harmful prevents that people with orthorexia enjoy any of these occasions, which leads to social isolation.
Furthermore, although they may occasionally allow themselves to break their own rules and habits, they tend to be overcome by a feeling of guilt that causes them great discomfort. We see here how orthorexia represents a serious problem of anxiety that accompanies us on a daily basis, and although roughly It may seem like a minor eating disorder, it can be as dangerous to your health as anorexia.
Features and symptoms
How do you know if you have orthorexia?
Bratman established a series of criteria to determine what behaviors or behaviors towards food could indicate the presence of this type of obsession and thus be able to detect if someone may be suffering from orthorexia. Some indicators are:
If you answer yes to four or five of these questions, it means that you are starting to obsess over your diet more than necessary.and that you should pay less attention to what you eat. If you answer yes to all the questions, your desire to eat healthy has become a true obsession.
Treatment
For the treatment of this eating disorder The collaboration and good predisposition of the patient towards the treatment is essential, although in these cases it is easier than when it comes to other more serious eating disorders such as anorexia, since the patient’s attitude towards food is not due to the desire to eat. lose weight, but to be healthier. Since the greatest concern of the person suffering from orthorexia is a healthy diet, a balanced menu. To do this, it is best to go to a professional, such as a dietician or an endocrinologist.
After this step, the ideal is psychological therapy, since psychological recovery is more difficult than physical recoverysince it requires a lot of work on the part of the patient and the behaviors that the person has been adopting during the time of the disorder must be modified, as well as obsessive thoughts, social isolation and changes in mood.
The cognitive behavioral therapy It can help orthorexic people to modify their behavior and improve or reinforce their self-esteem, since it is essential to correct the distorted view of the harm of certain foods.
As in the case of any eating disorder, also in the case of orthorexia, the ideal way to avoid falling into them is prevention, instilling healthy habits in children and familiarize them from a young age with the foods that should be part of a balanced diet. You can also explain to the little ones the nutrients they provide, what they are for and why it is good to take them. On the other hand, it is important to minimize the negative effects that fashion or advertising have on their vision of the world, and that the “manias” of adults about food are not transmitted to minors.
Remember:
FOOD IS ONE OF LIFE’S GREAT PLEASURES!
AND SHOULD NOT CAUSE ANXIETY OR STRESS IN ANY WAY!
