Orthorexia: the obsession with healthy food

Some people pay too much attention to their diet.

"Does the way you eat isolate you from others?"

"Do you feel guilty when you eat something not allowed by your dietary convictions?"

"Do you care more about the quality of the food than the pleasure of eating it?"

If you answered yes to at least one of the above questions, you may consider yourself a a candidate for health food addiction; a new eating disorder born out of contemporary organic culture. This concept is known as 'Orthorexia’.

Orthorexia: Analyzing the disorder

This disorder, increasingly evident in Western societies (lately preoccupied with the consumption of low processed food; an example of this is the so called ''Paleo diet''), has become a new food disorder. Paleo diet), was designated by the American physician Steven Bratman.

Bratman, who suffered from this disorder, describes a type of obsession to consume foods that the affected person considers healthy (organic, vegetable, without preservatives, without fats, without meats, or only fruits), or to consume only foods with a specific way of preparation (only raw foods, only steamed or grilled, etc...) rejecting all those that cannot be included in these categories. In this disorder, the precipitating factors are the obsession with dieting, the cult of the body and the fear of food treated with artificial products..

More and more of us are concerned about eating healthy food free of chemicals, and at first, it may seem to be an appropriate behavior that will be beneficial to the practitioner. However, it can become a serious problem and have serious repercussions on the quality of life and health. When this normal behavior becomes an obsession, we can then speak of orthorexia.

The desire of orthorexic people to achieve physical beauty through dieting is inevitably reminiscent of other eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. The difference between anorexia and orthorexia is that the former is related to the amount of food ingested and the latter refers to the quality of the food taken.

Who is affected by orthorexia?

Anyone can develop this pathological inclination, these are the groups of people most prone to suffer from orthorexia:

• People who are very demanding with themselves (perfectionists) and with others, with a straight and strict character, who like to plan and keep an exhaustive control over their life and daily activities (as in the cases of anorexia and bulimia).

• Athletes are another risk group due to the fact that they take special care of their diet, so that they end up consuming only those foods they consider most suitable to improve their performance/physical condition.They end up consuming only those foods they consider most appropriate to improve their performance/physical state.

• People who have suffered from anorexia nervosaWhen they recover, they choose to introduce in their diet only foods of natural origin, pro-biotic, ecologically cultivated, without fat or artificial substances that could cause them any harm. Paradoxically, this behavior, instead of avoiding the disorder, provokes a new one. This shows that even if the purging behaviors have been suppressed and they return to eating, at the psychological level they have not been well rehabilitated.

Also women and young people are also more prone to 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 think that they will achieve great physical and psychological benefits from their eating behaviorThis can lead to a dependence on healthy food similar to that of other addicts on drugs. In addition to the benefits they hope to gain from healthy foods, orthorexics also aim to rid themselves of hidden threats in the rejected foods, such as the anisakisanisakis salmonellosisIn 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 the proper precautions.

An obsession with health... which can be counterproductive.

Rejecting fats, additives, artificial substances, or vegetables and fruits grown with pesticides or of transgenic origin and chemical fertilizers is not a bad thing (since the more natural, the better), orthorexics may even exclude from their diet nutrients necessary for the proper functioning of the organism because they are found in foods that are considered inadequate. This can lead to: anemia, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, malnutrition, osteoporosis, increased incidence of infections due to a decrease in the function of the immune system, lack of energy, etcetera.

Social isolation

But orthorexia can not only have negative health consequences, in most cases it also affects their daily and social life.. By limiting the foods allowed, the daily menu becomes a real problem as it must be planned and prepared in advance. In addition, as those affected also need to be sure that the products used in the kitchen are suitable (even the utensils and food containers must be made of a specific material), they cannot eat outside the home, neither in restaurants nor in the homes 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, company meetings...) and everyday moments (eating with friends and family), considering most foods as harmful prevents people with orthorexia from enjoying any of these occasions, which leads to social isolation.

In addition, although they may occasionally allow themselves to break their own rules and manias, they are usually overwhelmed by feelings of guilt that cause them great discomfort. We see here how orthorexia is a serious problem of anguish that accompanies them on a day-to-day basis, and even though roughly speaking may seem to be a minor eating disorder, it can be as dangerous to health as anorexia.

Characteristics and symptoms

• Disordered obsession with eating healthy foods.

• They focus on the quality of the food they eat.

• Eliminate "unsafe" food groups from the diet, (may include complete avoidance of fats, grains, preservatives or artificial chemical additives, animal products).

• Spend more than 3 hours a day researching or thinking about food (includes planning grocery shopping).

• Obsess about body care and health.

• They become anxious or fearful at the thought of food.

• They never skip their diet, even on special occasions.

• They refuse to eat food at restaurants or social gatherings.

• They isolate themselves socially because they won't eat just anywhere.

How do you know if you have orthorexia?

Bratman established a series of criteria to determine which behaviors or behaviors toward 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:

• Do you spend more than three hours a day thinking about your diet?

• Do you plan your meals several days in advance?

• Do you consider the nutritional value of a meal to be more important than the pleasure it brings you?

• Has your quality of life decreased as the quality of your diet increased?

• Have you become stricter with yourself during this time?

• Have you improved your self-esteem by eating healthy?

• Have you given up foods you liked to eat "good" foods?

• Does your diet pose a problem when eating out, and does this distance you from your family and friends?

• Do you feel guilty when you skip your diet?

• Do you feel at peace with yourself and believe that everything is under control when you eat healthy?

If you answer yes to four or five of these questions, it means that you are starting to become more obsessed with dieting than you should be, and that you should pay less attention to your diet.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 real obsession.

Treatment

For the treatment of this eating disorder it is fundamental the collaboration and the good predisposition of the patient towards the treatment, although in these cases it is easier than when it comes to other more serious eating disorders such as anorexia, since the attitude of the patient towards food is not due to the desire to lose weight, but to be healthier. Since the main concern of the person suffering from orthorexia is a healthy diet, it is necessary to establish first of all a balanced menu. To do so, it is best to consult a professional, such as a dietician or an endocrinologist.

After this step, the ideal is the psychological therapy, because psychological recovery is more difficult than physical recovery.It requires a great deal 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 can help orthorexic individuals to modify their behavior and improve or reinforce their self-esteem, as it is essential to correct the distorted view of the harms 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, inculcating healthy habits in children and familiarizing them from an early 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 good 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 adults' "crazes" about food are not transmitted to children.

Remember:

FOOD IS ONE OF LIFE'S GREAT PLEASURES

AND SHOULD NOT PROVOKE ANXIETY OR STRESS IN ANY WAY!