Orthorexia... diet never "pure" enough !

[bobm]

The Columbian, story from LA Times... Orthorexia, a condition that one becomes so consumed with a health food diet -- or, as many people now term it, a clean diet , that the list of foods they eat shrinks and shrinks.... Our current culture is immersed in advice and admonitions about the "right" way to eat : juice, paleo, low-carb, no- fat, GMO- free diets abound.So perhaps it's no wonder that the terrain gets dicey for some people. Auther Mary Macvean, " I got into raw veganism,colonics, enemas and a whole way of life.It was so insanely pure. There was no room for error. I couldn't even work. All the energy went into making my green smoothies and doing a yoga class. I was addicted to this feeling . I had to be pure." ... Whatever it's called, therapists say, there are people whose rigid attention to what to eat, it's nutrition content and how the food is grown and processed can put themselves in danger. A person might start "by getting rid of processed foods, then sugars and gluten, and little by little most things get taken out. They'll take out meat. Only raw foods, only fruit. There are no real rules , but it usually gets down to a very small number of foods." People think that the "pure" diet would help to reach their full potential. But, now it leaves them enervated, isolated and unwilling to leave the house without bringing their own food. This all leads to malnutrition. Signs of Orthorexia : * A significant shift in a person's relationship with food. * A significant change in weight or behaviors around meals. *Exercising even when sick or injured, and agitation over having to shift the routine. *A lot of counting and calculating --- no calories, but things like nutrients or grams of protein. * A reluctance or refusal to eat in public. Grow your own .... locally grown ... know what is in one's food or how it was grown ... sound familiar ... Thoughts ?

 

[greengenes]

Obsessions. Alcohol, drugs, cats... some peoples brains are wired for being obsessed.
For some people it is a religion, another person, or the internet... gardening comes to mind.
The only thing that makes any of us 'Normal" is that there really is no such thing- and there in lies our normalcy.
We tell ourselves that it is good for us or the environment- or the cats- and we justify our behavior.
I could go on and on about this...but...

I have some seedlings to get in the ground. (I don't have any cats)

 

[so lucky]

I have first hand experience in dealing with this. You ought try cooking for someone with this disorder. Not fun! I didn't know there was a name for it, but I'm not surprised. I'm wondering what the prognosis is, for a person who is afraid to eat anything.

 

[NwMtGardener]

"I don't have any cats"

 

[canesisters]

Timely Topic!!!

I realized a few days ago just exactly what I've gained over the winter and decided (again) to start eating "right".
... but being raised on hamburer helper, corn and mashed potatoes... I'm not always real sure what 'right' is - exactly.
I jumped on the net - the answer to all quests for knowledge. Within an hour I had learned that I must never eat protien and starches together - that I shouldn't drink during a meal - that any meat that came from animals that I did not create out of thin air was tainted and unsafe somewhere down the line - that eggs are a perfect food AND will kill me with a heart attack before I finish off a dozen, and nearly a million other facts that when put together left me with pretty much nothing to eat........
LOL
As with everything in life - "all things in moderation" is probably a good motto to live by.

 

[journey11]

An extended relative of mine has this. I had never heard of it until then. It is a very serious psychological disorder and is in the same class as anorexia and bulemia. As bad as it can be for the individual, it's all fine and well until you also force your children eat that way. Her 5-year-old daughter's hair is very thin and does not grow. She is also very small for her age and shows developmental delay. She won't take her to the doctor for well child visits anymore because she got tired of hearing what the doctor had to say and in her mind she fully believes that she knows better. CPS has been to visit at least twice that I know of. A child needs plenty of fat in their diet for brain development, especially in the first 3 years of life. It is very sad.

 

[canesisters]

Wow Journey - that's terrible! Poor little girl....

 

[baymule]

Fortunately this does not apply to MY diet! I am on a SEE FOOD diet. I SEE FOOD, I EAT IT.

 

[Wishin']

 

[catjac1975]

I try to eat as much out of my garden as I can. I am on the "Eat right for your type diet." I feel great, have not been sick since August, and have lost weight, slow and steady. All my life I have gotten every, cold, sore throat, cough, flu that was with in a mile. That being said, I would never refuse food at someones house, spoil a meal out by being unable to eat anything. I give in to the temptations without guilt and just get back to what makes me feel better. I feel very sorry for the child in Journey's life.