So-called “clean” diets are one of the biggest food trends of the moment. You can see millions of posts tagged #cleaneating and #eatclean everywhere on social media. Everybody is actually going crazy on healthy diets! There is no denying the fact that going vegan, eating organic, or simply cutting all processed foods are healthy lifestyle choices. It’s smart to care about what goes into your body but sometimes being too healthy can actually be unhealthy. Here I am going to discuss something about healthy diet obsession.
People generally begin with a desire to eat healthily but eventually, this healthy desire turns out to have very opposite effects. And the problem begins when these healthy eating habits morph into an obsession, called Orthorexia Nervosa, or Orthorexia for short. It literally means a “fixation on righteous eating.” Let me make it more clear-
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Healthy Diet Obsession- ORTHOREXIA
Orthorexia is defined as the obsession with eating only healthy food to the point that it starts interfering with almost every aspect of your life, whether it is social, personal and/or professional. People believe that their quest to eat clean will detoxify their bodies but these obsessions and compulsions with food can actually be more harmful than healthy. Slowly, it starts impairing the quality of life to such an extent that they end up suffering from severe medical conditions (weight loss, malnutrition,etc.) related to severe diet restrictions.
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Orthorexia is an emerging disordered eating pattern which has been gaining steam in recent years. Generally, people are not aware of it or probably not seeing their symptoms or behaviors as problematic. So, I have made a list of a few questions that will help you in finding out if you or your loved one is dealing with Orthorexia. Let’s scroll down-
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Are You Obsessed With Healthy Diet?
- Have you shunned entire food groups including processed foods, all dairy, all meat, all animal products, all refined sugar, all carbs and/or gluten?
- Are you extremely obsessive about a narrow group of foods that are deemed ‘healthy’ or ‘pure’ such as organic, farm fresh, whole, raw and/or vegan?
- Do you compulsively check the entire ingredient lists and nutritional labels while purchasing?
- Does your self-esteem get a boost from eating clean and healthy?
- Are you judgmental about the eating habits of others (who do not adhere to rigorous diets)?
- Is the nutritional value of your meal more important than the pleasure of eating it?
- Do you show high levels of anxiety or distress when ‘pure’ or ‘healthy’ foods aren’t available?
- Do you spend extreme amounts of time and money on meal planning and food choices?
- Are you an obsessive follower of ‘foods’ and ‘healthy lifestyle’ blogs on Twitter and Instagram?
- Have you increased the consumption of supplements, herbal remedies or probiotics?
- Does it seem simply impossible to eat food prepared or bought by someone other than yourself?
- Do you often show irrational concern over meal preparation techniques, especially washing of food or sterilization of utensils?
- Do you feel guilty or hate yourself when you break your diet?
- Does your obsession with health food is interfering with other dimensions of your life, such as love, creativity, family, relationship, work, and school?
If you answered yes to some or all of these questions above, prompt attention is necessary. It is possible that you might be on your way of being Orthorexic! In that case, you must seek the help of a practitioner familiar with treating eating disorders. Orthorexia is treated with therapy and sometimes medication.
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For all those who are still confused, I would like to mention that there is a very fine line between health-conscious and health-obsessed. A health-conscious person makes gradual changes and cares about their body, but a health-obsessed person freaks out over it. So, before putting severe restrictions on your diet, don’t forget that anything in excess is always harmful to the body. Moderation is the key!