Food for thought.....

http://www.pale-reflections.com/edn...page=orthorexia


Orthorexia nervosa

Orthorexia is a pathological obsession with eating proper food. The exact type of food may vary, but the individual has a fixation on only eating food they consider to be healthy or beneficial - to them, it is "pure" food.

Somebody who is orthorectic will spend more and more of their time thinking about food and how to plan their meals. They impose rigid regimes on themselves and must be punished if they "break the rules". The punishments do not tend to be as extreme as someone with anorexia or bulimia and usually involve imposing even tighter restrictions on what they can and cannot eat. By the same token, they may reward themselves if they do not give in to temptation and avoid foods which are not "pure".

How is it different to anorexia?
At first glance, there seems to be little difference between orthorexia and anorexia. However, there ARE many differences, the biggest one being that an orthorectic is not consumed by thoughts of being "thin" and losing weight. Also, somebody with anorexia (or bulimia, for that matter) focuses on the quantity of food, whereas an orthorectic concentrates on the quality.

Long-term consequences
The long-term consequences of orthorexia depend on the diet the person has imposed upon themselves. Often, the health risks are not particularly greater than that of a vegetarian or vegan. Many of the problems tend to be social ones, with the individual finding it harder and harder to maintain a conversation that doesn't involve food. They may also be isolated, often eating alone and spending a considerable amount of time planning and buying food.

Important notice
Orthorexia is not a condition your doctor will diagnose. It is a fairly new and controversial term which is still being explored.

Whoa! I think all NEW Atkins dieters go through SOME of these symptoms in the beginning (hand goes up, meekly...). I imagine this condition is a problem when it starts to affect your ability to enjoy the company of others? Or if you fail to grow beyond this "novelty" stage?

Oh great, now I know the proper term for it. There has to be a new word invented, hasn't it? Just pure obsessing is not enough.

How nice to know so many of us have learned the most important thing from Dr Atkins - how to enjoy food without obsessing

No diet will work unless you make it to some extent a hobby - and hobbies are things people get enthusiatic about. I see nothing to worry about.

I think we have enough real medical problems in the world without people dreaming up more.

Some people have difficulties with controlling things, so they go to an all or nothing kind of mindset. It's kind of a perfectionism thing, sounds like. But you know what I say about perfectionism:

I know I have a problem with perfectionism. But I'm working on it, and once I solve it, I'll be perfect!

That is so like me! I get rather obsessive about eating (always have, actually) and it is actually one of the concerns I have about Atkins. I come from an anorexic background, and I have to be ever vigilant about my attitude towards carbohydrates. I am still struggling to eat 20 grams of them on Induction, but I am trying my best.

Do we REALLY need a name for it? There are so many people out there who are very careful when it comes to carbs, fat, sodium, etc. etc. that I hardly think it qualifies as a "disorder". I think that perhaps if a person restricts their diet to only a handful of "pure" foods then there would be a problem. Otherwise, at least 50% of the population "suffers" from orthorexia nervosa.

Oh great...another "issue" to deal with! LOL

I agree with what was said earlier....I think to some extent we all do it and one has to be enthusiastic about something for it to be longterm and successful.

I'm working on the perfectionist thing too...ALL the time. Sometimes I act a little too much like Mommie Dearest (NO WIRE HANGERS) for my taste. It reminds of a tag line I saw the other day: I'm not obsessed, just very focused. LOL

I hate to say it, but I sure see a lot of people making references to foods they consider to be "pure".

HI
I work at a retail grocery that sells frozen prepared foods. Some people say, "what additives are in your striploin steak?" To which I reply, "beef."

I also get those I think are quite "interesting" (read:nutty) in that they assume everything has additives that will kill them. Oh, I can't eat that, it has chemicals. Hello, if you don't want chemicals, go to an organic market, don't come to a prepared food store!

M

Yes, it is true--I am obsessed with NOT DAILY FILLING MY BODY WITH DEADLY METABOLIC POISON! How can I stop this viscious cycle of healthy eating so that I, too, may become a statistic of the diabetes/heart disease/stroke epidemics that so many lucky people happily become parts of? Some one help me!

What a bunch of rubbish. I think the people with the problems are the ones who DON'T CARE WHAT THEY PUT INTO THEIR BODIES!

Sorry, friends. This rant is concluded.

Mio - you rock! Made me laugh for sure.......

It's not a problem in and of itself until it starts to rule your life. I have seen many a post about being so upset about eating a BITE of sugar that the poster was in tears...and also a lot of grandstanding about never EVER letting a bite of that garbage past their lips again. Isn't their a happy medium? I think most of us are there... careful about what we use to nourish our bodies without being SO focused we berate ourselves for a slip-up.

I just found it interesting that there is a big enough percentage of people who are so overly focused they actually HAVE a name for it.

Seems to have struck a nerve in some....

Me too! But the interesting thing to me is that since I started low-carbing, my obsession with food has considerably diminished even though I am currently measuring every gram that goes in my mouth so I can track my calories.

Before low-carbing, I thought about food all day long and I would obsess about/plan what I was going to have for dinner and breakfast and lunch for the next several days -- and I was eating the same things day in and day out and still obsessing.

I also found this site:

http://www.orthorexia.com/

This is the sentence that I really thought stood out for me:

"While an anorexic wants to lose weight, an orthorexic wants to feel pure, healthy and natural."

I am always saying to my family and friends that I eat this way to be healthy I don't necessarily need to lose more weight but this is for life.

EDIT:

Adding this link too, it explains the ED in more detail.

http://www.orthorexia.com/Index.php?page=katef

I guess what made my last post so humorous was the throbbing vein of obvious truth poking through it. Actually, I must admit that the only way I ever last a day successfully fighting my horrid carb addiction is by being ever vigilant and mindful of what I put into my mouth. The honest truth is that I very often fail myself. The problem is that if I eat one bite of ice cream, I ABSOLUTELY WILL EAT THE WHOLE BOX. The same goes for anything sugary. Therefore, obssession with not eating sweets and starches is actually one of my few allies in this personal war of mine. Were I to throw caution to the wind, my 100 lost pounds would flood back in a torrent of cakes, cookies, and mounds of candy corn. That absolutely cannot be allowed to happen. I might would not survive it this time. Of course, the modern world's obssession with avoiding fat has partially caused this obesity epidemic in the first place. I guess you simply need good information before you start obssessing, huh?