{"id":32478,"date":"2014-09-30T07:15:26","date_gmt":"2014-09-30T11:15:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=32478"},"modified":"2021-08-26T14:12:18","modified_gmt":"2021-08-26T18:12:18","slug":"orthorexia-nervosa-eating-disorders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/orthorexia-nervosa-eating-disorders\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Orthorexia? When Healthy Eating Becomes an Obsession"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Orthorexia
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Three years ago, after suffering from chronic abdominal pain, digestive problems and a crushing breakup that left her depressed and sluggish, Ashley Bailey started researching whether \u201cclean eating<\/a>\u201d could help her feel better. After learning that some people are intolerant to dairy, she cut milk and cheese<\/a> from her diet and was relieved when her heartburn disappeared. But she didn\u2019t stop there. Convinced she could detox her body even more, she researched other food groups that had been implicated in health problems and within a year had eliminated gluten, grains, meat, starchy vegetables and most fruits.<\/p>\n

What started out as a genuine interest in becoming healthier quickly developed into an obsession. \u201cI had extreme anxiety about everything I ate and became acutely aware of how every ingredient made my body feel,\u201d says Bailey, 28, who works in software development in Boulder, Colorado. Eating out felt like torture because she couldn\u2019t control how the food was prepared. Were the spices organic? Was the chicken raised in cages? Was sugar added<\/a> to the sauce? Was a dish really gluten-free? \u201cI broke down crying once because I could taste so many different flavors, and I didn’t know what they all were or where the ingredients were sourced,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

In her quest for food purity, the 5\u20194\u201d Bailey consumed so few calories she dropped to 92 pounds. Her moment of truth arrived a year ago when she saw a picture of herself from Christmas in which her collarbone was jutting out. \u201cI called my sister and said, \u2018I think I have an eating disorder,\u2019\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Extreme Health, Gone Wrong <\/b><\/h3>\n

If you follow a certain style of eating, like vegan<\/a>, raw or organic, it takes vigilance and dedication to stick to it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s different than going overboard because you want to be skinny.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Yet mental health experts are increasingly worried about people who take healthy eating to an extreme, developing such a restrictive diet it threatens their health and even relationships.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s now a name for people dangerously addicted to all things healthy \u2014 a sufferer of orthorexia nervosa<\/a><\/i>. Characterized by disordered eating fueled by a desire for \u201cclean\u201d or \u201chealthy\u201d foods, those diagnosed with the condition are overly pre-occupied with the nutritional makeup of what they eat. They rigidly avoid any food they deem to be \u201cunhealthy,\u201d or spend excessive amounts of time and money in search of the \u201cmost pure\u201d foods.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s different than going overboard because you want to be skinny,\u201d explains Thomas Dunn, PhD, associate professor of psychology at the University of Northern Colorado and co-author of a recent paper<\/a> in Psychosomatics<\/i> that outlines diagnostic criteria for the disorder. \u201cRather, it\u2019s linked to people who are trying to be as healthy as they can be.\u201d<\/p>\n

The condition is under-studied, and no one knows how widespread it is. (\u201cAvoidant\/ Restrictive Food Intake Disorder<\/a>\u201d is orthorexia\u2019s closest cousin in the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders<\/i>.) But it\u2019s on the rise in our ever-expanding food culture<\/a> that now offers shoppers several kinds of kale, even in suburban supermarkets, says Dunn. \u201cSome people can border on the irrational and only eat salmon prepared from this one place in Washington that was cooked over a cedar plank<\/a>,\u201d he says. \u201cIf you\u2019re losing friends because no one wants to go out with you because you\u2019re such a horrendous pain in the ass about where and what you\u2019ll eat, you have a problem.”<\/p>\n

\"Orthorexia
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n


\nEating Well\u2026Or Eating Obsessively?<\/b><\/h3>\n

The line between being careful about what you eat and being obsessive is difficult to distinguish. Especially in the U.S., where fast food restaurants are abundant and two-thirds of people are overweight or obese.<\/p>\n

\u201cOrthorexic eating becomes almost like a religion…You can\u2019t eat out with a friend. You can\u2019t go to the party.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Do you run the risk of being labeled orthorexic if you refuse to eat at most mainstream restaurants, where nearly every sauce or salad dressing contains soybean oil or high-fructose corn syrup<\/a>? Or will you be labeled \u201ctoo extreme\u201d if you choose to buy only local, organic produce? According to Sondra Kronberg, nutritional director of the Eating Disorder Treatment Collaborative<\/a>, it depends on how much the fixation interferes with your quality of life, and your ability to be social and function.<\/p>\n

\u201cOrthorexic eating becomes almost like a religion,\u201d she says \u201cIt becomes a position instead of a preference. You can\u2019t eat out with a friend. You can\u2019t go to the party. You have to bring your own food wherever you go.\u201d Health-conscious eaters might prefer fresh foods, but won\u2019t fall apart if they eat a handful of tortilla chips at a party. At the other extreme, an orthorexic person might skip a cruise vacation if they don\u2019t think they\u2019ll like the food on the ship.<\/p>\n

Jordan Younger knew her raw vegan diet had become an unhealthy obsession when she started avoiding going out with friends. She didn\u2019t want to feel pressured to eat something that wasn\u2019t 100 percent clean. \u201cI\u2019d get arugula salad without dressing, cheese and croutons and steamed veggies,\u201d says Younger, 23, from Sacramento, California. The fact that she was the author of a popular blog called The Blonde Vegan<\/a>\u00a0also compelled her to stick to the rigid lifestyle. She now chronicles her recovery in her re-branded site called The Balanced Blonde<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And as for Bailey? She found help by seeing a nutritionist<\/a> and counselor who encouraged her to listen to her body, eat larger quantities of food and stop researching crazy diets. \u201cI don\u2019t count calories because it makes me obsessive, but if I\u2019m hungry, I eat,\u201d says Bailey, who now works as a health and lifestyle coach<\/a>. \u201cI want to help people understand there\u2019s a healthy way to embrace healthy,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Too “Pure” for Your Own Good?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Worried that your desire to eat clean has spiraled out of control? If you identify with two or more of the following traits, you may want to seek out a nutritionist or counselor, according to Dunn.<\/p>\n