An eating disorder is a condition in which an individual eats, or avoids eating, in a manner which negatively affects both one's physical and mental health. They are thought to be behavioural patterns stemming from emotional conflicts that need to be resolved in order for the sufferer to develop a healthy relationship with food. Last month we learned about compulsive overeating disorder and the movement to recognize alternative eating disorders which do not fall under the two clinically accepted categories, anorexia and bulimia nervosa. This month we will learn about Orthorexia and Selective Eating Disorder. While many doctors believe that these conditions are simply lifestyle choices or “odd” habits, both have the potential to cause a high degree of anxiety and body hatred, restrictive or antisocial behavior, and negative physical symptoms (e.g. excessive thinness, bone deterioration, sleep irregularity, digestion difficulties, etc.). This potential for harm means that they should be recognized and treated accordingly.
What is Orthorexia?
Orthorexia nervosa is a term coined by Dr. Steven Bratman of Colorado University in 1997. It is formed from the Greek word orthos (meaning "correct”) and orexis (meaning "appetite”), modeled on the word anorexia (meaning "without appetite"). Orthorexia is an unhealthy obsession what the sufferer considers to be healthy food: it comes from the drive to become pure, so that a sufferer begins to become obsessed with everything that he or she is consuming. It is believed to be a food-centered manifestation of a person’s obsessive tendencies: many who suffer from Orthorexia also suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Someone who struggles with orthorexia may avoid certain foods, such as those containing fats, preservatives, animal products or other ingredients considered by the subject to be unhealthy. Orthorexics describe preserved products as "dangerous", industrially produced products as "artificial", and biological products as "healthy". They may plan strict meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next day. They are often critical of what others eat, and may isolate themselves from surroundings. If the dietary restrictions are too severe or improperly managed, malnutrition and/or emaciation can reach the extremes seen in anorexia nervosa. In extreme cases death may even result.
What is Selective Eating Disorder?
| Selective Eating Disorder (SED) is the categorical refusal to consume certain foods or whole food groups, based on different criteria (nutritional value, ethics, texture, aroma, even color). While pickiness and refusal to eat certain things can be normal (especially throughout childhood) where it is not overcome with age or is accompanied with extreme ridigity, malnutrition and/or psychological distress may result. Like orthorexia, many who suffer from SED also suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Those with SED eat a highly limited range of foods and are unlikely to try anything new: certain foods and even specific brands are identified as “safe”, whereas the rest are “dangerous”. |
You might suffer from orthorexia or SED if:
1. You care more about the virtue of what you eat than the pleasure you receive from eating it.
2. Your diet socially isolates you.
Certain health food diets, such as the raw food diet, may lead to orthorexia or SED. This diet is a diet based on unprocessed and uncooked plant foods, such as: fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, dried fruit and seaweed. It is believe that heating food above 116 degrees is destroys the enzymes in food that assist in the digestion and absorption of food: in other words, cooking is thought to diminish the nutritional value. 75% of the diet must be living or raw. Benefits are claimed to be:
-increased energy
-better skin
-better digestion
-weight loss
-reduced risk of heart disease.
This diet is extremely restrictive and requires an incredibly amount of time and energy. When not administered properly, nutritional deficiencies are more than likely occur: unless one spends all day eating, calcium, iron, B12, protein and calorie intake will most likely be insufficient. Several notable celebrities follow the raw food diet: Gwyneth Paltrow, Demi Moore, Sting and Alicia Silverstone. In 2008, Gwyneth was hospitalized for fainting due to undernourishment.
Recovering
The underlying motivations of orthorexia and SED are different from that of anorexia. An anorexic’s goal is to lose weight, however the orthorexic and someone with SED want to feel pure, healthy and in control. Nevertheless, the outcome may be the same - emotional distress or anxiety, feelings of guilt, inability to participate in social events, physical discomfort when “normal” food is consumed, and/or excessive weight loss. If you think you may be suffering from either of these conditions, consult a professional: you can learn to have a healthy relationship with food without restricting yourself.
