Can healthy living be an obsessive behavior or have a disorder?
Have you heard of the word " ORTHOREXIA". Orthorexia is a term that includes symptoms of obsessive behavior or eating disorder, a person that is after defining and maintaining the perfect diet rather than an ideal weight, ladies of now a days are always about their body shape and how flat they want their tummy to be, you know that sexy body shape. She will fixate on eating foods that give her a feeling of being pure and healthy. An orthorexia may avoid numerous foods, including those made with:
Artificial colors, flavors or preservatives
Pesticides or genetic modification
Fat, sugar or salt
Animal or dairy products
Other ingredients considered to be unhealthy
Common behavior changes that may be signs of orthorexia may include:
*Obsessive concern over the relationship between food choices and health concerns such as asthma, digestive problems, low mood, anxiety or allergies
*Increasing avoidance of foods because of food allergies, without medical advice
Noticeable increase in consumption of supplements, herbal remedies or probiotics
Drastic reduction in opinions of acceptable food choices, such that the sufferer may eventually consume fewer than 10 foods
Irrational concern over food preparation techniques, especially washing of food or sterilization of utensils
A woman suffering with bulimia(i.e an obsessive desire to lose weight) or orthorexia may find that her food obsessions begin to hinder everyday activities. Her strict rules and beliefs about food may lead her to become socially isolated, and result in anxiety or panic attacks in extreme cases. Worsening emotional symptoms can indicate the disease may be progressing into a serious eating disorder:
*Feelings of guilt when deviating from strict diet guidelines
*Increase in amount of time spent thinking about food
*Regular advance planning of meals for the next day
*Feelings of satisfaction, esteem, or spiritual fulfillment from eating “healthy”
*Thinking critical thoughts about others who do not adhere to rigorous diets
*Fear that eating away from home will make it impossible to comply with diet
*Distancing from friends or family members who do not share similar views about food
*Avoiding eating food bought or prepared by others
*Worsening depression, mood swings or anxiety
What are the Effects of Orthorexia?
Orthorexia symptoms are serious, chronic, and go beyond a lifestyle choice. Obsession with healthy food can progress to the point where it crowds out other activities and interests, impairs relationships, and even becomes physically dangerous. When this happens, orthorexia takes on the dimensions of a true eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia. One effect of this drive to eat only the right foods (and perhaps only in the right ways) is that it can give a person with orthorexia a sense of superiority to others. This can put a strain on relationships with family and friends, as relationships become less important than holding to dietary patterns.
Maintaining an obsession with health food may cause a restriction of calories merely because available food isn’t considered to be good enough. The person with orthorexia may lose enough weight to give her a body mass index consistent with someone with anorexia (i.e., less than 18.5). If the dietary restrictions are too severe, malnutrition can result. In rare cases, particularly in the case of women with unaddressed co-occurring disorders or another addiction, orthorexia may result in severe malnutrition and weight loss, which can cause cardiac complications or even death.
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