Orthorexia nervosa. Eating too healthily. A disorder

Orthorexia nervosa is an eating disorder. This disorder is not primarily about weight loss, like the eating disorder anorexia nervosa. It is not about binge eating like bulimia nervosa. Orthorexia patients are obsessed by the idea of eating as healthy, as pure, as unprocessed as possible. This aim has unhealthy consequences, such as malnutrition, but due to the obsession, these consequences hardly seem to matter.

Doctor Steven Bratman first noticed this syndrome in his practice in the 1990s and gave it the name orthorexia nervosa. The name comes from the Greek language. Ortho means correct. Rexia means appetite. The term nervosa has been added to indicate that it is a psychological disorder. In 2019, orthorexia nervosa has not yet been included as a recognized eating disorder in the DSM-V (Diagnostic Statistical Manual), although treatments have been developed.

Susceptible to this eating disorder include people who are prone to depression, or who exhibit obsessive-compulsive behaviors. Heredity, fear of failure and perfectionism also play a role.



Course of the eating disorder

Usually this eating disorder proceeds in stages.
First, for example, only the sugars are omitted, then dairy, then meat, coffee, tea and so on.
By wanting to eat less and less unhealthy food, the chance of weight loss is high. However, weight loss is not the primary goal. Wanting to eat healthy food develops into an obsession. The food is divided into two categories by patients: good and bad. These are self-made rules, which also apply to strict food preparation and tight planning. If the orthorexic patient succeeds in eating healthily according to his own standards, self-esteem increases, and pride can even be experienced. In other eating disorders, feelings of shame are often experienced.


Malnutrition as a result of too healthy food

By omitting more and more foods, there is a vitamin deficiency, which leads to malnutrition. This can be life-threatening. Vitamin deficiency increases the risk of low blood pressure, anemia, skin disorders, osteoporosis, fatigue and menstruation problems. Social life can also be severely affected by the obsession with healthy food, because the food obesssion isolates the orthorexia patient. Eventually it becomes difficult to function in society.


Treatment

To treat orthorexia nervosa, it is important for the patient to recognize the disease and realize where the obsession for extremely healthy food comes from. With the help of a psychologist and a dietician, foods are added to the strict diet in consultation. Step by step, vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates are included in the diet. It is not so much the intention of the treatment to completely throw the patient's diet overboard, the focus is on a balanced food intake and a healthy lifestyle, including a social life.




#eatingdisorder
#toohealthy
#healthyfood
#psychology



Sources

anhttps://www.nieuwsvoordietisten.nl/orthorexia-wat-zijn-risicofactor/ 

http://www.archivespp.pl/uploads/images/2012_14_1/BrytekMatera55__APP1_2012.pdf 

http://www.orthorexia.com/what-is-orthorexia/