orthorexia nervosa

[JackieOnLine]

I didn't know it had a name until this morning. not (yet) officially a diagnosis,

Those who have an “unhealthy obsession” with otherwise healthy eating may be suffering from “orthorexia nervosa,” a term which literally means “fixation on righteous eating.” from here.

sound like anything you've run into, maybe on a message board?

• Do love, joy, play and creativity take a back seat to following the perfect diet?
• Do you feel guilt or self-loathing when you stray from your diet?
• Do you feel in control when you stick to the “correct” diet?
• Have you put yourself on a nutritional pedestal and wonder how others can possibly eat the foods they eat? 

despite making yourself miserable with rigid rules - a person could maybe find a place to talk about their PURE and PERFECT eating, fit right in and even, dare I say it, be celebrated for constantly obsessing about how "good" (or not!) your eating has been!

how I wish we could all just relax!



from webmd

• Are you spending more than three hours a day thinking about healthy food?
• Does your self-esteem get a boost from eating healthy? Do you look down on others who don't eat this way?
• Does your diet make it difficult for you to eat anywhere but at home, distancing you from friends and family.
• Do you feel guilt or self-loathing when you stray from your diet?

 

[JackieOnLine]

I tried to edit but the bullet-points thing spread like a virus.

so, guilt and self-loathing are there twice, but, hey - that's the point! self loathing is not a good thing! same with obsession, NOT GOOD!

 

[DianaCox]

To say nothing of the fact that people who have this disorder are about as annoying as chiggers to people who have to listen to them!

 

[k9ophile]

To say nothing of the fact that people who have this disorder are about as annoying as chiggers to people who have to listen to them!

That's putting it mildly. I'd starve before I'd eat around them. Who needs that judgmental crap?

 

[aaa]

I saw a show on this once.

 

[hilary1617]

Wow, wow, wow. That accurately describes my sister's outlook on food. I didn't realize it was an actual condition. I feel so validated!

My sister dedicates hours and hours hours to planning, cooking and eating a PERFECT local, organic, vegetarian diet. She *cannot* help but constantly judge and lecture me about diet. She actively tried to prevent me from getting the DS and during both of her pregnancies, refused prenatal vitamins as she "gets all the vitamins she needs through diet and vitamins are mined and not absorbed naturally and destroy the planet".

Below is a outdated blurb (with certain details redacted for confidentiality purposes), from an online description of her from her role as president of an Urban Habitat Group purposed "to demonstrate the viability of sustainable concepts and practices in urban environments through research, education, and hands-on projects.We work at the intersections of urban agriculture, the built environment, materials recovery and reuse, and emerging local industries - focusing on creating seamless transitions in the cycles of resources at all scales. Past projects include... a do-it-yourself method of vegetating derelict urban sites. She now lives overseas, but at that time, she sat on the city's Food Policy Advisory Council, joined separate "Eat Local" and Permaculture Meetup Groups, all while attending a variety of nutrition courses.

"...She is also an advisory board member and volunteer for Cooking Matters, a child hunger and nutrition program, and taught high school theater production in the Woodlawn neighborhood, through a residency with American Mosaic in 2009. She is a strong advocate for developing environmentally, socially, and economically healthy neighborhoods. She is also a strong cycling and fitness advocate, and taught Nia dance-fitness to seniors and youth. She is also engaged in food access advocacy in the city.
Before moving to X in July 2008, she worked as an architect in France, China, and Canada, where she founded Architecture for Humanity Toronto in 2003. She designed multi-family residential developments in all three countries, in addition to museum exhibits, theater sets, and other building types. She has also worked in North and West Africa, and elsewhere in Europe and Asia. She holds a certificate in urban planning, in addition to professional degrees in Architecture from France and the U.S. In 2009, she also studied economics and community development in the College of Urban Planning."

Ahhhhhhh!!!!!! THANK YOU!

 

[JackieOnLine]

you are certainly welcome: I suspect it will be a diagnosis soon enough.

probably there is nothing people can't become rigid about or obsess over, sadly. I think we have certainly seen this online - WLS folks who are never really happy about eating.

That's putting it mildly. I'd starve before I'd eat around them. Who needs that judgmental crap?

well....as someone who is obsessive myself I do try not to judge - me being smug about not eating like they do is like them being smug about not eating like I do. we are both busy being smug.

hmm, need a smilie with a halo.

 

[Jo777]

Ugh, my boss, besides being very judge-y about our lower-income patients is one of those "Forks over Knives" plant-based diet followers.. it's almost cult-ish. Granted, she's tiny, at at 60- her body in clothes could pass for a teen.. she's annoying as hell. EVERY ill of life to her, in her opinion, could be solved by eating more plants.. When she's on course, she eats NO FAT, low protein.. I think that's why her mood is foul much of the time, no enjoyment. She will eat stuff "off plan".. and I don't see or hear her beating herself up over it- but insufferable is about right. I DO NOT talk about food with her, as I cannot compute.

 

[Elizabeth N.]

Ugh, my boss, besides being very judge-y about our lower-income patients is one of those "Forks over Knives" plant-based diet followers.. it's almost cult-ish. Granted, she's tiny, at at 60- her body in clothes could pass for a teen.. she's annoying as hell. EVERY ill of life to her, in her opinion, could be solved by eating more plants.. When she's on course, she eats NO FAT, low protein.. I think that's why her mood is foul much of the time, no enjoyment. She will eat stuff "off plan".. and I don't see or hear her beating herself up over it- but insufferable is about right. I DO NOT talk about food with her, as I cannot compute.

I am just beginning to get a tiny bit acquainted with the newest version of the DSM, which represents some huge conceptual changes in thinking about "mental disorders." One of the concepts, according to my professors at least, is a bigger-than-ever-before emphasis on, "How does ABC negatively disrupt the client's life?"..... Students and clinicians in training will/should learn how to help clients explore how to define that "negative disruption." This is not new, of course, it's psychotherapy 101, but there's a big effort to expand on it where possible.

One of the big things in most eating "disorders" (my therapist prefers to call them eating "in-orders") is the CONTROL factor....Controlling feelings, controlling people, controlling appearance....lots of stuff. Something that jumps out at me about this orthorexia behavior is that it seems to have a bigger piece of trying to control OTHER people's behaviors than do other eating in-orders. That makes me wonder if it might eventually fit in a different "labeling/diagnostic" category someday, or in a crossover category.

 

[hilary1617]

@Elizabeth N., interesting thoughts about control. One thing that strikes me as fundamental to my sister's sanctimonious attitude about what others eat is it serves to justify / distract from her own diet. So, to me it is another facet of self-control (albeit one that causes more "negative disruption" for those around her than for herself.) She cannot be questioned if she is "the authority". Just a single case, but I wonder if she may not want so much to judge others as to not be judged herself.

Prior to her architecture and save-the-world-from-"bad"-food careers, she was a model signed with a Parisian agency and was required to maintain a size 0 figure. Her gaunt physical appearance, highly restricted diet and obsession with exercise, she was often suspected/accused by my family of being anorexic. Now that she is the "expert" (and having aged and given birth to two children, is now a size 2/4) , those discussions have ceased. No one in the family can bear a conversation with her about food, least of all me.

Anyway, I'm thinking crossover based on an undiagnosed sample of 1.

 

[Elizabeth N.]

LOL @ undiagnosed n=1 .

 

[JackieOnLine]

interesting posts
I know anorexics are all about controlling their size, possibly because they can't control other things in their lives.

I wonder how becoming obsessed/addicted to/whatever with something our society considers "good" (thin/ pure food/ work/ money/ power/ sex?) vs bad (heroin/ pot/ candy) changes things.

was thinking about how we must be accepting of alcoholism as a society while recently watching so many video clips of Robin Williams. he frequently jokes about drinking and other substance abuse (including cocaine) and I can't help but think - yes, but that's COOL and you aren't going to have the sense of shame you might have with other problems. (he was never a braggart, however, always self deprecating)

or the judgement you might feel directed at you being MO at Dunkin Donuts or a teacher who has a medical marijuana card. it's weird how demonized pot is compared to beer or cigarettes - I've heard it is racial

 

[JackieOnLine]

one of those "Forks over Knives" plant-based diet followers.. it's almost cult-ish

don't know about currently but I know there's times on the VSG board OtherwHere you will cause quite a stir if you don't seem to understand carbs are The Devil.

 

[Parousia]

This reminds me of at least one person on MFP who feels obliged to have her say whenever the subject of weight loss surgery comes up. Apparently those of us who resort to WLS are just weak and taking the easy way out. She lost a lot of weight with diet and exercise, and therefore everyone can. They are just too lazy, etc. etc. Don't know her well enough to know if she would fit the criteria, but she is certainly very impressed with herself and looks down on anyone who can't do it on their own.

 

[k9ophile]

well....as someone who is obsessive myself I do try not to judge - me being smug about not eating like they do is like them being smug about not eating like I do. we are both busy being smug.
I tend to be judgmental myself, but I keep most of those thoughts to myself. So that makes me smug like you. I can live with that. I really don't feel like there's anything wrong with being judgmental. I just don't think it always has to be vocalized. Especially if I didn't solicit the unwanted judgment.