Orthorexia-Part 2

Two months ago I wrote this blog post about orthorexia. This week the Chicago Tribune blog wrote this about orthorexia. Then the Weight of Evidence blog posted this referencing the Chicago Tribune’s post.

I’m a regular reader of the Weight of Evidence blog and that’s where I caught up with this week’s heated on-line orthorexia a.k.a. disordered eating discussion.

There are very strong opinions on both sides, especially the comments on the Chicago Tribune blog, Wow! I submitted my comments to both blogs because Steven Bratman M.D. and his orthorexia theory has been one of my long time Healthy Discoveries.

My Thoughts Regarding The Orthorexia On-Line Discussion:

“It was interesting that the Chicago Tribune just came across Bratman’s work. His book, Health Food Junkies: Orthorexia Nervosa – the Health Food Eating Disorder has been out since 2000?! They are almost a decade behind.

I am a nutritionist, I’ve studied functional medicine with MD’s at integrative medicine conferences for over 10 years. I personally like Bratman’s theory and would suggest people actually read his book before critiquing the premise.

I have no connection to him in any way, this is just my professional opinion. I’ve come across alot of people who don’t binge and purge and they aren’t anorexic, but they definitely obsess (all the time) about what they eat and don’t eat – which I do think is a disorder in and of itself.

Orthorexia is neither criticizing people for planning healthy meals, nor is it saying people should ignore information and education about trans-fats, nutra-sweet, fast food etc. Information and accountability is one thing, obsession is completely different!

Orthorexia becomes a holier-than-thou type of experience. The person begins to identify their whole existence and “specialness” with being vegan, having candida, eating a wheat-free diet, eating raw foods, only eating organic food etc. Of course this becomes a very slippery slope. When does someone become too concerned, too obsessed, or too disordered with their diet versus they just want to eat different, healthier foods? Alas, this is exactly why I like Bratman’s book; I think it offers very good guidelines, thoughts and questions to clarify the difference between health and obsession!

Again if you haven’t read the book, I recommend doing so before negating this theory.

The bottom line; food is one way to nourish ourselves! Its very important to pay attention to what you eat. I find food and nutrition a fascinating study (and always will)! However, I also believe a person can be eating the most “perfect diet” in the world but if they don’t have “nourishing” relationships, don’t exercise or sleep appropriately, don’t take time to have fun and relax, don’t volunteer and help others, don’t connect to something greater and bigger beyond themselves, if their finances are a mess, they stay in miserable jobs, environments etc, all the raw, organic, wheat-free, candida-free, protein-free green salad in the world will not make them “healthy!”

We can try to over compensate with “perfect” food and diets; but that will never fill the voids and nourish the other starving and deficient areas of our lives. Balance is key; and this is what I believe Bratman is saying in his well written orthorexia theory!”