Did you know there is a disorder called Orthorexia Nervosa? Sounds like an eating disorder, doesn’t it? Orthorexia nervosa is not an official clinical diagnosed eating disorder, but it is gaining ground quickly. Many health professionals are using this term with their clients and patients who have an unhealthy obsession with eating healthy.
You might be asking, “is this for real?”
Those with orthorexia nervosa are fixated on food quality and purity. They don’t just pay attention to their food quality, they obsess, they let it control their thoughts, friendships, relationships, and life.
Most people have never heard of it because there are many “health conscious” people that are making us scared of food – real food.
I started thinking about this when I had a comment on my Facebook page about someone who said gluten is not safe to eat – what? SAFE? There are people in this world who legitimately must cut gluten out of their diet or they could have severe nutrient deficiencies, severe gastrointestinal distress and yes, they could die. For those people, gluten is not recommended. For the rest of the world, yes your gluten is “safe”.
It’s not just the gluten-free-ers of the world, it’s everything. Dietitians everywhere have clients telling them that they can’t eat carrots or bananas because they are full of carbs, or they would rather drink a 500 calorie “health shake”, because someone told them they’d lose weight.
When did we get so scared to eat real food?
It’s something to think about. TV, internet, Facebook feeds, Twitter feeds and every other media and social media outlet seems to be filled with a false health claim, there are advocates for meal replacements and supplements, and they play to human fear that if you eat carbs, for example, you will get fat. And because no one wants to be fat, the claim is taken as fact or truth.
For the last time, carbs don’t make you fat. Trans fat fried foods, fast food, processed food, and sitting on your bum all day – that will help pack on the pounds.
How about this? Common sense. Does it make sense that you should drink a shake instead of eating carrots? Does it make sense that you should eat a gluten free product (often higher in sugar and sodium) instead of their gluten filled counterpart? Does it make sense that someone is calling a food from nature – unsafe? If you question it, then it probably isn’t true.
We have replaced our common sense with food for a google search. We have forgotten how to eat wholesome, nutritious meals made from ingredients we can pronounce.
Stop being scared to eat. Enjoy life, enjoy your food, have a drink and relax.