Without fanaticism!
What is the danger of orthorexia?
Elena Sokolova, NDN.INFO
Recently, experts have put orthorexia nervosa on a par with eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia. Its insidiousness lies in the fact that for the time being it looks like the popular desire of many in the XXI century for a healthy lifestyle and healthy nutrition. And only when the negative sides of orthorexia begin to manifest themselves clearly, when health begins to suffer – then the person himself (and more often his friends and relatives) begins to think: something is wrong here…
Varvara Zarodina, a clinical psychologist, a member of the International Association of Hypnologists, tells us about the dangers of orthorexia and how to distinguish it from the natural desire to eat healthy food.
– Varvara Vasilyevna, today many famous people have begun to actively promote proper nutrition, veganism, raw food, rejection of lactose, sugars, gluten. Do you think this is a healthy trend?
– No one disputes that a healthy diet is useful – but, unfortunately, people have learned to abuse it too. Orthorexia has become a disease of many public figures: movie and pop stars, athletes, fitness bloggers. They promote healthy eating on their social media pages, show what they eat, share recipes. Millions of people are looking at them – and, feeling personally responsible to subscribers, adherents of healthy eating begin to control their eating behavior even more. Thus falling into the trap of orthorexia.
– How to distinguish orthorexia from other eating disorders?
– With orthorexia, a person does not seek to lose weight, as with the same anorexia – he dreams of an ideal diet, not a beautiful body.
– Who is the most likely victim of orthorexia?
– As a rule, these are people with an increased level of anxiety, low self-esteem and special attitudes of thinking. Sometimes – due to stress suffered in the past. More often than others, perfectionists suffer from this – former school honors students who are used to doing everything perfectly. If it doesn't work out perfectly, they suffer a lot. Girls and women who dream of a slim figure are also prone to orthorexia. As a result of strict diets, they refuse even the minimum amount of glucose, which can lead to big troubles. Recently, orthorexia has been detected quite often in adolescents, and this is very disturbing, because just in adolescence, when there is an active period of growth and maturation, it is very important to eat right. Depriving the body of useful substances is the way to irreversible consequences for it.
– What else is orthorexia dangerous and which organs and systems in our body suffer the most?
– Many products that are rejected by people suffering from orthorexia are vital, and rejection of them can seriously harm health. For example, due to the rejection of carbohydrates - due to the biochemical processes of digestion and assimilation of food – we have kidney failure. And this is the main problem of diets. Also, a peculiar kind of dietary maximalism leads to such medical complications as anemia, testosterone deficiency and bradycardia. With orthorexia, the following signs of deterioration are revealed: problems with the digestive system (constipation, bloating, nausea), violations of the water-salt balance (accumulation of fluid in the tissues – and, as a result, swelling: bruises under the eyes, swollen face in the morning, a feeling of heaviness in the legs even in the absence of exercise). Due to the obsession with maintaining a healthy lifestyle, a person may experience increased stress, increased fatigue, and he may also have a critical decrease in body weight indicators.
– And what happens to a person's mental state?
– The presence of concomitant mental disorders associated with orthorexia – such as depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and conditions caused by substance abuse – significantly increases the risk of morbidity and mortality. In addition, a person with orthorexia often has manifestations of negative psychological symptoms: anxiety and guilt when dieting, chronic anxiety about the "imperfection" of nutrition and its negative impact on health. And this symptomatology worsens from the moment when a person with orthorexia changes his eating habits towards excessively proper nutrition.
– By what signs can you determine orthorexia in yourself or your loved ones?
– First of all, this is an excessive passion for healthy food fashion. In the field of healthy nutrition, there are fashion trends inflated by the media, popular media personalities, as well as marketing campaigns, which we have the opportunity to notice with the naked eye today. A person experiences a sense of satisfaction and happiness from eating healthy or labeled as "organic" food. And, conversely, feels guilty when eating "harmful" products.
– What are these products?
– Most often these are products containing preservatives, artificial colors and flavors, genetically modified elements, as well as lactose and sugar… The second sign of orthorexia: a person spends a lot of time thinking about food. He plans meals in advance and feels guilty if something went wrong. He avoids eating food outside the house, as well as food prepared or bought by other people. The third sign: a person suffering from orthorexia condemns people who do not follow the rules of healthy eating. He distances himself from friends, family members and those people who do not share his beliefs about food. The fourth sign is the manifestation of excessive interest in what other people eat, the desire to discuss with them the importance of proper nutrition. And the last, fifth sign: a person obsessed with proper nutrition is constantly searching for sources that promote a healthy lifestyle. It should be borne in mind that the promotion of a healthy diet is often carried out by non-professionals, which is a significant factor in the deterioration of the health of many people.
– What steps should be taken if a person suspects orthorexia in himself or a loved one?
– Today we are under the strongest pressure of society and we feel that we must be successful and perfect in all areas. We ourselves let this need into all aspects of our lives, including in the field of maintaining health and maintaining proper habits. The problem arises when the desire to be the best in matters of nutrition becomes dominant, and a person forgets that there is another life around. To detect orthorexia, there are special tests that can be found and passed independently. If you suspect orthorexia in yourself or in your loved ones, you should immediately contact a nutritionist and a psychologist. A nutritionist will tell you what a healthy diet is and how it affects the body. A psychologist will help you develop a healthy attitude to food and get rid of complexes and addictions.
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