Orthorexia Nervosa, that is, obsession with healthy eating.
It seems like we're talking about a good situation because there's something healthy in it, right? I can almost hear you saying that he is eating healthy, what more could he want? However, just as excess of anything is harmful, excess and obsession with the idea of healthy eating is also considered an eating disorder.
Eating disorders are behavioral disorders characterized by impaired eating behaviors that negatively affect health and quality of life. It consists of two basic conditions: Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and Bulimia Nervosa (BN). However, there are many more unidentified species. Although one of these, Tortorexia Nervosa (ON), is not defined as a disease according to DSM-5 criteria, it has recently become a subject of interest due to increasing healthy eating behaviors.
WHAT IS ORTHOREXIA NERVOSA?
This eating disorder, which literally means 'proper nutrition', can be defined as an obsession with healthy eating. In this eating disorder, the person attaches great importance to healthy nutrition and aims to protect his health in this way. The goal in Orthorexia Nervosa is not to lose weight. These people make a healthy diet the main goal of their lives, and when they quit the diet or go beyond their diet by consuming unhealthy food, they hate themselves and feel serious guilt.
Orthorexia Nervosa, biologically pure, additives or artificial substances. It is an obsession with consuming organic and healthy foods that do not contain food. This obsession leads people to unhealthy restrictions. As this situation progresses, foods that meet the definition of 'healthy food' gradually decrease, and people almost have difficulty finding food to consume. Because day by day, all foods have lost their naturalness and are defined as unhealthy in the eyes of the person.
HOW DO ORTHOREXIA NERVOSA PATIENTS EAT?
In this disease, which can sometimes be seen as a uniform diet, people can only eat fruits and vegetables. Or, individuals who are obsessed with GMOs and pesticides may not consume fruit and vegetables at all. In other words, the person's diet, nutritional knowledge levels and determines beliefs on this subject.
Orthorexia Nervosa patients usually have a restricted diet. These people, who can consume a small number of foods, think 'all or nothing' and starve themselves when they cannot find the foods they can consume. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies are observed in these people due to limited food consumption. In addition, people have a low-calorie diet because they consume a single type of food or a limited number of foods. This situation causes weight loss and brings serious health problems. In other words, these people who perfectionistically seek healthy nutrition may have to deal with anemia, osteopenia or other health problems, let alone being healthy.
Although Orthorexia Nervosa is generally an extreme and non-fatal condition, it can evolve into different psychological disorders and turn into Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) or Anorexia Nervosa (AN). For this reason, it should be diagnosed quickly and treated with a doctor, dietitian and psychologist.
HOW IS ORTHOREXIA NERVOSA TREATED?
As with all disease processes, the person must first accept this disease and voluntarily move away from the things that trigger this condition. . These triggers may be people he follows on social media, health programs full of misinformation on television, and some people around him. Identifying these triggers is very important. Then, the person should be explained about the damage this disease causes to his health and he should be made aware of the situation.
It is wrong to force people to consume foods that they consider unhealthy. In this process, proper healthy nutrition education should be given and the mistakes people believe about healthy nutrition should be corrected.
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