Apparently if you don't eat processed foods you have an eating disorder.
Orthorexia (not to be confused with Orthorexia nervosa):
Those affected may start by eliminating processed foods, anything with artificial colorings or flavorings as well as foods that have come into contact with pesticides. Beyond that, orthorexics may also shun caffeine, alcohol, sugar, salt, wheat and dairy foods. Some limit themselves to raw foods.
Coined by Steven Bratman, MD, he readily admits he's not a nutrition specialist. Weird.
It's only a disorder because it's not what the majority of society is doing-but if you think of eating unprocessed food in the context of human history, it's the typical American diet that is disordered.
ReplyDeleteI love it....we just MUST have labels for everything...even good sense!
ReplyDeleteJust going by the link you provided, he made it pretty clear that he's using the term to refer to people who have an unhealthy obsession, and that he's not talking about people who eat healthy. He's an alternative doctor who used to be a cook and organic farmer on a commune - doesn't sound like he's opposed to healthy eating.
ReplyDeleteI've certainly known people who were obsessed with sex, with power, with certain people, with conspiracy theories.
I guess an example would be - I'm convinced that we're heading for a societal collapse and have been prepping my family for it. Okay, weird but not obsessed. If my husband and I slept on the couch because I'd turned our bedroom into a food and supply warehouse and if we were deeply in debt because of all I had spent on that stuff, well ... that would be a sign of an obsession.
I don't think he's talking about people like you, unless I'm really missing something.
A friend just tweeted me about your blog, and what a great project! I look forward to reading more about your adventure!
ReplyDeleteI'm in Petaluma, in an apartment with a small yard. We have 5 chickens and are trying the best we can to grow veggies without full sun!
Hey Canadian Doomer! He links to a wikipedia article I'm sure he wrote. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthorexia_nervosa It seems that he even considers the more mild version as orthorexia. His diagnostic criteria is: "Bratman proposes an initial self-test composed of two direct questions: "Do you care more about the virtue of what you eat than the pleasure you receive from eating it?... Does your diet socially isolate you?"[17] Other questions concerning those who may be suffering from orthorexia provided by Davis on the WebMD (2000) website are: Do they spend more than 3 hours a day thinking about healthy foods? When they eat the way they're supposed to, do they feel in total control? Are they planning tomorrow's menu today? Has the quality of their life decreased as the quality of their diet increased? Have they become stricter with themselves? Does their self-esteem get a boost from eating healthy? Do they look down on others who don't eat this way? Do they skip foods they once enjoyed in order to eat the "right" foods? Does their diet make it difficult for them to eat anywhere but at home, distancing them from family and friends? Do they feel guilt or self-loathing when they stray from their diet? If yes was answered to two or more questions, the person may have a mild case of orthorexia"
ReplyDeleteConsidering we can answer yes to at least two of those questions (difficult to eat anywhere but home and skipping foods) then according to him we've got it. Boooo!
Hmmm...this is the only eating disorder that I'll be happy to have.
ReplyDeleteYea, you guys seem to be suffering soooo much ;)
ReplyDeleteSounds pretty delicious to me!
Catching up on your blog and this caught my eye. I am currently over whelmed when I go to the store and visualize how much packaged, processed food we consume. It is shocking.
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