A few weeks back at the Austin Eating Disorder Specialists meeting I attended an excellent talk on Orthorexia. I will share a little of what I learned about Orthorexia.
What is orthorexia?
How I understand the definition of orthorexia is being obsessed with eating healthy. You may be thinking what is wrong with that? But, orthorexia takes on a rigid and righteous quality to the healthy eating. The person suffering from orthorexia spends a great deal time of thinking and planning out healthy foods to be eaten. Orthorexia can become so severe that it diminishes the individual's ability to focus on other things (The person with Orthoreixa can only focus on eating healthy.) such as occupation, relationships, etc. It can be medically dangerous, because food choices become so limited that it leads to malnutrition.
How does Orthorexia differs from Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa?
People with Orthorexia are fixated on healthy eating (not on losing weight) while those who have anorexia or bulimia are more focused on calories and losing weight.
If you or someone you know is suffering from Orthorexia please seek professional help immediately. To find a specialist who treats people with Orthorexia in the Austin area please visit The Austin Eating Disorder Specialists' website: http://www.austineds.com/.
For more information on Orthorexia please visit:
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