The Orthorexia

What is Orthorexia?





Orthorexia is the pathological obsession to consume only healthy food. This obsession can become transformed into illness if not eat meat, fish or other necessary food and nutritional deficiencies occur.




Origin of Orthorexia




It's a new eating disorder that arises from the current ecological culture All we care about eating healthy foods, but when that becomes normal behavior become an obsession involving health hazards qualifies as orthorexia. This new disease, is increasingly evident in Western society, is above the obsession with diets, body worship and the fear of food treated with artificial products.
Were defined as not many years ago the signs and symptoms of anorexia and bulimia, the doctors and researchers are beginning to consider evidence other food-related disorder, has been called orthorexia. The difference between anorexia and orthorexia is that the former is related to the amount of food eaten and the second refers to the quality of food that are taken.




Orthorexia is defined as a pathological obsession to consume only certain types of food: organic, vegetable, no preservatives, no fat, no meat or fruit only, or only raw foods. The method of preparation - vegetables cut in a certain way - and materials - only ceramic or wood only, etc .- are also part of the obsessive ritual.


They walk far to get food even are willing to pay more for them if they do not find them or doubt their origin, do not eat rather not eat, friends house not knowing what they are offering. When not meeting their goals, they feel guilt and fall in strict dieting or fasting.



Effects of orthorexia



This condition can have serious health effects. For example, suppression of fat intake may compromise the fat soluble vitamins and fatty acids, both essential for the organism. No meat, iron levels are those that collapse and, although vegetables also provide protein, are of inferior quality.

You can also result in nutritional deficiencies if the food does not replace orthorexic rejects by others who can provide the same nutritional supplements. This results in anemia, vitamin deficiencies or lack of energy or oligolementos Moreover, not only is bad physically. Psychologically also produces a disorder that in most cases must be treated by a specialist.

Like anorexia, bulimia and all the eating disorders, recovery is more expensive psychological than physical, because we have to eliminate all behavior that has adopted the orthorexic over a period of time sufficiently long . And this requires a lot of will and time.


Symptoms of orthorexia

It usually appears in people with obsessive-compulsive behaviors and genetically predisposed to it. It has also been observed that many patients who have had anorexia nervosa, to choose to make to recover your diet only natural foods, probiotic, organically grown with no fat or artificial substances that could cause harm. Paradoxically, this behavior instead of preventing the disorder, could create.




The most visible characteristics of a orthorexic are:



-Obsession disordered eating healthy foods (natural).


-Tend to be people with obsessive-compulsive behaviors and those who have had anorexia nervosa have a predisposition to allergies.


-Excluding food meat, fats and foods treated with herbicides or pesticides.


-They may have nutritional deficiencies.


-Never skip your diet, even on special occasions













Treatment



It is important that barely detect early warning signs will encourage the person to receive specialist help, because as time passes it becomes increasingly difficult to break with harmful food pattern. Like anorexia nervosa and bulimia, a multidisciplinary approach orthorexia specialists in endocrinology, nutrition and psychological or psychiatric therapy.



The excess of information in relation to dietary choices and eating disorders, the extent of the food supply have influenced people to choose, sometimes by a diet of little benefit. Concern for a healthy lifestyle with a diet in the same terms, it is reprehensible, but to the extent that normal behavior becomes an attitude significant enough to change lifestyle and becomes an obsession. Such behavior implies danger to health.