Orthorexia

[wannalift]

look how far that clown took things {"eating a carrot picked within the last 15 minutes"} before you start labeling someone who eats healthy as having an eating disorder. he also apparently felt the need to appease his friends and be one with the crowd. congratulations on your long, arduous journey towards justifying and ice cream sandwich to yourself. oh, and you wrote a book about it.

[saladismyjam]

this article is very interesting

[theresa]

There are so many levels of perception, aren't there?

We are all coming from our own history, and trying to relay that on a forum is very difficult, and leads to tremendous miscommunication sometimes.

I can see how "orthorexia" is an addictive behavior process in terms of a fear of being "toxic", or something like that, how somone could become OCD about it. I could see that.

What I was referring to, however, is the tendency for mainstream consciousness to jump on the person who is actually MORE conscious and actually MORE balanced than the socially acceptable addicted masses because they do not want to take responsibility for their health.

Then there are viewpoints that say that orthorexic tendencies could be very dangerous and debilitating, like anorexia. I am not commenting with insensitivity to that perspective, I was only speaking from this one small point of view that I wrote above.

I think the far larger issue in society is avoiding responsibility for creating poor health through dismal food choices, and when you compare the standard american diet to a high nutrient content diet, for example, that high nutrient content diet, which will always be plant based, DOES look extreme. But which point of view is the extreme one?? I mean, seriously?

I would think that wanting to be healthy and being addicted to extreme dietary deprivation are two COMPLETELY different topics. We just have to follow our own inner guidance. Self love is the greatest clarifier of all. Trust yourself, and you'll know whats true, and won't be "triggered" by the projections you are making on other's expression. Its all an inside job, and we just have to learn to be the master of our own ship.....

[jemmyducks]

I have to say, I like this article. Not that I agree with it 100%, but there is definitely something called "an unhealthy obsession with being healthy". It certainly seems like an oxymoron, but the phrase reveals that there is some confusion about the word "health".

I'm of the opinion that living "a healthy life" / "being healthy" describes a very large picture of which there are many facets. If one believes that "being healthy" means simply "eating foods that are nutritionally-dense", one is mistaken. If one believes that being healthy means simply "exercising a lot", one is missing the full picture.

To me, health is about many things, all of which combine to allow one to 'flourish'. And flourishing is a comprehensive sort of activity.

I translate the phrase "an unhealthy obsession with being healthy" as "an obsession with eating apparently healthy food that leads to imbalances in one's mental health or other aspects of one's life". If you'll go along with my thoughts of "health" being a comprehensive state of being that requires the proper engagement in a number of activities, then you'll likely agree that any kind of "obsession" is unhealthy. I take "obsession" to mean giving too much energy/focus/time to a particular aspect of life. And so, if we desire to be healthy, we ought to aim for a balanced approach to the various elements of life, not just one or two of them.

[beforewisdom]

I stumbled across this interesting piece from a news show about Orthorexia. It includes a segment interviewing the doctor who coined the term and who wrote the essay in the original post to this thread.

I think a key thing to keep in mind is that nobody is attacking healthy eating or a particular diet. What is really being criticized is making a diet the focal point of your life, rather than having a life.

Part 1


Part 2

[vCLaW]

I think a key thing to keep in mind is that nobody is attacking healthy eating or a particular diet.

Really? You seem to to be doing exactly that with your personal crusade against anyone following raw food diets.

[beforewisdom]

I think a key thing to keep in mind is that nobody is attacking healthy eating or a particular diet.

Really? You seem to to be doing exactly that with your personal crusade against anyone following raw food diets.

You are quoting me out of context and off topic to this thread.

The context of my quote above was referring to the news video in regards to what orthorexia is about. Orthorexia doesn't refer to particular diets, orthorexia refers to obsessive compulsive behaviors regarding dietary choices to the point of harm.