From Wikipedia, Orthorexia Nervosa: “a proposed eating disorder or mental disorder characterized by extreme or excessive preoccupation with avoiding certain foods perceived to be unhealthy,” introduced by Steven Bratman M.D. in 1997. In 2009 Ursula Philpot, chair of the British Dietetic Association described it as being “solely concerned with the quality of the food they put in their bodies, refining and restricting their diets according to their personal understanding of which foods are truly ‘pure’.”

sigh…..

I’m going to move away from the subject of eating disorders as I know nothing about them. My WTF thought on this is; are we really living in a world where there is an actual disease associated with the obsession of eating the ‘best’ diet?  Reading and studying about nutrition on a daily basis I run across such extreme views, sometimes down right nasty.  I’m sure there are people who have looked at my passions as an obsession or have sat at lunch with me as I avoid the bread basket and though “she’s crazy.”  Sometimes our diets and our beliefs can almost become cultish or like a religion.  They can become so extreme that we alienate our friends or develop eating disorders. This should not be the outcome of trying to be healthy!  The key to avoiding this situation is education.  Becoming educated on the type of lifestyle you wish to pursue is extremely important.  Why will I avoid certain foods?  How will this effect my body?  Has this worked for anyone I trust?  What is the best book to read on the subject?

My thoughts for today are: when approaching your health, approach it like you’re buying a new pair of jeans.  One size does not fit all!  Try on a few different brands and try on a few different sizes.  Become educated on what brand is the best for your body and budget.  Use a trusted personal shopper if needed.  As with jeans different nutritional lifestyles will not look good on everyone.  If someone tells you “this is the only way….if you don’t do this you will….you must use this shake or pill to achieve…” you are probably shopping at the wrong store!