Orthorexia: Obsessing Over Health Food

[Jojo]

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Stossel/story?id=5735592&page=1

Because they pursue purity in the food they eat, orthorexics are disgusted by processed food like macaroni and cheese. And Righini said even something as seemingly innocent as an apple could be toxic, because "if it's not organic, probably what goes into the soil is going go into the food, and then it goes into you."
With toxins lurking everywhere, orthorexics end up avoiding much of what most of us eat.

[Ashley]

Huh. Interesting. I guess everyone has their opinions.. :hehe:

[Jane99]

huh....guess I have an issue.

[Jojo]

Well the way they explained it on the news was this lady was severely obsessed she dropped to like 70lbs and almost died. She was so obsessed with not eating anything that wasn't raw. She said it would take her 3 hours to plan one meal for the day and she couldn't get her mind off it.

[theWrap]

I think there is a healthy concern for the safety and cleanliness of food, a concern which isn't necessarily shared by all, and then there is the true "obsession," which becomes almost paralyzing and overshadows every other aspect of life. There is a strong correlation (it's possible that connection is a better term) between OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and various eating disorders, particularly anorexia. It's based on my knowledge and understanding of OCD that I can see how easily someone could become consumed by their...um, consumption.

I read an article today, which I posted on my Facebook page, about nanotechnology and the addition of nano particles into food, food packaging, and even on the outside of produce. The issue is that the chemicals used, even in their nanoparticulate size, can affect DNA and other cellular processes, possibly triggering cancer growth and other problems. And honestly, the article FREAKED ME OUT!

I can see someone with a tendancy towards OCD and eating disorder could become fixated on food quality, and how the overwhelming fear of eating contaminated food could send that person to a dark, dark place where NO FOOD is safe to eat. And then what do you do???

It's very sad to me. It's sad we have to worry about our food sources. It's sad we have to worry what manufacturers are putting into our food, our ground, our water, all without telling us. And it's sad that people can become paralyzed by their fears to such an extreme.

[Jane99]

I was being serious when I said I have an issue. I have stopped going to the grocery store and I'm getting to where I can't/don't want to cook anymore for myself or my family. It freaks me out to think about all of the BAD things in our food, the packaging...what we cook it in, store it in...it's impossible to avoid it all. Just impossible!

I just want a house where I can grow my own food, know what the hell I am eating, and how it was grown...and I'll be okay. It's not that I'm obsessed, I'm concerned and angry and frustrated that EVERYTHING has something bad in it. Even when I go to Whole Foods...I still get freaked out.

I'm not OCD. I am a little anal retentive. I used to be Anorexic. I do have Anxiety a lot and Depression. I do continue to eat, as long as I can't read labels, so I can continue to breastfeed, but even that freak me out because...I'm just passing it along to my children. It doesn't seem like I can get away from it......!

I told you I had an issue.

[theWrap]

I was being serious when I said I have an issue. I have stopped going to the grocery store and I'm getting to where I can't/don't want to cook anymore for myself or my family. It freaks me out to think about all of the BAD things in our food, the packaging...what we cook it in, store it in...it's impossible to avoid it all. Just impossible!

I just want a house where I can grow my own food, know what the hell I am eating, and how it was grown...and I'll be okay. It's not that I'm obsessed, I'm concerned and angry and frustrated that EVERYTHING has something bad in it. Even when I go to Whole Foods...I still get freaked out.

I'm not OCD. I am a little anal retentive. I used to be Anorexic. I do have Anxiety a lot and Depression. I do continue to eat, as long as I can't read labels, so I can continue to breastfeed, but even that freak me out because...I'm just passing it along to my children. It doesn't seem like I can get away from it......!

I told you I had an issue.

:( That is rough, Rebekah! I understand where you are coming from, and I don't want you to think I'm saying you - or anyone else - are OCD. But there is some connection/correlation between many eating disorders and OCD.

It's interesting that you were Anorexic in the past. Do you think that your previous experience is related to your concern for eating now?

Sometimes I get really overwhelmed when I think about all that I don't know about my food, and even when we grow our own garden, and I think about what's already in the soil, the air, the water that I use to grow vegetables. What's in the seeds - what toxins were in the plants they came from? Sometimes, our world seems so toxic that it's impossible to escape it.

But then, of course, I just say, "**** it - I have no control over this." Which isn't a totally satisfactory answer, but it's the reasoning I must adopt in order to keep on living.