Orthorexia should NOT be a disorder

[Anonymous]

Honors are still disordered whether you list them or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live with someone for whom it absolutely is a disorder. The level of panic this person experiences when they think their food may have been tainted with something they perceive as bad (butter, oil, dairy) is not rational. They will not eat at all if they don’t have 100% control over the ingredients. 75% of their conversations are ruminations about food.

+1 I know two people like this - my SIL who can’t be convinced to eat anything with added salt even though she has had blood pressure low enough that she needed hospitalization, and my DH’s best friend’s brother who was starving himself when he had enough work situations that couldn’t accommodate his need to know and control everything about what he ate so he was fasting for days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Writing 4 paragraphs about choosing not to eat certain foods is unhinged. You have some kind of disorder. Plus you are very preachy.

This. Who was actually the last person to be worried for you, op?

Who was it? They want you to relax. They don’t want you to be unhealthy. Have a jolly rancher. Have white rice because that is what someone is serving you. Have a sugary drink - it’s 4 ounces and then it’s ice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure the criteria includes the obsessive thoughts. Eating clean for legitimate health reasons probably doesn't qualify.

It's also the rigidity. Never being flexible enough to eat something that doesn't fit the narrow definition of "clean" is clearly disordered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure the criteria includes the obsessive thoughts. Eating clean for legitimate health reasons probably doesn't qualify.

It's also the rigidity. Never being flexible enough to eat something that doesn't fit the narrow definition of "clean" is clearly disordered.

I also think that calling it "clean" eating is indicative of a disorder, because it's an inaccurate value judgment that implies the foods OP doesn't eat are "dirty." And for people like this, this will include foods like bread, corn, pasta, and cheese. They are "dirty" and "bad" foods.

You can be very committed to healthy eating and avoid all junk foods without making a big deal about how you "eat clean." No one is forcing you to eat McDonalds or Doritos. Just decline that if offered and eat the foods that work for you and make you feel good. But this need to divide foods into "clean" and "dirty" and to label foods like dairy or gluten that plenty of people eat *as part of a healthy diet*, and to express fear that somehow you will be made to eat "unclean" foods that will make you sick, is a disorder.

I know lots of people who eat very healthy and never eat junk food and none of them have orthorexia. They also don't worry too much about what other people eat, don't use loaded and judgmental language when discussing food, don't bring up food constantly, and express fear that their diets will be contaminated by the "unclean" eating of others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure the criteria includes the obsessive thoughts. Eating clean for legitimate health reasons probably doesn't qualify.

It's also the rigidity. Never being flexible enough to eat something that doesn't fit the narrow definition of "clean" is clearly disordered.

I also think that calling it "clean" eating is indicative of a disorder, because it's an inaccurate value judgment that implies the foods OP doesn't eat are "dirty." And for people like this, this will include foods like bread, corn, pasta, and cheese. They are "dirty" and "bad" foods.

You can be very committed to healthy eating and avoid all junk foods without making a big deal about how you "eat clean." No one is forcing you to eat McDonalds or Doritos. Just decline that if offered and eat the foods that work for you and make you feel good. But this need to divide foods into "clean" and "dirty" and to label foods like dairy or gluten that plenty of people eat *as part of a healthy diet*, and to express fear that somehow you will be made to eat "unclean" foods that will make you sick, is a disorder.

I know lots of people who eat very healthy and never eat junk food and none of them have orthorexia. They also don't worry too much about what other people eat, don't use loaded and judgmental language when discussing food, don't bring up food constantly, and express fear that their diets will be contaminated by the "unclean" eating of others.

Exactly. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Dear OP - we have a disorder. I own what I’m doing and don’t pretend that it’s not. It works for me, health wise (weight, blood factors, blood pressure, IBS, etc) but I’m crazier than a loon around food. If I eat something not on the list or more of it than I budgeted for, I hate myself and want to cry. But I also don’t want to be fat again or take medications that will eventually destroy my liver or kidneys. I cannot eat without thinking about it. I don’t understand how my DH can just walk up to a buffet and just fill a plate and eat it and that’s all the thought he gives it. But I know I have an ED.

[Anonymous]

Ma’am this is a Wendy’s

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I suspect years from now we will be as surprised the DSM tried to make 100% clean eating a disorder as we are now are surprised homosexuality was once considered a disorder. I understand a disorder is defined by impairing functioning, but having anxiety about chemical filled food to the point of bringing your own foods is something a lot of people I know who reversed illness have and do. I reversed a very serious health issue with ultra clean eating and lifestyle and don't need medication (verified by a doctor and medical tests). Old school doctors told me this would be impossible, yet all the tests tell a different story. I think it's insane that we are concerned if a person wants to eat 100% clean. If that person panics and won't eat Doritos, then get him or her an apple. If they are anxious about having to eat one meal of processed foods, I can tell you processed foods make me feel pretty sick afterwards so I get it.

I have connected with others with my autoimmune disorder and with cancer who also found massive benefits with clean eating and lifestyle and won't touch processed garbage. They even panic at having to eat junk because it makes them ill.

Throwing up food on purpose is a disorder. Starving oneself is a disorder. Insisting on eating healthy food and being worried that processed foods will make you ill? Not a disorder. Plenty of people have told me they ate mostly healthy and didn't worry about having junk now and then and the junk they ate as a kid until they got sick.

How strange that there is a disorder name for people who eat ultra healthy and feel anxious about chemicals, but there is no disorder for people who eat mostly standard American diet of junk. I don't think either should be a disorder, but I am very curious what the driving force was to pathologize refusing to eat junk at all.

Except that is not what orthorexia is. You have decided to normalize something in a way that is palatable to you- no pun intended. You can't bring your own food everywhere, you can eat the occasional processed item. Gluten free , and similar labels, unless you are celiac, is often an excuse for this behavior , which gets worse over time.

[Anonymous]

I agree, OP. The disorder should be the ones who think there’s nothing wrong with feeding a toddler candy, cake and soda.

[Anonymous]

I think I have a bit of mild situational orthorexia. (Had a bona fide ED as a teen.) I certainly don’t try to eat “clean,” but I’m rigid in my eating habits and generally abstain from eating in situations where the food is not in line with my usual regimen. But I eat all
kinds of junk at home with no guilt or shame.

I’m wondering if you have kids, though, OP. Because while your habits and attitudes might be fine for you, and you might have convinced yourself that you’re looking out for their health, the obsession and rigidity that they pick up from you can be really harmful. This is the one thing I struggle with. The feeling that it’s my responsibility to control what my kids (now teens) eat. Tread carefully there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Writing 4 paragraphs about choosing not to eat certain foods is unhinged. You have some kind of disorder. Plus you are very preachy.

This. Who was actually the last person to be worried for you, op?

Who was it? They want you to relax. They don’t want you to be unhealthy. Have a jolly rancher. Have white rice because that is what someone is serving you. Have a sugary drink - it’s 4 ounces and then it’s ice.

I would say this depends and is not always orthorexia. For a person on a low carb diet, they may really need to avoid these things to not trigger cravings that will ruin their progress. I have been addicted to sugary soda and I will not drink it at all now because I don't know how I would react to it. It would not be a small thing to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is why it's a disorder. You sound unhinged.

This.

100% clean eating doesn’t exist. Trying to achieve it leads to disordered eating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure the criteria includes the obsessive thoughts. Eating clean for legitimate health reasons probably doesn't qualify.

It's also the rigidity. Never being flexible enough to eat something that doesn't fit the narrow definition of "clean" is clearly disordered.

Ultra clean eating

[Anonymous]

Well you certainly sound nuts, so....