Can one be TOO healthy? New article explains syndrome called Orthorexia Nervosa(obsession with healthy eating)
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I (now) eat an extremely strict healthy diet. For me, moderation didn't work, and it's also almost impossible to eat really healthy without an incredible amount of work. So, I don't agree with the OCD label.
That being said, I didn't want to be one of those people that preaches about food and tortures waiters, so I get water if I end up at a restaurant (go just for the social part), and I bring salads and stuff I can eat if I go to people's houses.
...and he still died of cancer. Go figure. He might as well have eaten more tasty foods and enjoyed the ritual of eating things that taste good before he died.
I don't care if they spend 3 hours or more at the supermarket, make all their own food and don't eat out, spend all their money on free-range organic gluten-free sustainable non-trans fat whatever, wash their fruit a bazillion times, etc., as long as they aren't smug about it, preach it or convince some pansy-a**ed congressman to legislate it.
I don't care if they spend 3 hours or more at the supermarket, make all their own food and don't eat out, spend all their money on free-range organic gluten-free sustainable non-trans fat whatever, wash their fruit a bazillion times, etc., as long as they aren't smug about it, preach it or convince some pansy-a**ed congressman to legislate it.
I'm very careful with what I eat as I get migraines & am allergic to so many things, it's easier for me to list what I can intake... that includes food, drugs, fabrics, etc. Still, I wouldn't consider myself obsessed & certainly don't think I have a mental disorder because I wish to take care of my health & well being. I wish I were one of those who could eat a hotdog & corn chips & wash it down with a root beer & feel nourished & great, but I'm not.
I look at labels & bypass most of what's on the market's shelves (whole isles, in fact), particularly anything processed, frozen or canned (the latter 2 mainly as those processes grossly degrade the nutritional content of the food). When going out to eat, which I dislike because it's hard for me to find something I can eat sans side effects, I'll choose whatever & keep my complaints about itches, rashes, headaches to myself & swallow some aspirin or antihistamine, if necessary. I eat out so rarely, it's not really an issue & when I do, I'll oftentimes just opt for fresh veggies or a few appetizers, because I feel there are fewer ingredients, with which to contend. Most people, therefore, think I have a slight appetite... I don't, but I prefer to eat my own food.
I find that the most annoying thing for others is to constantly hear the 'I can't eat xxx because I get xxx' on a regular basis. Most who know me don't even know I have allergies to food, because I know they don't want to hear about it, I don't care to repeat my story over & over & I don't wish to hear the aforementioned people tout for the 100th time their xxx intolerance. I know... I heard ya the 1st time.
Also, I'm over 40 & my metabolism has slowed down a bit, so I can't eat 4 pieces of peanut butter toast for a snack, giant bags of daily chips, cheeseburgers & fries at midnight & maintain the same weight. If I could, I certainly still would.
So, if all the above is considered a mental disorder, so be it. The author of that book, no doubt, never had a 33-day, knock down, drag out, full blown migraine (with no meds to take, because... right, I'm allergic to all drugs I've ever had) triggered by some ingredient in some processed something or other & still had to get up on most days & go to work. My bosses have never cared if I have a headache... they still want my body within eyesight, in a chair.
I think what people object to, as mentioned before, are those who are on a particular path (clean food, no smoking, no alcohol, sober living, vegetarianism, lots of exercise, weight loss, a particular religion or political view, etc) & never fail to bring it up in any conversation. That's obsessive, no matter the subject & somewhat controlling to bring it up over & over. Mental disorder is a strong term for most of those types (it seems to be tossed around quite liberally over the past few years)... perhaps they're just bored & need another hobby or 2 so they can focus on something besides themselves. It's boring to focus on just 1 thing.
My DH's cousin is like this, even with her DOG's food. In fact that's where it all started. She used to be very normal and enjoyed her husband's cooking. She was obsessive about everything to do with her dogs. She started feeding them only raw foods, from a service that delivered raw, prepared, and individually packaged, frozen dog meals. After her husband's death a few month's later, she started eating raw. vegan foods only. She originally weighed about 130 pounds, 5'7"ish, a good weight for a 60 year old. Now, after 2 years of eating only raw, vegan foods she looks like a skeleton and her face is so drawn and wrinkled, she looks like cr*p. I understand that she wants to be healthy, but getting so little protein is not healthy. She can't even eat beans and rice, because they have to be cooked to be edible. We've always thought she was a little nutty, but now that's almost all she eats (nuts). LOL.
I'm not too learned on fats. Is it better to use regular butter when cooking or oil? Just about the only oil I use is extra virgin olive oil. I love cooking with both and use butter a Lott.
In the US, you pretty much HAVE to exercise 'orthorexic' traits to a certain extent in order to avoid the nasty stuff in foods (or frankenfoods altogether) that are considered de facto here.
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