It's Bad When 'Healthy Eating' Becomes An Obsession

Healthy eating is all about choosing beneficial lifestyle choices such us eating fresh fruits and vegetables, taking less processed foods. However, have you heard that healthy eating can also become a dangerous obsession and without proper treatment can cause serious health problems?

Mostly people are aware of common eating disorders — anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating. But there is also orthorexia, an obsession with being healthy. According to Toledo Center for Eating Disorders, “individuals with orthorexia become so fixated on what they perceive as healthy eating that they actually damage their own physical and emotional well-being.”

Toledo Center continues, “At initial glance, people suffering from orthorexia appear to be simply taking care of their physical body, and may even talk about their eating habits. But, this is an illusion.”

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People who are diagnosed with this orthorexia show symptoms and warnings such as compulsive checking of nutritional labels and ingredient lists, eliminating increasing number of food groups, and showing high levels of distress when “safe or healthy” foods are unavailable.

Orthorexia leads to unhealthy weight loss, malnutrition and severe health concerns. Even though there is no official treatment for orthorexia yet, mental health care professionals follow the same treatment for the condition of anorexia nervosa.

There is nothing wrong with achieving a healthy body, but when "good weight" is actually being malnourished, that is not healthy. Remember, having a healthy mind plus a results to a happy life.

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