Hi Cutty Strength readers!
My name is Sarah and I am a Healthy Living Coach and Recipe Developer over at Ingredients Of A Fit Chick!
I am thrilled to be here with you today to talk about a subject that is becoming more prevalent now a day, despite not having been made an official medical term or mental disorder.
It has also become a topic that I see very frequently with my own coaching clients.
You may ask, what is orthorexia? Orthorexia is “An obsession with ‘clean’ eating.”
People usually start out with the intention of cleaning up their diet to become a bit healthier (or in many cases to lose weight).
They cut out things that are considered junk food; cookies, crackers, pizza, ice cream, etc and transition their food choices over to more fruits, vegetables and lean protein sources.
But this healthy transition starts to become an obsession. No longer will this person eat a food that has been processed, have artificial colors or dyes, is genetically modified, contain sugar or any kind of white flour, or have any other ingredient that is deemed ‘unhealthy’.
Many times, the food must also be certified organic. Things such as whole grain breads are also removed from the list of ‘allowed foods’ because they have been processed as well.
Eventually these restrictions begin to have an impact on the person’s life.
They will not go out to eat with family and friends because they are not sure how the food was made. They may not even allow a close family member to cook for them.
After a while, so many things have been removed from the diet that nutritional deficiencies begin to happen.
They are also, in many cases, not taking in enough calories to support their daily requirements. Thus, they end up losing a significant amount of weight, making them look as if they may be anorexic.
The NY Magazine shares a great list of signs to help recognize orthorexia that I use with my clients.
They include:
- Obsessively reading food labels
- They skip the ‘birthday cake’
- They are anxious about travel
- They train like super athletes
- They hate brunch
- They develop complicated ‘rules’
And the list goes on! You can read the full article HERE.
At the end of the day, orthorexia is an obsession.
Although more research is required on this topic, there are a few questions I would like you to ask yourself:
1.) Do you spend more than 2 hours a day thinking about food?
2.) Do you feel guilty if you do not follow your ‘diet’?
3.) Do you not allow yourself to eat foods you once enjoyed in order to eat more healthy?
If you answered yes to any of these questions or can relate to more than 2-3 items in the list from the NY Magazine article, I encourage you to reach out to someone. Ask a friend or family member if they see this as an obsession for you, talk to Cutty, give your doctor a call, or schedule a complimentary session with me HERE.
Food is part of the enjoyment of life. Don’t short change that happiness. ☺
If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to leave them at the bottom of this post or email me at: sarah@ingredientsofafitchick.com.
Thank you for allowing me to spend some time with you today! I hope this article has answered any questions you many have about orthorexia. Please make sure to check out my other wellness articles, health tips, delicious recipes and live cooking videos on the channels below! I look forward to connecting with you again!
In Health,
Sarah
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Disclaimer: I am not a registered dietitian or medical doctor. I am a Holistic Health Coach. I am trained to facilitate healthy lifestyle changes and keep you accountable while reaching your goals. If further medical help is deemed necessary, I can refer you to or help you find a trained medical professional who meets your needs.
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Thanks so much for having me on the site today Jeremy! Have a great day!
My pleasure!
Keep putting out amazing work Sarah.
Cutty
im trying to cut im 55 weight 233 6’2″ im just so lost on how to eat what to eat trying to hit my protein is so hard
what do i do im trying to get to 200
I try to focus my meals around protein and then fill in the rest. So, if I have turkey or chicken or beef, I look to see what carbs and fats would go best. How many grams of protein are you trying to achieve?
I have known about this but we are hearing more of it – definitely i think one of those hidden disorders that people don’t talk about & maybe many people we know too! Very scary for young people also being diagnosed with poor bone health.
I know I am not there! :)
For those who do not “hang around” with guys wanting to become elite bodybuilders or elite powerlifters, it’s alarming how many people have some form of orthorexia.
Some people I know can only eat one type of food for every meal because they think anything else will be detrimental to their health.
It’s scary.
Cutty