Do You Eat Too Well?
I poked my head into the office of my friend and colleague Kelly Morrow, MS, RD on the third floor of Bastyr University the other day. We sometimes chat about our families or the school but more often we share notes about trends we are seeing in eating and nutrition. Last week Kelly brought up her concern about a new extreme. I too have noticed a small number (thankfully) of people who seem so concerned about the purity of their food, they have extrapolated themselves from the joyful part of eating as well as many social events. Here’s Kelly’s take on the issue:
Do you eat too well? For some people, eating healthy can become an obsession. Doctors and psychologists call this Orthorexia or “right eating”. We can all agree that eating healthy foods is important, but what happens when that goes too far?
Recently I saw a woman in my nutrition practice that had lost a lot of weight, was losing her hair and had terrible problems with gas and bloating. She came to me because she was convinced she had a food allergy and wanted to do an elimination diet. Her diet consisted of mainly raw salads, sprouted nuts, beans and grains, purified water, juiced green vegetables and occasionally seasonal fruit (but only if eaten on an empty stomach before noon). She only ate food from the farmers market so she could be sure everything was local and fresh. When she ate, she refrained from conversation and she chewed her food until it was liquid. She told me that on occasion, she would eat some bread, but then would eat nothing but salad the next day to help her body remove the “paste” that was left over. As she spoke, I could tell she thought I would praise her for being so mindful and careful about her food choices and manner of eating. She was lonely and depressed. She had isolated herself because of the way she ate and she often lectured her friends and family for their unhealthy choices. I didn’t think she had a food allergy.
It is easy to see that this person has gone too far. Her eating was controlled by rigid, inflexible rules. She spent the major part of her day thinking about, worrying about and preparing food. She experienced guilt when she ate something she felt was “bad” and then would make reparations. Her social life and her health were suffering.
With all of her soul, she believed what she was doing was healthy. I referred this patient to a counselor that specializes in disordered eating and she reluctantly agreed to go. When healthy eating goes too far, it is important to seek help.
Tags: Bastyr, eating disorders, Kelly Morrow, orthorexia
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Thanks for bringing up this topic, Cynthia and Kelly. I found a copy of Steven Bratman’s book, Health Food Junkies: Orthorexia Nervosa: Overcoming the Obsession with Healthful Eating in the bargain bin at a major bookstore some time back (I guess orthorexia is not a widespread problem in the general population; my guess is that health-oriented communities like Bastyr have a higher incidence). The book outlines the many forms orthorexia can take, and I saw shades of my own quest for healthful eating in it. Since becoming aware of this, I have been less rigid in my eating, have found more joy in it, and feel much healthier, in mind, body, and spirit!
Comment by Becky — October 20, 2009 @ 8:48 pm
This reminds me of the universal moral grammar idea that all human beings respond emotionally to one degree or another to certain basic concepts. This emotional response is what drives our sense of morality. Purity is one of those concepts, and while some people may attach great importance to sexual purity, for example, other may attach importance to the purity of their food.
The whole, local, organic movement has moral overtones to it, and some people are bound to become zealots.
Comment by Jonathan Blake — October 21, 2009 @ 11:34 am
Yes, thank you for addressing this aspect of the health culture. I am aware of the “diet” that this woman was on, and familiar with some of the completely unfounded health claims included in the plan. The fruit on an empty stomach part is particularly amusing to me. The author claims that fruit combined with other food families will create fermentation and stomach upset. And I admit that without a sound understanding, claims like this can seem plausible.
I can also understand how some people, in their quest to become healthy (or simply lean) can become obsessed with the process and allow other parts of their lives to be wrecked. I think I would be one of those people, if only I had the tenacity to stick with something so impractical as an all-raw diet. I don’t know how to not obsess about healthy eating, but at least I am lazy enough that I can’t really go overboard.
Comment by sarah k. — October 22, 2009 @ 10:51 am
I just started reading “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Buddhism”. In the first chapter, it talks about Siddhartha’s attempt at extreme ascetism where he reduced his diet down to one grain of rice a day. After nearly dying, he accepted some rice milk from a young girl who found him lying in the forest. This is when he realized the Middle Way, which renounces dualism and all the “this is right, this is wrong” absolute judgements. Instead, the Middle Way encourages one to look beyond extremes, embrace all sides and seek the mean (average).
While I’m always trying to eat as well as I can, I’ve become very skeptical of diets that hand out so many rules, especially when they relate to whole foods. I love to watch the show “You Are What You Eat” with nutritionist Gillian McKeith, but I don’t subscribe to her elimination of all dairy products and red meats from one’s diet. I love Nina Planck’s book Real Food because, IMHO, she nails that middle path really well. And of course, so do the folks at Cookus Interruptus!
Comment by Chrissy — October 22, 2009 @ 11:19 am
I think it’s great that you posted this Cynthia. Folks who go too far w/ the healthy eating are naturally attracted to you and other Bastyr folks, so it’s great that you highlight this point of balance for everyone who is so inspired by your cooking. Three cheers for the middle path!
Comment by Karen Kennedy — November 8, 2009 @ 3:23 pm