Can you eat ‘too’ healthy?

I was reading an article today in the May issue of Harpers Bazaar about an eating disorder that is becoming a serious health issue in the United Kingdom and United States. It does not involve starvation or purging, but involves only eating ‘healthy’ foods to the point where one’s health is at risk… it even can cause death.

The term for this specific eating disorder is called Orthorexia, a term coined by Steven Bratman, MD in 1997. It is a disease in which people become fixated and obsessed with eating healthy foods that their caloric intake becomes so low their health is at serious risk. It is important to understand that orthorexics do not eat this way in order to lose weight. They try to prevent themselves from eating foods that they consider to be dangerous and harmful to their bodies. Examples of the foods they may cut out include but are not limited to: carbs, sugars, fats, and proteins. Orthorexics tend to cut out basics foods that our bodies need for a balanced daily diet. This disorder ultimately leads down a path of starvation and has caused many deaths.

The article mentions that Dr. Bratman wrote about a friend of his named Kate Finn who suffered from Orthorexia on his website. He wrote: “Kate recently died of heart failure brought on by orthorexia-induced startvation. Kate wasn’t afraid of being fat. She didn’t want to be thin. she just wanted to eat heathy food. Nonetheless, she brought her weight down so low, she ultimately died from it.”

Truth be told, there is not a lot of information about Orthorexia and it is still being researched and investigated. Unfortunately, more and more people, both men and women, are suffering from this disorder whether they know it or not.

For more information, there is an article on WebMDthat interviews Dr Bratman on this subject which is definitely worth your while to take a look at.

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