It’s no secret that society has obsession with being thin. But as the dieting fad proves to be more of an obsession than a trend, people use choice words such as “healthy” to describe their generally unhealthy obsessions, nutrition-related or otherwise. And as the media and celebrity fascination continues to creep into our everyday lives &-&- lining the aisles of the grocery store, appearing on the evening news &-&- we’re constantly bombarded with wrong information, or too much information that we mix and match or don’t know what to do with it. Sometimes ending up doing things we think are healthy for us, when in reality they are not.
Orthorexia nervosa, an unhealthy obsession with eating healthy, is a disorder, not officially recognized by DSM, where a person overly restricts or limits food deemed unhealthy. It’s reasonable to want to eat a proper diet. But with all of the confusion surrounding what is and what is not healthy, combined with avoiding things such as carbohydrates that are a necessary part of a healthy diet, this can lead to an extremely unhealthy lifestyle, where rather than eating balanced meals, a person restricts their nutritional intake too much.
Nutritionists often recognize the illness when a patient is practicing a diet thought of as healthy, but takes it too far. The disorder, however, is extremely difficult to diagnose.
Disorders concerning health, food and exercise &-&- whether it be a binge or a purge or any or all &-&- are extremely concerning, especially in a country like ours where everyone is completely overwhelmed by social pressure to be thin and by a media that is oversaturated with celebrities who serve as “thinspiration.” More focus should be placed on feeling good and feeling healthy, not being a size two. But at the same time, we must take responsibility ourselves in recognizing what is healthy and what is not. Education is a key component in leading a healthy lifestyle, and knowing how your body works and reacts to different restrictions and/or practices is important.
One solution is keeping balance, not restricting or avoiding in excess. Instead, practicing moderation over starvation is healthiest. But it is important to note that healthy changes in diet are as unique as fingerprints. What works for one person will not work for another. We must learn how to nourish and take care of our own bodies, not Angelina Jolie’s.
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