#EatClean, #Paleo, #GlutenFree, #Thinspiration, #CarbFree, #CheatMeal: troubling hashtags commonly used every day on social media, showing how society is unconsciously promoting disordered eating. Not only are pictures of “clean” foods encompassing our world, but so are pictures and posts of people exercising and trying the latest “fat-loss” diet to lose weight. Slowly people’s worlds are becoming obsessed with food, yo-yoing on the latest diet and over-exercising. Little do they know, that’s called Orthorexia nervosa – the “health food eating disorder”; it’s the exaggerated focus on food and exercising, commonly seen through these hashtags on social media.
So, the real question is, do you suffer from this disorder? The description of Orthorexia is very similar to how the modern diet fads work: promising “health” and weight loss by restricting entire food groups without any legitimate explanation. This includes anyone who is a “clean eater” or “raw eater”, being that “clean eaters” remove gluten or dairy or sometime certain “fatty” meats and “raw eaters” eat foods that are never cooked (which is a pickier subgroup of clean eaters). Now, some people follow these descriptions because they truly are eating healthily. Unfortunately, there is a fuzzy line between this “normal” healthy eating and orthorexia – the key way to define the difference is if eating “healthy” causes unhappiness and any “slipup” or “cheat” in the diet causes significant guilt and distress.
Now comes the hard part: coming to the realization if you suffer or not. Below are some questions to ask yourself (from the Bratman Test)
- Do you spend more than 3 hours a day thinking about your diet?
- Do you plan your meals several days ahead?
- Is the nutritional value of your meal more important than the pleasure of eating it?
- Has the quality of your life decreased as the quality of your diet has increased?
- Have you become stricter with yourself lately?
- Does your self-esteem get a boost from eating healthily?
- Have you given up foods you used to enjoy in order to eat the “right” foods?
- Does your diet make it difficult for you to eat out, distancing you from family and friends?
- Do you feel guilty when you stray from your diet?
- Do you feel at peace with yourself and in total control when you eat healthily?
If you answered yes to 4 or 5 of these, you should probably relax more about food. However, if you answered yes to most or all of them, you are experiencing a full obsession – orthorexia.
With the help of social media, an obsession with food and physical looks has formed. Try not to focus on diet and exercise and food – just live. Don’t you think it’s better to share a pizza with friends than eat a bowl full of kale alone?