In recent years, healthy eating boomed. This is particularly positive, as obesity continues to be one of the public health problems of most concern to the global health community, being the second leading cause of premature death after tobacco. From time to time, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns of the risks we are exposed to if we have a high body mass index; these include cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. On the other hand, in social networks, countless “influencers” act as a speaker for healthy eating habits, as well as movements such asVeganism, “positive body” or homemade food.
Therefore, we can say that there is more awareness than ever about the importance of a healthy diet that is based on natural foods, especially vegetables, compared to processed and “fast food”. From this very newspaper we support a lifestyle whose pillars are healthy eating and regular physical activity. However, no excess is good, even the one born from following the right path and having good habits.
The exact number of cases is not known, but it is known to become a more common problem and increase over the years.
In 2000, Health Food Junkies was published, a book that provoked great controversy, shedding light on a mental disorder that over time has managed to become more acute among the population and which It has not yet been officially recognized by the WHO as a disease. His actor, Steve Bratman, invented the term ortorexia (from the Greek “ortho”, “right” and “exía”, “appetite”) to refer to eating behavior that crystallizes into an obsession with healthy eating and leads the individual to situations of social isolation and extreme guilt because he ate not entirely healthy products.
“Unlike anorexia and bulimia, which follow the amount of food, orthorexia “follows” the quality “, states Eva Perez, president of the Professional College of Dietitians-Nutritionists in La Rioja, at El Confidencial. “Although it has not been recognized in textbooks for diagnosing mental disorders, it is considered because it is still an eating disorder.”
Sandra Toribio
Like any eating disorder, it can have serious physical and mental consequences for those who suffer from it, although it is true that there is an invisibility of the problem and an ignorance from the medical and psychological community. “The number of existing cases is not known exactly“but it is known to become a more common problem and to grow over the years,” warns Pérez. In this sense, food is still a central aspect of a person’s health and social life. Therefore, the short-term effects and long are similar to those caused by poor nutrition, such as “Malnutrition, anemia or hypervitaminosis”. At the psychological level, “these obsessive-compulsive disorders can cause us to suffer episodes of anxiety or depression, causing the patient not to want to leave their home, reducing their social life.”
A difficult diagnosis
What is the profile of a person suffering from orthorexia? “They tend to have a very strict personality, controlling and self-critical to the point of excess, even with obsessive-compulsive behaviors “, explains the president of the college of dietitians”.Women and teenagers who play sports such as bodybuilding or athletics they are the most vulnerable groups because they are more sensitive to the value of food and its impact on personal image. “On the other hand,” does not usually affect people from marginal backgrounds, as they tend to look for food at a higher price and more difficult. to be achieved is therefore a pressing disorder especially in developed countries. ”
The first thing you need to ask the subject to diagnose orthorexia is if his eating behavior socially isolates him.
To all this is added the difficulty of finding a diagnosis, because, as with other mental illnesses, the patient does not want to recognize or realize that a simple pleasure for something as positive as a healthy diet can end up it becomes an obsession and, along with it, it affects your personal and social life. According to Bratman, and in the words of Eva Pérez, the first thing to ask the subject is whether his eating behavior isolates him socially. And then, to conclude that it really is orthorexia, ask these other questions: “Are you more concerned with the quality of the food than with the pleasure of eating ?; As the quality of the diet increases, does the quality of life decrease ?; Do you feel guilty if you omit your regime? “
In terms of treatment, Pérez believes that it should not be very different from other eating disorders. “It must be treated by a multidisciplinary team in which psychiatric therapy is combined with pharmacological therapy, a psychological treatment and an intervention of the dietitian-nutritionist to gradually incorporate the missing nutrients in the diet and to readjust their diet “, he underlines.
Social networks and orthorexia
We live in a social and historical context in which social networks have a huge influence on young people and adolescents, as well as in the general population in general. Logically, there are good and bad; and in this case, healthy eating will always be among the best, as it is essential that we enjoy good health at a time like the present. However, if, as Pérez said, there is a predisposition in the person to be too controlling and perfectionist in everything related to the food he eats, there is a risk that he will develop orthorexia. In this sense, this problem can be aggravated if you consume only content from “influencers” who are dedicated to healthy eating and have a perfect body.
“Everything influences, it’s true since then social networks and media convey a perfect picture of food, what we should eat and that makes him influence other people, “Pérez explains.” Today, the food supply is very wide, but at the same time the excess of information received is very large and it is not always information verified by the appropriate professionals. We must also make the difference that eating a good diet is not the same as being obsessed with it or to believe that the food industry is poisoning the population. “
Enrique Zamorano
In short, it is necessary to bet on a healthy diet, a fundamental pillar in a person’s health. But do not fall into an unhealthy obsession or go to the other extreme, because mental illness associated with eating behaviors has a very serious impact on the lives of those who suffer. After all, cHomer is a basic activity in our culture, and there are many traumas generated by this vital activity, but so imbued with ideologies, values and attitudes.
Therefore, before betting on drastic measures or changes, it is best to eat a balanced diet that includes all kinds of foods, fresh and non-industrial, if possible, giving more space to fruits and vegetables, power of vitamins and minerals and without unhealthy fats. But that this does not become an obsession that prevents us enjoy juicy food that we can share with the people we love.