HEALTH BLOGS
HEALTH BLOGS
category: health
26 Oct 2009

Orthorexia is the latest love-hate relationship that has developed between mainly women and food.

Orthorexia is “a fairly new classification of eating disorder characterized by an utter obsession for healthy eating. For the orthorexic, disavowing cheese, fat, meat and bread is a way to feel pure and healthy. But their fascination for food choices quickly becomes an unhealthy fixation.”

This eating disorder is easily masked as a food allergy unless you know what to look for. Here are some questions from MSN.Health to ask yourself to be sure your friend or loved one isn’t disguising her disordered eating with a food allergy:

• How does she look?

Those living with food allergies become adept at managing their diets so that their nutritional needs are met. Their health doesn’t necessarily suffer. Orthorexics, on the other hand, become so obsessed that malnutrition and even emaciation can result.

• Does her story change?

Women with food intolerances have a finite list of items to avoid. Those with eating disorders will change their tune to fit the social situation; orthorexics will continually add to their list of restricted foods.

• Are there other symptoms?

Sufferers of eating disorders often become compulsive about not only what they eat but also how they eat it (how the food is arranged on the plate, which utensils are used, where they sit). Food-allergy sufferers, on the other hand, are simply happy to be able to eat.