That article reads like a highly biased take on the situation... which I guess I'd expect from a natural eating website but the tone rubs me the wrong way.
I've never heard of this diagnosis before, but I have known people who go overboard with "healthy" eating to the point that it becomes a form of hypochondria and social isolation.
I guess the whole point is "everything in moderation." When we become obsessively fixated on food it's bad... whether we're eating too little (anorexia), too much (compulsive overeating), or so "healthy" that it's unhealthy (orthorexia).
I can see how when one takes the healthy choices to an extreme, it can become dangerous (from what I understand, I think we have a friend who struggles with this on a certain level).
It reminds me, Angie, a little of that woman at the Green Barbarians reading who wouldn't consume anything that involved corn, more as a political statement than anything else.
As with everything, it seems "balance" needs to be emphasized, as well as "moderation." I'm the queen of not following those rules, especially now that my pregnant-stomach has bizarre cravings and is extra-sensitive to certain foods, so I'm happy to have a plate of asparagus for dinner. Or a cheeseburger. Neither of which is probably a good idea--no balance.
I also think the natural foods industry depends on and encourages extreme diets (based on fear of food allergies, pesticides, etc)... which might explain why the article's tone is so reactionary and alarmist.
3 comments:
That article reads like a highly biased take on the situation... which I guess I'd expect from a natural eating website but the tone rubs me the wrong way.
I've never heard of this diagnosis before, but I have known people who go overboard with "healthy" eating to the point that it becomes a form of hypochondria and social isolation.
I guess the whole point is "everything in moderation." When we become obsessively fixated on food it's bad... whether we're eating too little (anorexia), too much (compulsive overeating), or so "healthy" that it's unhealthy (orthorexia).
I can see how when one takes the healthy choices to an extreme, it can become dangerous (from what I understand, I think we have a friend who struggles with this on a certain level).
It reminds me, Angie, a little of that woman at the Green Barbarians reading who wouldn't consume anything that involved corn, more as a political statement than anything else.
As with everything, it seems "balance" needs to be emphasized, as well as "moderation." I'm the queen of not following those rules, especially now that my pregnant-stomach has bizarre cravings and is extra-sensitive to certain foods, so I'm happy to have a plate of asparagus for dinner. Or a cheeseburger. Neither of which is probably a good idea--no balance.
I also think the natural foods industry depends on and encourages extreme diets (based on fear of food allergies, pesticides, etc)... which might explain why the article's tone is so reactionary and alarmist.
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