Kenna Morton's Journal, 24 Jul 19

I think I had that once. Lasted a good 30 minutes before it started clearing up. 

Hehehehe. 

It becomes consequential when your preoccupation with food causes you to bounce between self-love and guilt as you change and restrict your diet. In extreme cases, you might cut out so many food choices that you become malnourished. 

I know several young people with this condition. Wondered if it had a name. Thanks, Kenna. 

I wanted to emphasize the more detailed definition of what makes it bad since folks on FS have a tendency to misuse terminology at times.  

I fought with that off and on for my first 10 years because all of the bodybuilding magazines said that was what needed to be done to be lean and muscular. It's funny, now that I allow pizza, ice cream, etc I am bigger and leaner than I've ever been.  

@Diablo...what treatment did you undergo to overcome your orthorexia? 

https://www.timberlineknolls.com/eating-disorder/orthorexia/signs-effects/ 

I guess that I didn't have it full on but I may have been headed in that direction, I was just so determined to eat clean and lift to the point where I would even take Tupper Ware of chicken and sweet potatoes when I would go to my family and friends house. I would say I was driven. Now that I know it isn't required, life has gotten much better. I don't worry about what I am going to eat when I visit friends or family, I just moderate how much. 

Hopefully the article mentioned that orthorexia isn't recognized by the APA, or listed in the DSM, or ICD. (So long as a person eats enough, and not too much, it's hard to see how even a very strict diet would cause harm.) 

I had a friend who was mostly fruitarian (and completely raw vegan) for over a year. She looked the same before & after, still went to the doctor, etc. It was quirky, and it obviously isn't how most people eat, but it wasn't disordered in any practical sense. 

Johncip —I think the take home on this is that many people become so focused on whatever diet they are fixated on and so confused by all the conflicting information. In one place they see that beans are going to do you in for sure, and the next demonizes fruit, the next lists the horrors of meat and how could you possibly ever eat a potato. They are trying so hard to do the right thing that it becomes an obsession. We see it here on FS. And the obsession with being high school weight. The media contributes immensely to that creation of angst in many people who already have issues in that area. 

Kenna - I agree 100%. Negative body image issues are very prevalent here on FS. I would just caution against deeming it as orthorexia. Else, you could also say, anorexia = people with the obsession of losing weight by reducing the number of calories. We know that anorexia is more than that.  

Johncip— yes, the article did mention it. I think the significant take home was the negative effects of social media on people because of all the conflicting and/or erroneous information being bantered around. Even information coming from very credible sources cannot agree on many of these issues. I just eat a portion controlled diet of foods from different food groups. There is no food group I do not eat, except fast food and junk foods. Also don’t really eat candy either. 

Keyten...I'm dying at that!! LMAO!