What is orthorexia nervosa? Orthorexia nervosa is a condition that includes symptoms of obsessive behavior in pursuit of a healthy diet. This obsessive behavior to become healthy is actually very dangerous to the body, so people who are motivated to be excessively healthy are not very healthy after all. Some of the standards of orthorexia nervosa are found in this article: http://www.orthorexia.com/orthorexia-proposed-formal-criteria/. Some of the standards include: (1) Violation of self-imposed dietary rules causes exaggerated fear of disease, sense of personal impurity and/or negative physical sensations, accompanied by anxiety as well as shame, and (2) Positive body image, self-worth, identity and/or satisfaction excessively dependent on compliance with self-defined “healthy” eating behavior. Besides understanding some of the criteria for orthorexia nervosa, this column is a good way to define the boundary between eating healthy and having a mental disorder because these standards I just discussed is not normal for just eating healthy these standards of orthorexia nervosa play a psychological role in the human body.
There are two other sources that also discuss orthorexia nervosa: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/obsession-healthy-eating-dangerous-risk/story?id=26866895
& http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/07/health/orthorexia/. Both of these sources are very credible because they are well known American network news channel whose info are usually trustworthy, up to date on current events, and supported by many individuals. The ABC News article talks about a woman, Jenni Victor, who has orthorexia nervosa, how it has affected her body, including not having a period in over a year, along with a video of that woman as well. The CNN talks about a woman named Ashely Bailey who also has orthorexia nervosa, professors who have heard of her and discussed her problem, as well as discussing orthorexia nervosa in general.
The message of these articles is that why eating healthy is good, compulsively eating healthy is bad for a person’s health, and because of this these sources add to my opinion that orthorexia nervosa is a disorder. Before I end this blog post here is a fun fact, the name orthorexia nervosa literally means ‘a fixation with righteous eating.’
Works Cited
Chang, Juju, Chris James, and Lauren Effron. “When an Obsession With Healthy Eating Becomes a Dangerous Risk.” ABC News. ABC News Network, 13 Nov. 2014. Web. 9 Apr. 2017. <http://abcnews.go.com/Health/obsession-healthy-eating-dangerous-risk/story?id=26866895>.
“Orthorexia: Proposed Formal Criteria.” Orthorexia. N.p., 26 Dec. 2015. Web. 9 Apr. 2017. <http://www.orthorexia.com/orthorexia-proposed-formal-criteria/>.
Richards, Sarah Elizabeth. “Orthorexia: When Healthy Eating Becomes an Obsession.” CNN. Cable News Network, 12 Oct. 2014. Web. 9 Apr. 2017. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/07/health/orthorexia/index.html>.