It's easier than ever to watch what you eat these days. Counting calories, nutrients and fat grams has become somewhat of a national pastime.
But as CBS 2 HD learned recently this pursuit of eating right has gone terribly wrong for a growing number of people suffering from an emerging eating disorder called orthorexia.
"I shake at the thought of eating a hamburger," Kathy Losonczy said.
Red meat is not on Losonczy's menu. And neither are a slew of other foods that you may never think of going without.
"I do not eat fried chicken; I do not eat French fries. I very rarely eat pizza, though I love it," Losonczy said.
Losonczy is so concerned with eating healthy she has severely restricted what she can and cannot eat.
"Never eat fast food, absolutely zero junk food," Losonczy said.
She also doesn't eat canned foods and rarely, if ever, touches sweets. She never eats fat and the list goes on. Most importantly, Losonczy said she obsessively counts and catalogues everything she consumes.
"I went through a stage of being vegan, vegetarian," Maggie Miller said.
Miller said she, too, knows what it's like to have a compulsive need to eat right.
"It was like walking on a never-ending balance beam that I was always scared I would fall off of," Miller said.
Losonczy and Miller both said they struggle with orthorexia, a new type of eating disorder. Doctors say it's an obsession with eating healthy. But it's so severe it can quickly turn very unhealthy
"I would say it falls into the family of anorexia nervosa," said Dr. Allan Geliebter.
But unlike anorexia or bulimia, orthorexia is not about weight loss.
"Food becomes a natural way to regain power, assertiveness and control," nutritionist Nicolette Pace said.
Pace said she's seeing more and more patients with orthorexia and you might be surprised to learn who they are.
"A middle class, well educated person over 30, so they have the means to purchase the foods," Pace said.
But people with orthorexia may not eat enough of them and exclude a number of other food groups they perceive as bad.
"The biggest risk would be semi-starvation," Dr. Geliebter said.
Geliebter also said extreme cases can even lead to death.
"I was exhausted and couldn't stand the mental struggle anymore," Miller said.
Miller said the disorder eventually took over her life and became too much work. That's when she finally sought help.
"It was really like my whole life opened up. I fell in love, I got married," Miller said.
And chronicled her struggle in a book.
Losonczy said she is still struggling with her obsession to eat right.
Regimented eating patterns may start off subtly but can quickly escalate into a dangerous food obsession that lead to severe weight loss and other medical complications.
If you or someone you know feel you suffer from disordered eating, there is help available. To find that help and the 10 warning signs of orthorexia by clicking
here.
http://wcbstv.com/topstories/orthorexia.eating.disorder.2.1304706.html
Comments (1)
New "orexia" terms, are being thrown around too much...Drunkorexia, Brideorexia...annoying. I'm not sure how I feel about this one...but really? Ortharexia is just another form of EDNOS!