The 'Healthy-Food-Junkie' Syndrome

Identified by US alternative-medicine expert Dr Steven Bratman, orthorexia nervosa is an unhealthy fixation on healthy eating. Often misdiagnosed as anorexia, the main difference between the two is that anorexia is an obsession with the quantity of food consumed while orthorexia is an obsession with the quality of the food you eat.
'It is healthy to read food labels and avoid high-preservative foods and flavourings but an obsession with healthy food that results in extreme weight loss and isolation from your regular lifestyle is not,' says Karen Protheroe, a registered dietitian in Cape Town and coauthor of The Lean Aubergine (Struik). She says you should look out for the following danger signs that could indicate your healthy eating is bad for you:

• Breakdown in personal relationships and work performance
• Loss of weight, as well as vitamin and mineral deficiencies as a result of excluding food groups, for example dairy
• Avoiding eating out or other people's cooking
• Reading about and studying food obsessively
• Going out of your way to buy food ingredients that meet your stringent requirements
• Depression and fatigue

If these symptoms sound familiar, consult a dietitian or psychologist for a diagnosis and help.

Author: Lelethu Lumkwana