Orthorexia

[elleneliza]

Did anyone else see this post yesterday from Alt-ernative Autoimmune? Can I Buy You a Beer? A Celiac Looks at Orthorexia

This really resonated with me. I'm an all-or-nothing girl when it comes to food.  9 years of ethical veganism/vegetarianism, now AI-healing paleo. I tend to turn everything into dogma.

A week ago I started the 21 Day Sugar Detox along with AIP, hoping to better manage my PCOS symptoms (some of which have worsened since starting paleo). I've been living and breathing this diet- reading all about it, glued to my Cron-o-meter app, tracking my nutrients... Yesterday (after reading this article/possibly subconsciously because of the article) I was beastly angry all day, then binged on apples, way too many chocolate chips (dark 85% cacao, but still), an insane amount of coconut butter.  Like, I just had to break free of all the restriction, but since I had enough willpower to abstain from breaking into my stash of grains, I binged on a bunch of foods that I know are safe for me.  I've done this before- cycling through obsession with super strict, healthy eating, then binging in a moment of weakness, then feeling guilty and upset with myself. I'm sure some of you can relate.

Anyway, this article made me think about how I'm trying to tackle too much, too fast in the name of health and healthy eating. I need to relax.

Anyone else worry about orthorexia? Thoughts on the linked post?

[abtacha]

That's a very interesting article/topic. I've been thinking the same thing lately. I am like you and go through different phases of strictness with my eating. From very to binging to strict. Right now I'm working on the healthy middle
Another problem I have is with my kids. The oldest one has problems with dairy and the little one is fructose intolerant and gluten sensitive. So there's a lot of food envy going on between them. Plus it's a fine line between being concious of what they can and can't eat and developing an eating disorder because food becomes more than fuel for the body.

[laurenrdn]

Thought it was a great article! I agree - some people get so scared of foods and don't reintroduce them for fear of them causing symptoms or because they've been labeled as bad foods by the paleo community. Mindset is so crucial - being able to enjoy food and use the 80/20 rule (for foods you can tolerate well) is important. Orthorexia and other eating disorders can start off in the name of health...but can very quickly turn towards disordered.

[Stell]

I've always had a problem with a type of this, due to my dislike of cooking. In my case, when I go through a strict phase, I end up just not eating ANYTHING, because if it's not one of my allowed foods, it's not good for me. It completely bypasses my brain that starving sure as heck isn't good for me, either. And then I finally cave, just so I'll eat SOMETHING....and then I end up binging on ALL the stuff I know isn't good for me. It's a bad scene.

It's probably not helped by my food-obsession style of eating, either. I'm like a toddler. One week, I'm ALL about one type of food and will eat it all day every day. Then I move on to something else and do the same thing. It all evens out in the course of a month, but on a healing program, imbalances are felt WAY more and I feel like I'm continuing to hinder myself no matter how well I stick to the "allowed" list.

[knorman]

Thank you for this. I have been so angry and felt so trapped by food lately. I am tired of fearing food. I need to make sure I don't get so overwhelmed because the stress isn't helping.

Katrina Norman

[frecs]

I've started and stopped several times...not sure whether to respond or not. But, here goes...

I am an all-or-nothing personality when it comes to food -- either I eat 100% on plan (whatever the plan is) or I don't. I can't do 80/20. Mentally, that turns into too much of the "20" and not enough of the "80". When I was 100% Raw Vegan, I actually allowed myself to be "99% raw vegan" with very specific "exceptions" such as vinegars...little things that stressing about whether something was "really raw" just wasn't worth the cortisol for. And, really, I'm not 100% AIP-compliant as I have eaten food that my mother has forgotten to leave the black pepper off. But, mostly, I go as "pure" as I can because otherwise..it becomes a very slippery slope down into SAD again.

I don't feel angry about the food. It is helping me feel better. I don't feel trapped because I know I "could" but I'm choosing not to...because it is what is best for me. I feel empowered because I finally have the answers I've begged doctors for for years!

I have a long history of eating disorders beginning as a 10-year old. So, yes, I am always vigilant about my behaviors and motives to avoid "that thinking" from cropping up again. When I was raw vegan, visiting several community boards similar to this, I saw numerous adherants who were orthorexic and anorexic. It lent itself to disordered eating/thinking very well because of the extreme nature of it. Many anorexics would cloak their behavior with the most extreme versions of the diet and with frequent "fasting". I suppose AIP could also provide a cover for disordered eating...especially with all the variations...FODMAPS...low-histamine...pile one on top of the other and soon you have the perfect storm.

[laurenrdn]

Exactly. Sometimes restrictive healing diets can be a cover for eating disorders...I've seen it in my clients before. That's where professional help can really be helpful.

[knorman]

Frecs. I am the same way. I have to be almost 100% or I fall off the wagon. I love junk food, fast food, and any food that isn't good for me. I also used to binge eat before I learned to lose weight and keep it off three years ago. I suppose I feel trapped because I continuously feel like I'm giving up something. There's definitely pressure from friends and family who don't understand. I am finishing out my first month of AIP though, and my pain has been much less. Usually it would start 7 to 10 days before my cycle. This time, it's started on the first day instead. I am excited about what next month will show me. I just hope I can add back some tomatoes, eggs, wine, seeds, and nuts eventually.

Katrina Norman

[frecs]

Katrina,

Focus on the improvements you are seeing! And, make sure you tell your friends and family how much better you are doing. If they can see that the diet is really helping you, they will get on board with it (unless they are total jerks in which case, you might need to re-evaluate the relationship!). I find that keeping a diary that is not just a food diary but a "symptom improvement" diary is helpful.

And, yes, I pray for the day I can add eggs, tomatoes, raw milk, and potatoes back in...but for now, there is no sense in sabotaging my progress by mourning their departure from my daily diet. You ARE giving up something -- PAIN. Keep that in mind! You are giving up PAIN.

You can do this! Keep your eyes on the prize!

[salixisme]

I am sure you will get there frecs..... I cannot do potatoes, tomatoes or milk in any form (I have an anaphalactic dairy allergy!), but eggs are a good one for me....
I have had a good 10-15 years to become accustomed to the dairy issue so it does not bother me at all...