Undoubtedly, a good diet can help you to stay healthy. Those who implement a good diet are usually healthier. However, did you know that “fanaticism” to healthy food can lead to a disorder called ‘orthorexia’?

Orthorexia is an eating disorder associated with an unfavorable obsession with healthy foods. Unlike other eating disorders, people with orthorexia think only of "quality", not "quantity." They will only consume foods that are considered healthy, including fruits and vegetables. Instead of aiming to lose weight, people with orthorexia were just obsessed with healthy food to help improve their body health.

People with orthorexia usually have an excessive obsession with avoiding unhealthy foods. Some of them even have symptoms of excessive worry about what foods they should consume. Foods high in fat, sugar, and salt, as well as meat, are types of food that "must" be avoided. This often leads to malnutrition due to nutritional imbalances. If this keeps going, this condition can lead to sickness.

As quoted from Healthline, here are several health problems that can occur in people with orthorexia:

1. Physical effects, although there are not many studies on orthorexia, just like with other eating disorders, it can also cause medical complications. One of them is nutritional deficiencies that can lead to malnutrition, anemia, and changes in heart rate. Chronic malnutrition can increase the risk of digestive problems, electrolyte and hormone imbalances, and bone health problems.
2. Psychological effects, people with orthorexia can experience excessive frustration. Breaking the "rules" causes them to feel guilty and hate themselves. In addition, they often experience extreme concern about the food they consume. Studies showed that this condition could affect brain function.
3. Social effects, people with orthorexia tend to stay away from friends or family who do not have the same understanding as them. Not infrequently, they avoid parties or eat out to maintain the rules they live by.

Text by Anggie Triana
Stock photos from Google Search Images

Source:

• Healthline - Orthorexia: When Healthy Eating Becomes a Disorder (2020). https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/orthorexia-nervosa-101, 31 August 2020.