ABSTRACT
Chapter 15 covers “orthorexia,” a term coined by Steven Bratman that does not appear in the DSM-5. It refers to an unhealthy obsession with eating healthy food, where weight is not the focus so much as strict adherence to a set of arbitrary health-oriented food rules, often aiming for a purity or optimal state in what one ingests. Orthorexia impairs social, academic, and professional functioning, and a person’s sense of self is overly wrapped up in the degree of adherence to the food rules. Following extreme “health food” rules can actually lead one to become unhealthy. Poor skin and hair quality, low energy, and fatigue can result from inadequate dietary fat consumption, for instance, which can also cause inadequate absorption of vitamins and minerals in foods. Very low carbohydrate diets can result in weakened and broken-down muscles as well as increase the risk for binge eating of the restricted food category. The concept of “clean eating” is pseudoscientific. Humans are designed to be able to grow and thrive on a remarkably wide variety of foods, unlike other large mammals. Celiac disease refers to an allergy to gluten, the protein in cereal grains. Some individuals appear to develop non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS). Some among these might actually have untreated irritable bowel syndrome or other sensitivities. An individual’s lived experience with regards to their body’s reaction to a certain food should be the benchmark for whether it must be avoided. However, this does not mean they can eliminate whole categories of foods. And eliminating gluten “to be healthier” is nonsense.
