Orthorexia

[shai76]

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I seriously feel like my food allergies and gluten intolerance has lead me to be a bit obsessive-compulsive about what goes in my body. It tends to dominated my life, and I am tired of it. Not only am I constantly worried that eating certain foods will make me sick or even kill me, but I tend to worry that my son will have reactions to everything like I do. I've wondered how many others with food allergies/intolerances feel they may go overboard with their control over their food?

[shai76]

Wow, no responses. No one in this forum sufferes from an over obsession with food anmd the effects it has on their body. I find that very hard to believe.

[chrissy]

when i read your post it made me think of an eating disorder---and then i looked up your link and saw that it IS and eating disorder. i'd suggest getting some help----eating disorders are ugly business.

[Guest cassidy]

It might be helpful to get some help in dealing with this. Admitting there is a problem is the first step, now you have to figure out how to fix it. Food can really make you sick so it is understandable that you are concerned about what you eat, but if it is bothering you a lot, that isn't good either.

I know I felt better about things once I had my stand-by gluten-free foods that I could just go to the grocery store and buy without thinking about it. Now, when I'm eating at home I don't really think about gluten because I have plenty of choices and I don't get sick at home. Is your house gluten-free? Can you physically do anything to make things safer so you feel more comfortable eating?

Do you still get glutened often?

Hope things get easier.

[Lauren M]

Yes. I am not a total health nut (I couldn't live without chocolate!), but my Celiac diagnosis definitely was the catalyst for my unnatural and unhealthy obsession with food. There is no doubt in my mind that it caused me to develop and eating disorder that was not based on my weight, or calories, or anything of the "typilcal" sort, but on a fear of food.

It is only natural that when you have Celiac disease, or food allergies/intolerances, that you must focus on food. A lot. Every bite that goes into my mouth, I have to analyze. I can't go on vacation, go out with friends, or leave home for an extended period of time without having to think about where and what I'm going to eat. It's the nature of having Celiac, but for obsessive personality types, it's easy to get carried away.

I've shared my experience before, but I thought I'd drop a quick post to let you know that I relate. As always, if anyone has questions, feel free to ask.

- Lauren

[Mtndog]

I wonder about this. I think that to some extent it's normal to worry about what we eat as it makes us sick, but if it's occupying all your time and causing you anxiety, then I think you should definitely go see someone. It shouldn't run your life (unfortuantely food allergies and intolerances have a tendency to do that).

[shai76]

When you have as many food allergies as I do it tends to rule a large portion of your life. Obsessive-compulsive disorders all ready run in my family, so I guess it's just natural for this to happen to someone like me! But I have noticed, and I hope no one takes offense to this, that a lot of people here tend to have symptoms of orthorexia. For example, not eating lechitins or anything from ther nightshade family because they think it's bad for us. It just seems a little TOO much. I don't know if people with allergies/intolerances tend to become obsessive-compulsive, or are obsessive-compulsive people drawn to these kinds of communities?

[angel-jd1]

I believe that many of us are FORCED into a type/form of orthorexia. We, in order to stay healthy, MUST worry about our foods. I don't think that we are to the extreme of what it is defined as. We aren't really making a choice to eat "healthy" we HAVE to avoid gluten to stay alive ( I know a bit dramatic). Do we think about food all day? (Hopefully not) Do you think about food when a meal time rolls around (yep, have to). Doesn't seem too out of the ordinary to me.

When I read the definition on that website in the 1st post, I really do not see many of us totally fitting into that category. I see some of the board members, but not very many. A handfull of folks maybe at the most. Even some of them have intollerances to other foods that force them to leave them out of their diet, just like we leave out gluten.

If you or anyone feels that they truely fall into the category of a person with orthorexia then definately talk to someone about it. It isn't anything to be ashamed of, or feel threatened by. The first step is always realizing that we have a problem and then figuring out how to fix it Good luck with your journey and keep us posted.

-Jessica

[marciab]

Shai,

Unfortunately, it is impossible NOT to feel out of place even if you are just trying to eat healthy in the US. Much less watch out for food intolerances.

It takes awhile to feel "normal" about eating new foods, but I've been at it for about 18 months now and I don't even have to think about what I am eating ... It's become my new norm ...

Hang in there ... Marcia

[kbtoyssni]

I am actually much less obsessive about food now than when I was pre-gluten-free. I do read every label everytime I eat anything, but I read it once and move on. It's more of a "this is my life this is what I have to do" than an eating disorder type obsession. Part of what helps is that I live alone so my house is gluten-free, I always bring my own food everywhere so I don't have to worry about getting glutened.

[eleep]

Honestly, what helps me stop obsessing is having learned a lot about nutrition and what makes my body react badly -- that's more a matter of having learned to listen to my body now that I know what I need to avoid. One of the things that's helped with this has been learning to cook from whole ingredients instead of relying on pre-processed stuff -- so, perhaps the obsessiveness has transferred because now I'm a huge foodie!