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“We are committed to not promoting dieting.”
Orthorexia In The Media
Orthorexia, a lesser known eating disorder not yet approved by the American Psychiatric Association, is characterized as an obsession with eating, ‘clean’ food. Individuals typically categorize food in terms of, ‘good vs. bad’ and are often concerned with putting, ‘poison’ in their body, going to great lengths to control the food they eat and how it is prepared by others.
In today’s episode, we review the origins, presentation, and treatment of Orthorexia. We also discuss how some of our work at Finding My Psych potentially contributes to the problem, thus committing to no longer promoting dieting in our content moving forward. This is a bold move motivated by the impact of diet culture on youth.
Episode Outline
FMP 074 – Orthorexia
- What We Do:
- Behavioural Medicine and Health Psychology
- Providing easily accessible content designed to help you design your own transformative experience.
- Today:
- We define Orthorexia, the eating disorder that is least understood and likely more common than we would like to admit.
- Over the years, we have spent a significant amount of time talking about weight loss and diet.
- In an effort to reduce the harm caused my a heavy focus on diet, we are committed to shifting away from diet overall.
- The exception will be for as it relates to athletics and disease prevention.
Orthorexia
- Definition: A strict focus on “clean eating”.
- Obsession with nutrition, often categorizing food as either good or bad.
- Often leads to not eating out or having meals at the home of friends and family unless you can have direct control over the menu and cooking.
- Can lead to changing diet plans frequently based on dominant views in the media.
- Origin:
- Steven Bratman, MD in 1996 based on his own experience. Not yet recognized by the American Psychiatric Association.
- Aetiology:
- Often associated with other psychiatric disorders and/or addiction.
- Has Obsessive Compulsive Features and highly linked to self-worth.
- Food creates identity.
- Treatment:
- Acknowledge the challenge and the road ahead.
- CBT to challenge cognitive distortions.
Our Commitment at Finding My Psych – We Get a Lot of Requests!
- Removing our “Diet and Nutrition Category”
- Will only speak about diet as it relates to athletics and disease prevention.
- Vegan Shift:
- While we promote a plant-based diet regularly on the show, we are shifting away from talking about veganism as a diet and more as an ethical choice.
- Many youth turn to a vegan plant-based diet in an effort to lose weight. We can no longer support the potential dangers associated with this.
- While we promote a plant-based diet regularly on the show, we are shifting away from talking about veganism as a diet and more as an ethical choice.
