Psychosis of proper nutrition

People have never paid as much attention to their food as they do these days. However, paradoxically, an obsession with healthy eating can be life-threatening. For example, a 29-year-old Frenchwoman Sabrina Debusquat told how a year and a half ago she decided to become a vegetarian, then a vegan (give up eggs, dairy products and even honey), and subsequently switch to raw food (complete rejection of ready-made food) and, eventually, eat only fruit.

Sabrina realized her mistake only when her boyfriend pulled bunches of her hair out of the bathroom drain and presented them to her as proof. According to the girl, she wanted to eat in such a way as to preserve her health and live as long as possible. She wanted to go into a kind of "pure state", but eventually the body took over the mind.

Some experts recognize this problem as a modern eating disorder, called orthorexia or the psychosis of proper nutrition (orthorexia nervosa). People with this disorder impose on themselves a system of strict rules of nutrition, isolating them from social events associated with the use of food and, in particularly severe cases, threatening the state of health.

Parisian nutritionist Sophie Ortega told a case from her practice when one of her patients lost her sight due to a deficiency of vitamin B12, necessary for the formation of red blood cells. B12 is not synthesized in the body, and most people get it from animal products such as eggs, dairy products, meat and fish, or from food additives. Her patient, who is a strict vegan, refused even to take dietary supplements. It turned out that she preferred to go blind, but not betray her love for animals.

Orthorexia has nothing to do with healthy eating. It develops in cases when enthusiasm turns into a pathological obsession, leading to social isolation, psychological disorders and even physical harm. In other words, orthorexia is a disease masquerading as a virtue. However, as in cases of other disorders with complex psychological causes, the very existence of this condition is the subject of serious debate.

The term orthorexia is not included in the Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Statistical Accounting of Mental Disorders compiled by psychotherapists in the United States and widely used in other countries. The fifth edition of this "bible" includes anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, but not orthorexia.

The term orthorexia has been proposed as a widely used term, but has not received medical recognition. Despite this, it is part of the family of dietary-related restrictive disorders, but in fact it is closer to a phobia than to an eating disorder.

As with other phobias, this problem can be addressed through cognitive behavioral therapy, conversations about erroneous or hypertrophied beliefs, elimination of anxiety-provoking situations and the use of relaxation technologies and other methods of combating anxiety.

Reliable data on the incidence of orthorexia are not available due to the fact that the condition is not officially recognized. Apparently, women develop orthorexia more than twice as often as men. At the same time, the term orthorexia is becoming increasingly widespread outside the medical community.

Orthorexia is a set of restrictions, obsession with a diet that is completely vegan, plant–based, gluten-free, fat-free, does not contain refined carbohydrates, does not contain flour, sauces, etc.

Over the past 2 decades, Europe has been shaken by a series of scandals about food safety: from mad cow syndrome (bovine encephalopathy) to the recent history of eggs containing insecticides. In addition, the protest against the use of antibiotics, genetically modified products and industrial methods of agricultural technology is constantly increasing.

The disorder is a reflection of a strong desire to control the situation. Food is seen as a "medicine" to neutralize the toxic influence of the Western lifestyle. We live in a period of changing food culture, which gives rise to fundamental doubts about the quality of the products we use.