Anorexia Nervosa is diagnosed when one refuses to maintain a healthy body weight, experiences an intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted body image, and has not experienced a menstrual cycles for three months in a row (in females). A BMI less than 18.5 in adults generally suggests Anorexia Nervosa. Those with this disorder are often secretive, exercise excessively, drastically restrict their intake of food, and practice other forms of self-harm. Other effects of this disorder include decreased libido, thinning hair, growth of lanugo (delicate down-like hair), consistent feeling of coldness, zinc deficiency, reduced white blood cell count, reduced immunity, sunken eyes, swollen ankles, tooth decay, constipation, dry skin, dry lips, dry hair, poor circulation, headaches, easily bruised, brittle fingernails, fainting, and starvation.

Bulimia Nervosa is diagnosed when one experiences periods of out-of-control eating binges, and purges at least twice weekly and bases self-esteem primarily on body image. Other effects of this disorder include gastric reflux, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, pancreatitis, peptic ulcers, erosion of teeth, swollen salivary glands, and tearing of the esophagus.

Binge Eating Disorder is diagnosed when one does not exercise control over the amount eating at least twice weekly. These binges are often done when the person is not hungry, and they will eat until they are physically uncomfortable. Binges generally occur when one is alone and leaves the sufferer feeling disgusted depressed or guilty. Binges generally include unhealthy foods and lead to health issues later.

Orthorexia Nervosa is a new disorder characterized by an excessive focus on eating healthy foods. This unhealthy obsession with food is generally about feeling pure more than thin; however, the severe dietary restriction included often results in malnutrition, emaciation, and even starvation.

Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified. NOS diagnoses exist for cases where there is a mixed presentation, with symptoms from more than one eating disorder and/or not all criteria are met for a specific diagnosis. Binging every week is still dangerous even if it does not meet the official diagnostic criteria for Binge Eating Disorder.

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is Feb. 22-28.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Common Eating Disorders Defined

It is no question that we are a culture that is extremely health conscious. We spend billions of dollars each year on diet products, books and supplements. But what makes orthorexia different than just abstaining from dairy, like vegans do, or not consuming any refined sugars is that orthorexics are obsessed with keeping their food pure. They avoid all processed food in addition to many fresh fruits and vegetables if they are not organic or certified by certain organic standards. Most of their day is either spent preparing their own food or thinking about food. Their obsession affects all aspects of their lives, particularly their relationships, as activities like family meal times and dining out are soon eliminated as their pursuit to be pure takes over.

No one way of eating is shown to be a leading culprit in enabling someone to become orthorexic, but raw foodists were associated with a higher risk of developing orthorexic tendencies.

The result is that most orthorexics become dangerously thin, because as the list of foods they can eat becomes smaller and smaller, so does their body weight. One of the orthorexics featured on the ABC program died when her weight plummeted too low to support her body from functioning.

As someone who is deeply involved in the yoga community, I have encountered scores of people who have let their desire to be healthy spiral out of control into a full-fledged addiction and obsession. I once met a man who only ate beets and another who only ate one meal a day which was the same day after day. Looking at some of these extreme cases, vegetarianism is a soft way of eating.

I am sure that we have all met people who have quirky or bizarre eating habits or dietary preferences. But what makes orthorexia so alarming is that as our awareness of and preoccupation with health increases, the more likely it is that we will see more cases similar to those shown on last week’s television show. To learn more about this disorder and to educate yourself on some of the telltale signs of orthorexia, watch this video.

Learn more about Orthorexia and how to treat it, in this book Health Food Junkies.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Orthorexia: When Eating Healthy Goes Too Far