Signs of orthorexia
More signs of orthorexia
-Claiming you have a lot of food allergies
-Spending more than three hours a day thinking about food
-Planning tomorrow's food today
-Caring more about the virtue of what you eat than the pleasure of eating
-Continually getting stricter with your diet
-Feeling guilty or self-loathing when you stray from your diet
-Feeling a sense of superiority or self-righteousness.
Into the mind of someone with orthorexia
Like other eating disorders, the issue of control is at the root of orthorexia. When the world feels out of control, it's a way to feel safe, Kane explains. "People think orthorexia will save them from getting old, from having bad days, from having bad things happen to them, just like any other eating disorder. But eating well can't protect you from those things." The problem then becomes self-recognition. Other people may notice the eating disorder first, but the sufferer won't likely listen. "It's their coping mechanism and the thought of taking that away from someone is too much to bear," explains Kane. The person has to come to it and work it out for themselves.
How to tackle orthorexia
Some coping strategies Kane writes about in her book, It's Not About the Food: A Woman's Guide to Making Peace with Food and Our Bodies, include sorting out emotional hunger versus physical hunger, changing mindset with cognitive behavioural techniques, and taking up meditation and relaxation. "Women with eating disorders live from the neck up," Kane explains. "Meditation helps ground us back into the body."
It's been over 15 years since Kane started her recovery process. Although she doesn't consider herself fully recovered, she does liken orthorexia to a quiet voice in the background. Her message to others: "We don't have to be at war with our bodies. Love your body, eat well, move your body, but don't obsess about it."
Sometimes life gets so crazy, we don't know up from down, but Homemakers readers have a few tips to share on how to live a balanced life.
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