Orthorexia affects 28% of the world population

• April 29, 2024

We all know that eat Healthy is the most recommended for our body. However, when it becomes an obsession to eat only healthy foods, problems begin. Even death can be caused by malnutrition orstarvation .

This behavior obsessive-compulsive it is known as orthorexia , word that is derived from the Greek orthos (correct) and orexis (appetite) and, according to studies carried out in the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) , occurs to a greater extent among men, young people or young adults, with a high school and socioeconomic level.

Other studies show that it is a pathology with greater incidence in Western societies and its antecedents include the cult of the body, the obsession with subsistence allowance and the fear of food treated with artificial products. They also point out that among the most vulnerable groups are those who practice sports such as physical-bodybuilding or athletics, and take great care of their body image.

Worried more about quality than quantity

According to the doctor María del Carmen Iñárritu Pérez , nutrióloga of the Department of Public Health of the Faculty of Medicine of the UNAM, who suffer from this disorder stop consuming important foods for the body and they consider harmful as fats and lipids that are necessary in adequate proportions for the proper functioning of the body.

Another feature is that they prefer processed foods without preservatives, pesticides or herbicides. In addition to excessive consumption of vegetables and raw vegetables.

Effects on their social behavior

Being obsessed with this, people who suffer orthorexia they stop socializing for fear of eating foods they consider unhealthy; they avoid going to restaurants, they refuse fast food and they do not frequent the house of family and friends, for fear of the food they may eat.

Therefore, as everything eating disorder , the orthorexia it needs a multidisciplinary treatment that combines psychiatric and pharmacological therapy. The earlier the diagnosis is made, the better the prognosis of the disease. Psychotherapy helps control the obsessive part and social and family reintegration.

Criteria for detecting orthorexia

Although the orthorexia is a relatively new pathology, which emerged with the boom of healthy food, there are currently basic criteria to be able to diagnose it. Among them, we can mention the following:

1. Dedicate more than 3 hours a day to think about diet healthy of the day 2. There is more concern for the quality of the food, than for the pleasure of consuming them 3. There is a decrease in the quality of life as the pseudo-quality of the food increases 4. Feelings of guilt appear when there is no complies with dietary convictions, which leads to punishments with severe diets and fasts. 5. What is to be eaten the following day is excessively planned and social isolation caused by the type of food that is followed

Therefore, the nutritionist María del Carmen Iñárritu , nutritionist at the UNAM, recommends that before making any changes to our diet, it is vital to go with the health experts and have a nutritional balance, to avoid damage to health.

And you, what effects have you had to make "sudden changes" in your diet?

Video Medicine: NWO: THE ULTIMATE SECRET EXPOSED... FOOD ~ WHAT ARE YOU EATING? 1/2 (April 2024).