The old maxim “all things in moderation” holds true, even for healthy eating. An eight year old who reads nutrition labels sometimes and likes vegetables is great. An eight year old with a deathly fear of sodium and high anxiety over his calorie count may be suffering from Orthorexia – an unhealthy hyper-awareness of the nutritional value of food that may lead to excessive weight loss and, ironically, malnutrition.
Wanting to save their children from the growing threats of childhood obesity, heart disease, diabetes and hyperactivity, many parents have become extremely vigilant about letting their kids eat sugar, processed foods and trans fats. These are all things that parents should watch out for, but too much food anxiety in the home can set kids up for a lifetime of trouble with food, even if that trouble is being too healthy.
The term “orthoexia” was coined by Dr. Steven Bratman to describe people who are obsessed with healthy food. In his book “Health Food Junkies,” Bratman explains that the term “ortho” means “straight correct and true” in Greek, and describes orthorexics as fixated on “righteous eating.”
Eating too well might not sound like too terrible a problem, but innocent attempts to be healthy and nutritionally sound can lead to other serious, anorexia like, conditions. Charlotte Hilton Anderson, a health and fitness writer, fell into orthoexia after giving birth to her third child at age 28. ”I wanted to lose my baby weight but I wanted to do it the right way,” she says. “Initially it was just a goal to get healthy. I wasn’t even sure what that meant so I started reading up on the nutrition and fitness research out there. With every new piece of information I got (Dairy is bad for you! Vegetarians live longer! Drink a protein shake after every workout to preserve muscle!), I would alter my diet to incorporate it… … After a while all I would eat was 5 or 6 safe foods.” Kristie Ruzel, a college student whose orthorexia left her weighing only 68.3 pounds (she’s 5 foot 4 inches tall), was eating only raw broccoli and cauliflower by the time she sought help.
Medical experts disagree about whether or not orthorexia deserves to be separated from anorexia or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) as a diagnosis. But, as a parent, you can help your kids avoid it by providing a calm, balanced approach to food. It’s okay to eat less than perfectly healthy food occasionally. In fact, experts suggest that food shouldn’t be labeled good or bad because restrictions will affect a child’s relationship with food. Teaching kids how to eat a variety of things in a reasonable way is the healthiest way to go.
