New Eating Disorders: Are They For Real?

DaltheJigsaw

I have a friend who will only eat short pasta, like penne. Another friend sticks to long pasta - linguini, spaghetti. I thought that was a bit bizarre until I read about Heather Hill, 39, whose diet consists entirely of French fries, pasta with butter or marinara sauce, vegetarian pizza, cooked broccoli, corn on the cob, and cakes and cookies without nuts.

Ms. Hill isn’t alone. New findings indicate that there may be hundreds, if not thousands, of adult picky eaters. To get a handle on the numbers, Duke University and the University of Pittsburgh have launched a national public registry of adult picky eaters. Respected publications like JAMA and Psychology Today are recognizing another new eating disorder, orthorexia, an obsession with healthy eating. That may not sound bad, as obsessions go, but those who carry good intentions too far can face serious risks.

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/dayinhealth/new-eating-disorders-are-they-real

Dakini

This does sound obsessive, and I can't help but wonder if it's a type of obsessive-compulsive behavior.

Mountains

We wonder at the state of ill health in our society? Yes, this kind of behavior is a mental illness - one that goes largely unnoticed and untreated, sadly.

compassionate_warrior

I can't help but wonder if the increase in this type of malaise isn't due in large part to stress. Be careful, Mountains, or soon you'll be hoarding cruciferous veggies under your mattress and living on peanut butter and popcorn.

Mountains

Nah, my dogs would take care of that in short order