“Clean eating” is a dietary trend which has gained much criticism since eating disorder specialists coined a new disorder: orthorexia nervosa. Orthorexia nervosa does not include convention binging, purging, and restricting. People who struggle with orthorexia have an unhealthy obsession with healthy eating. The clean diet trend can be taken to the extreme until it starts to create anxiety and paranoia in the person following the lifestyle. Heavily restricting their foods to only “clean” and “healthy food” someone following the clean eating lifestyle might start restricting their life in more areas than just their diet. Avoiding people who eat unhealthy, social events in places where there won’t be access to “healthy” food and more start to become a point of anxiety. With isolation increasing in body and mind, the eating disorder can quickly become out of control.
Restrictive diets are problematic because they are restrictive. Anyone can be prone to taking an extreme diet too far and making it a problem. Nutritional research has found that the body needs “bad food” every once in awhile, even if it is just the healthy version. Typically, people see dietary trends as black and white- either you’re eating all unhealthy food all the time or no unhealthy food at any time. True diet and nutrition promotes a healthy balance- eating unhealthy sometimes, in moderation. Moderation is not something that people do well, especially when it comes to their diet. Due to their inability to manage self control in their diets they tend toward restrictive diets to set strict rules and regulations.
Clean eating is suggested in many ways for many different scientifically backed reasons. Many foods today do contain harmful toxins which can do damage to the body over time. Sugar is becoming a primary focus across the country as more documentaries expose that sugar has pseudonyms and can be found in most packaged foods. In a state of the world when illness, disease, cancer, and poor mental health are becoming increasingly common, people are turning to their food to change their health. Unfortunately, taking the health of food too far can be healthy. Diets and trends promote restrictive plans because of their ability to market the magical effects of rapid weight loss. However, most professionals agree that rapid weight loss isn’t the healthiest form of weight loss and that restrictive dieting is not the healthiest form of dieting.
Eating disorders can be fatal and cause severe physical health complications in addition to mental distress. If you are struggling with an eating disorder and your body is failing, there is still hope for recovery. Cottonwood Tucson has gained international professional acclaim for our integrative approach to treatment. For change in body and mind on a spiritual journey, call us today: (888) 727-0441
