Orthorexia, anyone?

Writer Erika Alexia Tsoukanelis notes the ideological, "spiritual" nature of the obsession with healthy eating:

Holistic physician Steven Brat-man coined the term orthorexia nervosa more than a decade ago. In an article published in the October 1997 issue of Yoga Journal titled “Health Food Junkie,” he wrote, “Orthorexia begins, innocently enough, as a desire to overcome chronic illness or to improve general health. But because it requires considerable willpower to adopt a diet that differs radically from the food habits of childhood and the surrounding culture, few accomplish the change gracefully. Most must resort to an iron self-discipline bolstered by a hefty dose of superiority over those who eat junk food. Over time, what to eat, how much, and the consequences of dietary indiscretion come to occupy a greater and greater proportion of the orthorexic’s day.” Even if physical and emotional health begin to falter, the sufferer continues a harsh dietary regime. Eventually, the all-consuming drive for nutritional purity can become a kind of spiritual quest.

What to do? She concludes:

Joshua Rosenthal, founder and director of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City, counsels individuals to look beyond diet as a source of health. “I encourage people who become overly obsessed with eating the ‘right’ food to see the impact on their life,” says Rosenthal. “This condition can impede other important elements of life, including relationships, creativity and just feeling part of a community. I call these elements of life primary food—the parts that fill our soul and satisfy our hunger for living. You can eat all the kale in the world, but if you feel disconnected, how healthy and happy can you be?”