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Orthorexia Isn't Good...

Friday, 20 January 2017 23:10

By Michele Tuttle (usatriathlon.ord)

There’s a secret among nutritionists. We have clients who eat “better” than we do. It’s true. Depending on how you define better, there are many triathletes and others out there who strive to eat the perfect amounts of vegetables and fruits (and only organic and local), who eat no sugar or refined grains (and are gluten-free), and who carefully choose (or exclude) their protein and fat sources based on what they believe to be the most credible sources available (usually a well-known coach, author or academic expert).

In fact, attempting to eat too perfectly has a name. It’s called orthorexia nervosa, and it’s defined as being overly fixated on healthy eating....

What? How can it be possible to be too healthy? Obsessing over too many details of food is like fixating over the details of a workout. At some point, you have to settle in and just do the work (eat) and stop trying to find the perfect workout, piece of equipment or interval type.

Here’s another secret: there actually is no perfect diet or perfect foods. Every food out there has been deemed unhealthy or less than healthy at some point for different reasons, according to the information available. And, anything eaten to excess (even vegetables and fruits) can lead to unintended consequences and even nutrient deficiencies if not eaten within the context of a balanced diet. Thankfully, our bodies were designed to handle short-term fluctuations in nutrient intake without missing a beat. It’s what we eat (and don’t eat) over the long term that determines whether we gain weight, lose weight or develop certain illnesses or conditions*. This is why the 80/20 rule works well for nutrition and food: if we eat well 80 percent of the time, what we eat during the other 20 percent isn’t so critical. For many people, striving for perfection simply results in excessive restriction followed by overindulgence or complete disregard for health altogether. The net result is a mediocre diet and a lot of guilt, as the cycle repeats itself again and again.