"Ortho- (prefix): Prefix meaning straight or erect."
"-orexia, suffix meaning "(condition of the) appetite"

Someone who's hungry for something erect?

I believe there is a vegetable for every addiction.

Health is good, obsession is bad. But in the greater scheme of things there are worse disorders than healthy eating and lots of exercise :)

what's wrong with cutting sugar out or exercising?

I eat what I want, greasy philly cheese steak and all. My only diet plan is too make sure to eat a good amount of vegetable and exercise goes to the gyms at least 3 times a week.

I think vitamin tablet is silly, but what do I know.

So THAT'S what a woman reaching for food in the fridge might look like. Interesting.

*takes notes*

pup.socket: what's wrong with cutting sugar out or exercising?

Nothing, but that's not orthorexia.

My mother's quite the health nut, taking various herbs and supplements, but I'm not worried because she still eats wholesome meals. Methinks these orthorexics are the people who think of organic uncooked broccoli as merely the least of a great many evils so their diet consists of a bizarre mix of hippiefomercial herbs, hand-grown vegetables and a few foul-tasting staples, like organic unfavored tofu or uncooked whole grain rice.

Honestly, aren't most disorders of this kind (anorexia, OCD, orthorexia) simply a lack of ability to "ground" a perspective in context? When one sees a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 AND 10 are bad, a mentally healthy person realizes that 5 is probably where the needle should be, and develops negative feedback mechanisms to avoid extremes. A lot of crazy people, regardless of their specific addiction, simply lack the ability to do that. If 1 is bad, then 10 must be good. If 10 is also bad, then it's conflicting information and the world sucks because it's all so confusing. These people are incapable of moderation because they can't wire any baselines into their heads. They're all POSITIVE-feedback, so whatever they do spirals out of control. Help them crack one addition without addressing the underlying cause and they'll just find another obsession.

/ Know a few people with no self-control
// They'll overdo anything

DiogenesCynic: Someone who's hungry for something erect?

*Obvious penis joke*

FTFA: Sufferers may start off by choosing to eat only organic produce, following celebrity fad diets, or trying out a health cleanse like the maple syrup detox diet, which helped Beyonce lose 20lbs. "

OK, maybe if we're trying to discourage behavior, calling it a health cleanse, and pointing out a celebrity who lost 20 pounds that way is not the best way to stop it.

Honest Bender: But I do try and eat in proper proportions and I take a daily multi-vitamin for everything else.

There's little evidence to suggest you're doing anything but wasting your money on vitamins unless you have a specific condition or deficiency you're treating according to a doctor's instructions. Especially if you're not eating right anyway since the complex compounds in the foods you're not eating aren't to be found in the pills.

I'm guilty as charged, but I'm middle aged and I like to look good ...

Everybody associated with this article sounds fat and guilty.

SuperMeekrat: When everyone is farking fat, being different is "unhealthy"

This.

/something's wrong with me - I like exercising
//my legs are starting to have defined muscles, I'm too far gone
///goodbye, everyone, I have to leave you all...in about 26 minutes

So be it, I'm Orthorexic. Well fark it I guess I'm gonna just have to live longer (improve the odds of it anyway) than all the non-orthos. Sonofabiatch.

I do love the looks I get when I tell people I eat Paleo. BUT WHAT ABOUT ALL THAT MEATTTT!?

This was a stupid article. It might be a real problem for some people, but you'd never no from this awful piece. I had to check wikipedia to actually learn anything about it.

Yeah, like she's going to eat all those peppers like they are apples.

What is she going to have, an onion and peppers sandwich, with orange juice?

Onion and orange juice, mmmmmm, what a combo!!

FTA "orthorexia sufferers fixate on the type and quality of it."

I admit that I must be orthorexia as I do track my calorie consumption and quality/quantity of food eaten. I'll also admit that I enjoy working out and biking and now join a group bike ride every Tuesday and Sunday. You know what, the article is correct something horrible happened to me after I tracked my food and exercised ! My weight dropped over 40 pounds and all my clothes no longer fit, hell my pants are a paltry 32" now help me!

//article writer sounds fat

star_topology: So be it, I'm Orthorexic. Well fark it I guess I'm gonna just have to live longer (improve the odds of it anyway) than all the non-orthos. Sonofabiatch.

I do love the looks I get when I tell people I eat Paleo. BUT WHAT ABOUT ALL THAT MEATTTT!?

"I'll have the meat with a side order of more meat, please"

Pick: Yeah, like she's going to eat all those peppers like they are apples.

What is she going to have, an onion and peppers sandwich, with orange juice?

Onion and orange juice, mmmmmm, what a combo!!

Looks like that fridge has the makings of a good salad right there. Just chuck in some boiled egg, cheese, chicken, blue cheese dressing and slices of salami and she just might be on to something.

Pick: Yeah, like she's going to eat all those peppers like they are apples.

What is she going to have, an onion and peppers sandwich, with orange juice?

Onion and orange juice, mmmmmm, what a combo!!

Your fridge only has two shelves? >_>

Sybarite: Having taken a good look around, I can assure everyone that this is not a widespread problem.
^^^

This made my morning!

xanadian: What a woman reaching for food having her cleavage blocked by OJ in the fridge may look like.

/You notice what you want to notice, I'll notice what I want to notice

I have an amigo that could be "diagnosed" with this. He's about as evangelical about it as some christian folks. Because of this I always make sure to order a double cheeseburger rather than single-pattied burger.

"It's a hidden disorder, disguised by the healthy eating tag, but I'm recognising it in more people year on year."

We have a 'healthy eating' tag?

Pick: Yeah, like she's going to eat all those peppers like they are apples.

If she cuts them up then covers the slices with peanut butter, I'll have a couple.

Oh and now that I have a disorder, I can pay "big medicine" for my drugs to cure my disorder!

/make up something
//give it a name
///follow the money

xanadian: What a woman reaching for food in the fridge may look like.

You look at the food all you want. I'm taking the opportunity to stare down her shirt.

pup.socket: what's wrong with cutting sugar out or exercising?

Nothing, as long as you're sensible about it. It's when people get obsessive about these things (or just about anything else, really) that problems start.

Better to err on the side of caution (orthorexia) than err on the side of fatness.

Healthy eating sits on the same level as solar power, or water fueled cars in the scheme of things to be fixed. It's about consumption, both into people gaping maws, and being good consumers. There is a plethora of good, solid, healthy facts about how to eat right, exercise moderately, and maintain good health. Problem being Hostess, Nabisco, McDonalds, etc do not want people to know how truly easy it is to eat healthy. They don't want people to know it can be as convenient and quick as grabbing a Ding Dong or a Bigmac. It's not rocket science, its more like eat better, eat less and move your fat ass more. Americans will be encouraged to follow these things when big businesses don't have a vested interest in people eating themselves into muumuus. Much like renewable energies and cheap, non-oil dependant vehicles will be available when businesses aren't making billions on it.

/lettuce foil hat off

She looks healthy...

Millennium: pup.socket: what's wrong with cutting sugar out or exercising?

Nothing, as long as you're sensible about it. It's when people get obsessive about these things (or just about anything else, really) that problems start.

What are the problems? That my waist is too small?

This lady has a pretty good read on orthorexia: Link (new window)

Basically, the difference between an orthorexic and a healthy person is the level of obsession and the lack of perspective. It's an all-consuming pursuit.

SuperMeekrat:

~ applause ~
Lost 100 lbs.. 49 inch hips to 36.
/Suffer like you do... We need a "self help" (read high fives all around) group

Congrats on the loss!

SuperMeekrat: ~ applause ~
Lost 100 lbs.. 49 inch hips to 36.

100 lbs!? My God, you're in the late stages of this disease. I'll pray for you. Omarion, too. God help us all...

/but seriously, [borat_great_success.jpg]
//keep up the good work

CrazyGabby: This thread makes me want fudge.

Of course, I'm 30 weeks pregnant, so everything makes me want fudge.

I was anorexic in college, and cannot figure out how I ever lived that way. Now I wonder if I'll every see my pre-baby flat stomach again, but life is too damn short for it to revolve around not eating. Of course, it's also too damn short to be so unfit that you can't walk up the driveway without getting winded. Balance, people.

TFA is not about anorexia, which we can all agree is a very bad thing. It's about orthorexia, which is as yet not a recognized condition. Orthorexic people do not starve themselves, they are very particular about WHAT they eat, not how much.