PUBERTY

Orthorexia

Maria Skoura

 

A healthy diet during puberty is very important for the growth of the body. Everyone can benefit from a healthy diet. However, a person’s eating habits also have a negative interpretation. Fixation on eating healthy foods can lead to an eating disorder called “Orthorexia”. Like many other eating disorders, during puberty, girls are more prone to developing it.

Orthorexia is an eating disorder, that includes symptoms of obsessive behavior in pursuit of a healthy diet. Food that contains animal fats or preservatives that are considered unhealthy are usually avoided. Eventually, food choices become so restrictive and that can lead to malnutrition. It first appeared as an eating disorder the last 15 years, that’s why there are not many scientific studies about it.

Orthorexia can easily become a dangerous disorder such as anorexia nervosa, the motive is different though. A teenage girl suffering from anorexia nervosa wants to constantly lose weight, while one with orthorexia is obsessed with defining and maintaining the perfect body and ideal weight in an absolute way.

Moreover, fixation on righteous eating, food quality and purity can at most times be stressful for a teenage girl, that would rather stay hungry than eat food she doesn’t consider appropriate.  These include organically grown products, sometimes raw, with no added salt and sugar, no preservatives. Also a person suffering from orthorexia pays great attention to the food preparation (i.e. washing), food process and cooking. When a girl with orthorexia stops going out to dinner with friends, that can lead even to social isolation.

Remember that, like in all other everyday habits, eating should be balanced. Nothing must be excluded from our diet, provided it is consumed based upon its nutritional value. Eat more healthy foods (fresh fruits, vegetables, pasta, fish, meat, dried fruit etc.) and eliminate the “unhealthy” ones (sweets, potato chips, biscuits etc.), but don’t totally exclude them from your diet.

Maria Skoura

Nutritionist, Scientific Associate of the Greek Society of Adolescent Medicine