Orthorexia

Bulimia

Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating, or consuming a large amount of food in a short amount of time, followed by an attempt to rid oneself of the calories consumed, usually by purging (vomiting) and/or by laxative, diuretics or excessive exercise. 

Anorexia

Anorexia nervosa, also known as simply Anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight.

So alongside Bulimia and Anorexia, I learnt about a new word today. Orthorexia.

Orthorexia

Orthorexia nervosa (also known as orthorexia) is a term used to describe people who have developed a fixation with healthy or righteous eating and has been referred to as a mental disorder. 

Whilst this is more psychological than physiological, this is obviously still a cause for concern, which is why it made its way into the news yesterday.

Hmm...

I love my food. I love eating (it tastes even better when someone else does the cooking!) and I also love experimenting with food from different cultures. (The Globetrotting Lifestyle thankfully gives me lots of opportunities to do this!)

I still struggle with doing the 5-a-day, but I do watch what I eat (most times!) and try not to survive on excessively greasy, calorie laden meals.

I also exercise frequently enough, because I understand and appreciate the very serious health implications of not doing any exercise. (On a lighter note, shopping for clothes is a lot easier, when you are a fairly standard size!)

I talk a lot about losing weight but deep down I know, it's just a handy conversation piece. I'm generally quite content with myself - give or take a few body parts!

Do you think they will coin a word for food lover + casual exerciser?

Hmm....


Definitions from Wikipedia.com