ORTHOREXIA – GLOSSARY DEFINITION
Newly described eating disordered behavior characterized by an obsession with eating only “healthy” foods. Individuals with orthorexia tend to avoid certain foods, such as fats, meat products, and preservatives. Subsequently, they often suffer from malnutrition. This disorder could be associated with obsessive-compulsive behavior.
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My oldest daughter who lives in Japan has been practicing to an unhealthy exteme a macrobiotic diet. She is obsessed by it and won’t go anywhere without her type of food. It’s all she can talk about. She came home for a visit and I was shocked to see how thin she had become. She is also obsessed with exercising and wakes up before sunrise to ride her bike up and down the mountains in her Japanese village. She quietly reported to me that she hasn’t had a period in over a year. I emailed this article with the accompanying quiz. Is there anything else I can do? I am a very concerned Mother and even though she is 28, I still am a Mom and a very worried one.
The article I am referring to in my previous post is entitled “Taking Diets to the Extreme” at http://www.sheknows.com/articles/diet-and-fitness/diets-and-dieting and is worth reading. It describes my daughter to a tee.
Rori-
It does sound like your daughter is struggling from an eating disorder. It is especially difficult to be the parent of an adult child with an eating disorder as the options become more limited, but there are still some things you can do. There is an excellent book we recommend for all family members to read, which is entitled “Surviving and Eating Disorder – Strategies for Family and Friends” bu Michele Siegel, Ph.D. Judith Brisman, Ph.D. and Margot Weinshel, M.S.W.
I would be happy to talk to you offline to discuss other options you have, both to gain some support for yourself (as it is so very difficult to watch your daughter harm herself in this way) and in gaining more support for your daughter. You can reach me via phone at our main number 410-938-5252 or via email at info@sheppardpratt.org