Becoming preoccupied with clean eating can be a problem, says a university researcher in Nanaimo.
Isabelle Desrosiers, a Vancouver Island University psychology major graduate, conducted research into the "often-overlooked eating disorder known as orthorexia nervosa, where a person will obsess over the concept of only eating 'pure' or 'healthy' foods," a VIU press release stated.
Concerns about the disorder aren't always related to loss of weight, but also mental and health issues that can arise from rigid eating regimens, the release noted.
Desrosiers said "extreme health habits can be just as harmful as unhealthy ones." Her interest in the subject matter was piqued as she grew up among elite athletes and saw first-hand the difference between eating healthy and having strict, unhealthy eating habits.
鈥淚 noticed how easily healthy habits could become overly strict,鈥� Desrosiers said in the press release. 鈥淭hat sparked my interest in the connection between food, body image and mental health.鈥�
She said it is a serious issue, but as it's not listed in a commonly used manual of mental disorders, it is difficult for professionals to identify it and offer treatment. Additionally, people affected by orthorexia nervosa might not necessarily talk about image and weight, but rather "food quality and health," something that is promoted by society.
Desrosiers's research consisted of a Canada-wide survey of 500 people conducted online, with questions that determined "eating habits, social media use, health anxiety and personality traits like conformity and obsessive thinking," according to the press release.
The researcher is now turning her attention to preparing her findings to present at the Canadian Psychological Association Conference in Montreal in June.
"This research is important because it helps us understand how extreme health behaviours can become harmful,鈥� Desrosiers said in the press release. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not about saying healthy eating is bad, but about knowing when it鈥檚 gone too far.鈥�
