Eating Healthy Can Have An Impact On Orthorexia, What Is It?

Healthy Food (Pexels/ Cats Coming)

JAKARTA - Recently, many people have applied a healthy diet, including generation Z or gene Z. This healthy diet is applied in the hope that it can feel better, have more energy, or just to appear cool and follow the trend.

However, it should be noted that being too focused on implementing a healthy diet can have a dangerous impact, namely orthorexia. This is a eating disorder that arises from an obsession with healthy foods.

Launching from Kindful Body, on Monday, December 30, 2024, orthorexia sufferers will feel dissatisfied if the food consumed does not comply with the health standards they set themselves. However, not everyone who applies a healthy diet suffers from orthorexia.

Patients with this disorder are usually shown in several characteristics. Starting from feeling anxious or guilty if you eat foods that do not meet their healthy standards. Like foods made through the process or those that contain sugar.

Another characteristic is to avoid certain foods extremely, such as avoiding sugar or dairy products for no apparent medical reason. Then feelings of anxiety and excessive fear when unhealthy foods appear around them.

Orthorexia can also have a harmful impact on the body. Starting from lack of nutrients, mental disorders such as excessive anxiety, stress, and even self-isolating from others who do not follow the same diet as them.

To overcome orthorexia requires a change in the perspective on health, especially a healthy diet. Take a more balanced approach to a healthy diet, namely by paying attention to mental and emotional well-being.

One of the steps that can be taken to overcome orthorexia is to train flexibility in your diet. Don't be too harsh on yourself in applying healthy meals. If you occasionally want to eat unhealthy foods such as sweet snacks, you can still eat them but with certain restrictions.