Too extreme for your own good?

If you’re after a long and healthy life, then keeping your diet  and lifestyle in check is a great idea. But taking your quest for good health too far could be damaging. Here’s why…

You can’t get much healthier than you, right? You check food labels for nasties, buy organic, avoid allergens, exercise regularly and take a few supplements just to ensure you’re getting everything you need. As far as you’re concerned there aren’t many people who take their health as seriously as you do. But is your healthy lifestyle actually doing you more harm than good?
Eating disorder charities are reporting a rise in the number of people who are becoming obsessed with their diets. As many as 20 per cent of young women practise unhealthy patterns of purging, and binge-eating according to eating disorder charity Beat (Beat Eating Disorders). But it’s not just teenagers who face problematic eating habits. Now a new disorder is emerging affecting older age groups. Called orthorexia nervosa, it’s characterised by an obsession with eating a pure and healthy diet.

Dangerous obsession
‘Orthorexia tends to affect the worried well,’ says dietician and eating disorder specialist Ursula Philpot of Leeds Metropolitan University. ‘They have relatively few health problems and like to take care of themselves. They tend to be well educated, middle class, 20- and 30-somethings, and they spend time researching their health on the internet.’
You don’t have to be underweight to be suffering from disordered eating or exercise patterns. ‘People with orthorexia can look normal or be overweight,’ says Philpot. ‘They won’t necessarily be restricting calories, but are more concerned with the quality of the food they put into their bodies. They refine and restrict their diet based on what they consider to be “pure” foods – often cutting out food groups such as wheat, dairy or meat.’
Taking your healthy lifestyle to extremes doesn’t even have to involve food. You may eat well, but find yourself addicted to exercise. Scientists from Tufts University in Massachusetts found that excessive exercise sparks a reaction in your brain that is similar to that caused by drugs such as heroin. And this addiction is becoming more common, especially among men.
Experts at Winchester University found that men are becoming increasingly anxious about their appearance and feel pressured to be fit and toned, especially if they read a lot of men’s magazines. A recent survey carried out by Beat found that 50 per cent of people with an eating disorder also said they had a problem with over-exercising. ‘We see this a lot with men, who feel pressured to change their body shape through diet and exercise,’ says Mary George, spokesperson for Beat.

Who’s to blame?
In the past the fashion industry has been targeted for our obsession with being super-skinny, but there are hopes that things are on the verge of changing. ‘We were greatly encouraged last year by the British Fashion Council making moves to support models from a diverse range of ages and shapes,’ says George. ‘But there is still a long way to go, and we could certainly do without the constant criticism that certain magazines and newspapers throw at celebrity role models.’
It’s not just celebrity magazines that are making us self conscious about our figures, diets and lifestyles either. ‘Newspaper scare stories frequently tell us that ‘ham is bad for your health’, or ‘wheat will make you ill’ and some people take on these stories and adapt their diets without weighing up the evidence,’ says Ursula Philpot.
Taking care of your health certainly isn’t a bad thing – especially when you consider that 24 per cent of people in the UK are tipping the scales at obese levels and many more of us are heading in that direction, according to the NHS. Plus two thirds of us are not doing enough exercise, says a survey by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Eating well and going to the gym won’t do you any harm – but if you start to take things too far it can become a problem.

Dying to be healthy?
Extremely restricting the amount of calories or fat you eat could result in severe weight loss and malnutrition, it could lead to fertility problems and in some cases even fatality. ‘Trying to stick to a rigid ”pure” food diet could be the start of all sorts of health problems,’ says Philpot.
She warns that if you cut out dairy and don’t get enough calcium from green vegetables and other sources, you could end up with osteoporosis. Ditch meat without replacing the iron and you risk becoming anaemic, and take the low fat message too literally and you’ll be deficient in essential fats which could spell bad news for your brain, joints and body in general. In short, if you remove any food group without carefully managing your nutrient levels you risk becoming malnourished.
You might think that you make up for deficiencies in your diet by taking plenty of supplements – but do check the recommended dose. ‘Taking a good multi-vitamin and mineral supplement is a good option because all of the nutrients are balanced so they can be absorbed at optimal levels.’ says Rachel Di Leva, nutritionist for the Health Supplements Information Service. Make sure you get good advice on supplements – and always check the packaging information.
Pounding your body into the ground at the gym isn’t good for you either. ‘Over-exercising can lead to serious complications later in life,’ says Julia Bishop founder of Move Your Butt personal training. ‘You’re at a greater risk of developing osteoporosis, and could experience joint problems due to excessive wear and tear, stress fractures, muscle injuries, high blood pressure, headaches and fatigue. Plus women could experience complications with their menstrual cycles which could affect their fertility.’
If you suspect that you’ve become more than a little obsessed with your healthy lifestyle (see box below), ask for help. See your GP or a dietician for advice on what is and what isn’t a balanced diet and exercise routine. ‘Orthorexia is not yet officially diagnosed as an eating disorder,’ says Philpot. ‘But a dietician would be able to give you sound advice on what really is healthy.’ Try to read around the newspaper headlines and visit the Food Standards Agency (www.food.gov.uk) and NHS Choices (www.nhs.uk) for sensible health advice based on real research.
‘Keep in mind that your body gets fitter and stronger when you rest and not while you are actually working out,’ says Bishop. ‘To get the most from workouts you should take a minimum of one full day’s rest between exercise sessions.’
Taking a balanced approach to diet and lifestyle is the safest route to good health.

Are you at risk?
How do you know if you’re being obsessive? Answering yes to these questions might mean you need to step back from your extreme lifestyle and give yourself a break.

• Do you avoid eating out with friends for fear of having to explain away your food choices or portion size?
• Do you never let yourself have a ‘bad’ or blow-out meal?
• Do you spend all your time planning your next meal or reading food labels to check that what you’re eating is additive free? l Do you go to the gym or exercise daily without fail?
• Have you lost alot of weight?
• Do you get frequent headaches, feel fatigued or have trouble sleeping?
• Do you feel emotional or irritable?

Words: Rebecca Speechley