I
have a friend who will only eat short pasta, like penne. Another friend sticks
to long pasta - linguini, spaghetti. I thought that was a bit bizarre until I
read about Heather
Hill, 39, whose diet consists entirely
of French fries, pasta with butter or marinara sauce, vegetarian pizza, cooked
broccoli, corn on the cob, and cakes and cookies without nuts.
Ms.
Hill isn’t alone. New findings indicate that there may be hundreds, if not
thousands, of adult picky eaters. To get a handle on the numbers, Duke
University and the University of Pittsburgh have launched a national public registry of adult picky eaters. Respected publications like JAMA and Psychology Today are recognizing another new eating disorder, orthorexia,
an obsession with healthy eating. That may not sound bad, as obsessions go, but
those who carry good intentions too far can face serious risks.
Eat the right foods to keep your bones strong.
Kristie Rutzel, 27, dropped to 68 pounds when she was
in the grip of her fixation on healthy eating - at one point she ate little
more than raw broccoli
and cauliflower. Neither adult picky eating disorder nor orthorexia is included
in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), the American Psychiatric
Association’s “bible” of mental disorders. Once a disorder is listed, treatment
is often covered by insurance and it’s easier for researchers to get grants to
study it. Here’s what we know so far:
What
is Adult Selective Eating? Like
kids, adult picky eaters limit themselves to an extremely narrow range of
foods. Unlike those who suffer from
anorexia
nervosa or
bulimia,
adult picky eaters are seemingly not worried about calorie counts or body
image. But so far, researchers don’t know if adult picky eaters just
haven’t outgrown childhood patterns or if their eating habits are a new
twist on
obsessive compulsive disorder. Some may be “supertasters,” with
an abnormally acute
sense of taste that turns them off certain foods. Many
appear to have had unpleasant childhood associations with food.
What
is orthorexia? Identified
in 1997 by Colorado physician Steven Bratman, MD, orthorexia is Latin for
“correct eating.” Here, too, the focus isn’t on losing weight. Instead,
sufferers increasingly restrict their diets to foods they consider pure,
natural and healthful. Some researchers say that orthorexia may combine a
touch of obsessive compulsive disorder with
anxiety and warn that severely
limited “healthy” diets may be a stepping stone to anorexia nervosa, the
most severe - and potentially life-threatening - eating disorder.
What do they eat?
Adult
picky eaters: Food
preferences tend to be bland, white or pale colored - plain pasta or
cheese pizza are said to be common foods along with French fries and
chicken fingers. Some picky eaters stick to foods with a common texture or
taste.
Orthorexics: Those affected may
start by eliminating processed foods, anything with artificial colorings
or flavorings as well as foods that have come into contact with
pesticides. Beyond that, orthorexics may also shun caffeine, alcohol,
sugar, salt, wheat and dairy foods.
Some limit themselves to raw foods.
Check out this mobile phone app that guides healthy food choices.
What are the risks?
Health
consequences: Limiting
your diet to only a few foods - because you’re a picky eater or have a
long list of foods you deem unhealthy - can
lead to potentially dangerous
nutritional deficiencies. At its most extreme, a diet limited to only a
few foods perceived to be healthy is described as
orthorexia nervosa and can lead to the same emaciation and
health risks seen with anorexia nervosa.
Social
Isolation: Being an
adult picky eater can take an enormous social toll. Out of embarrassment,
these folks avoid dining with friends or co-workers. Heather Hill tries to
hide her eating habits from her children for fear that they will pick them
up. Going to extremes in an effort to eat only healthy foods can also be
socially isolating and can undermine personal relationships.
How are these disorders treated?
Adult Selective Eating: Techniques that have proven successful in
treating kids who are picky eaters - learning assertiveness skills and
systematically trying new foods - are being used on adults, but it’s still too
soon to know whether they work.
Orthorexia: Cognitive behavior therapy designed to change
obsessive thought patterns regarding food is usually recommended. "