Do You Suffer From Orthorexia Nervosa? – #AskYourCoach

Hello again! Roswitha here – your health coach at roswithaherman.com the place where women are happy, healthy, wealthy and fulfilled! As you know, last week I have started the talk about “What should you eat for breakfast?” – If you have not seen the video yet, you might want to check it out HERE.

In today’s ASK YOUR COACH video I will continue the discussion with the second category of people when it comes to what they eat for breakfast. They are the ones who suffer from Orthorexia Nervosa.

As I stated in last week’s video, to make it easier to understand, I will talk about the 3 main types of people when it comes to what their breakfast in-tale. The first group was the one that DOES NOT EAT BREAKFAST, just a cup of coffee. If you are like that, please read #AskYourCoach: What should you eat for breakfast? Part 1 – it is definitely for you. If you are not like that, watch this video down here.

Do You Suffer From Orthorexia Nervosa?

The second group of people, that I want to mention, are those who might be suffering from “orthorexia nervosa”. Now, I am sure you are thinking “what on earth is orthorexia nervosa?

Well, it is actually a term that Steven Bratman, MD, mentioned it in his book “Health Food Junkies”, where he refers to an obsession with eating only foods perceived to be of a certain status in terms of health, calories, or origin. The disorder is characterized by anxiety, ritualistic thoughts and behaviors, and excessive pickiness with food.

Joking or not, you now see a lot of people that eat only the purest chlorella, or drink only almond milk made by themselves.

Which is very good, but some people take it to the extremes and buy things that they never heard of, like some weird ancient mushroom and measure each calorie and make sure everything is 100% pure. It must be hard for them to find things to eat in the real world. They believe everything is contaminated or bad for them and they know everything, they are like walking encyclopedias.

Have you ever seen this kind of people?

In my opinion, they take it a bit to the extreme. Indeed, it’s good that they find perfect ways to staying healthy, but all that time researching and all the money invested and all the stress to make sure they are never wrong takes its own tolls.

What should you eat for breakfast - Orthorexia Nervosa

What is good about this category of people?

  • they eat healthy
  • they know almost everything there is to know about health

What might be controversial about this category of people?

  • they are obsessed with eating the best foods, finding the perfect sources of minerals and nutrients, eating at the right hours, having strict schedules, being routinized
  • they might be hard to live with and talk with. Yes, they might be incredibly kind people, but if you ever, by any means, want to start a conversation about food or health, you will lose. They know the facts and they will make you feel pretty uncomfortable for not eating as healthy as they are, or not knowing that almost everything will give you cancer if you do not take all the vitamins that can only be found in who knows what plant that no one heard of.
  • they might not be happy. They stopped enjoying food and most of the time they see it as a mean to an end. They need food to survive, not to be happy. When you are constantly counting your calories, spend hours on Amazon buying plants from across the globe, to get the right nutrients and eat almost the same thing over and over again – because let’s face it, in a world where everything is bad, is hard to have plenty of choices… you cannot live a joyful life.
  • they might not be free. They are the prisoners of their own life.

What small change can you make as of today to make your situation BETTER?

I get it, I have been this way for almost a year and indeed, I was healthy, had a lot of energy, got to the ideal weight and everything was good in my life – sort of. You see, it was impossible for me to go out.

I wanted to go to a coffee shop and I could not drink coffee because they did not have soy milk/almond milk/rice milk, just regular.

Not to mention going out to have dinner, where to? Gluten everywhere, if not gluten, then sugar, if not sugar then animal protein… all in all, a nightmare.

Socially speaking, I was doomed. At first, I knew my reasons for doing it, so it was easier to accept it, but after a while, I was daydreaming of bread, Nutella, or pizza. I used to feel so guilty for having these desires and I would kind of punish myself to take out even more “delicious” things out of my menu.

Fast-food- What should you eat for breakfast - Orthorexia Nervosa

At one point, I just could not resist it. And this is when we started munching on junk food. It seems innocent at first, what are some fries going to do, once a month, if everything that I eat is perfect and flawless?

But slowly things started to pile up, I started eating honey again (I was sweet free) and what started with one spoon, got to a few a day.

We then realized this “diet” was not working for us, plus by detoxing our body for so many months (no dairy, no gluten, no sugar, barely any animal protein) we kind of solved all our health issues (including acne, blemishes, bloating, food sensitivities etc), so it was time for a change!

DISCLAIMER: Whenever you feel like something is not very good with your overall being, I personally suggest going on a detox diet, that involves taking out some foods that might cause sensitivities and you might not know it. They are: gluten, dairy, soy, sugar and even animal protein. It does not mean you have to do it forever, or that you have to do it all at once. Get rid of one category for a week and see how you feel. Listen to your body and you will know what to do next!

We started being kinder to ourselves and deconstructing our cravings and offering our body what it needed. So, if I was craving Nutella, I either bought a small jar of Nutella, just to satisfy my crave while blessing it and enjoying it to the fullest, or made my own. I also checked to see the meaning of craving sweet things, which most of the time has to do with love, intimacy, and connection. This is how I fixed the situation that caused the crave.

Nutella recipe: Coconut oil, almond milk, cocoa, and honey. Mix them all together in your blender.

 The same thing for pizza. I make a polenta crust and in 10 min I can make myself any pizza that I want, adding my favorite toppings.

Plus, we let ourselves enjoy everything that we desire for one day a week, even if it means chips. This gives us the freedom that we want, we enjoy our food and we are happy! We can go out for dinner, we can meet our friends in a coffee house and we are living the life.

food-what should you eat for breakfast - Orthorexia Nervosa

If you want a strategy for yourself, what I would recommend is:

  • Start researching the things that normally grow in the area you live in.

    There is no point in eating I don’t know what mushroom because of its minerals when I am sure you can get the same minerals from plants that grow in your area. God left each continent with the same abundance when it comes to nutrients, it did not say “Oh, I am giving the shiitake mushrooms only to Asians because they should be the only ones healthy!” I believe God, gave us all means to stay healthy, we just have to find the ones in our area. Since our ancestors never ate shiitake mushrooms, it might take a few generations until we get the same benefits out of them, simply because genetically we do not recognize them.

  • Be bad, once in awhile. Stop taking it all so serious. Break a rule, once a week and enjoy it. I do not mean hurting someone, but eating something “forbiddenwithout feeling guilty. That’s the secret.
  • Write down all the things you would like to eat, if they would be labeled “healthy”, if there was no GMO and no hormones and flavorings. What would you eat? Now, eat one of those things once a month and enjoy it to the fullest!

The secret is to enjoy life, to enjoy eating and to be free. (this is my belief)

vegetables-What should you eat for breakfast - Orthorexia Nervosa

I am not saying not to care about what you eat, but try to be a bit more flexible and have a more varied menu and, don’t forget to eat locally. This way you support your community, your body gets the known nutrients and you get closer to your roots.

Next week, I will talk about the third category of people, stay tuned for more and don’t forget to visit the Blog section if you want to know more about health. 

No. #1 Reason Most People Fail

Have you seen my other video? It's a must. Click the button below to watch it!
Watch video

Now, I’d love to know.

Do you suffer from Orthorexia Nervosa?

Leave a comment below and let me know.

Remember, share as much as you can in your reply. We are all here to learn, get inspired by one another, and you may never know who you are going to influence today. Be the sparkle you want to see in others.

Thank you so much for reading, watching and sharing your voice. You are awesome and I am honored to have you here.

With love,

Do You Suffer From Orthorexia Nervosa? – #AskYourCoach

Hello again! Roswitha here – your health coach at roswithaherman.com the place where women are happy, healthy, wealthy and fulfilled! As you know, last week I have started the talk about “What should you eat for breakfast?” – If you have not seen the video yet, you might want to check it out HERE.

In today’s ASK YOUR COACH video I will continue the discussion with the second category of people when it comes to what they eat for breakfast. They are the ones who suffer from Orthorexia Nervosa.

As I stated in last week’s video, to make it easier to understand, I will talk about the 3 main types of people when it comes to what their breakfast in-tale. The first group was the one that DOES NOT EAT BREAKFAST, just a cup of coffee. If you are like that, please read #AskYourCoach: What should you eat for breakfast? Part 1 – it is definitely for you. If you are not like that, watch this video down here.

Do You Suffer From Orthorexia Nervosa?

The second group of people, that I want to mention, are those who might be suffering from “orthorexia nervosa”. Now, I am sure you are thinking “what on earth is orthorexia nervosa?

Well, it is actually a term that Steven Bratman, MD, mentioned it in his book “Health Food Junkies”, where he refers to an obsession with eating only foods perceived to be of a certain status in terms of health, calories, or origin. The disorder is characterized by anxiety, ritualistic thoughts and behaviors, and excessive pickiness with food.

Joking or not, you now see a lot of people that eat only the purest chlorella, or drink only almond milk made by themselves.

Which is very good, but some people take it to the extremes and buy things that they never heard of, like some weird ancient mushroom and measure each calorie and make sure everything is 100% pure. It must be hard for them to find things to eat in the real world. They believe everything is contaminated or bad for them and they know everything, they are like walking encyclopedias.

Have you ever seen this kind of people?

In my opinion, they take it a bit to the extreme. Indeed, it’s good that they find perfect ways to staying healthy, but all that time researching and all the money invested and all the stress to make sure they are never wrong takes its own tolls.

What should you eat for breakfast - Orthorexia Nervosa

What is good about this category of people?

  • they eat healthy
  • they know almost everything there is to know about health

What might be controversial about this category of people?

  • they are obsessed with eating the best foods, finding the perfect sources of minerals and nutrients, eating at the right hours, having strict schedules, being routinized
  • they might be hard to live with and talk with. Yes, they might be incredibly kind people, but if you ever, by any means, want to start a conversation about food or health, you will lose. They know the facts and they will make you feel pretty uncomfortable for not eating as healthy as they are, or not knowing that almost everything will give you cancer if you do not take all the vitamins that can only be found in who knows what plant that no one heard of.
  • they might not be happy. They stopped enjoying food and most of the time they see it as a mean to an end. They need food to survive, not to be happy. When you are constantly counting your calories, spend hours on Amazon buying plants from across the globe, to get the right nutrients and eat almost the same thing over and over again – because let’s face it, in a world where everything is bad, is hard to have plenty of choices… you cannot live a joyful life.
  • they might not be free. They are the prisoners of their own life.

What small change can you make as of today to make your situation BETTER?

I get it, I have been this way for almost a year and indeed, I was healthy, had a lot of energy, got to the ideal weight and everything was good in my life – sort of. You see, it was impossible for me to go out.

I wanted to go to a coffee shop and I could not drink coffee because they did not have soy milk/almond milk/rice milk, just regular.

Not to mention going out to have dinner, where to? Gluten everywhere, if not gluten, then sugar, if not sugar then animal protein… all in all, a nightmare.

Socially speaking, I was doomed. At first, I knew my reasons for doing it, so it was easier to accept it, but after a while, I was daydreaming of bread, Nutella, or pizza. I used to feel so guilty for having these desires and I would kind of punish myself to take out even more “delicious” things out of my menu.

Fast-food- What should you eat for breakfast - Orthorexia Nervosa

At one point, I just could not resist it. And this is when we started munching on junk food. It seems innocent at first, what are some fries going to do, once a month, if everything that I eat is perfect and flawless?

But slowly things started to pile up, I started eating honey again (I was sweet free) and what started with one spoon, got to a few a day.

We then realized this “diet” was not working for us, plus by detoxing our body for so many months (no dairy, no gluten, no sugar, barely any animal protein) we kind of solved all our health issues (including acne, blemishes, bloating, food sensitivities etc), so it was time for a change!

DISCLAIMER: Whenever you feel like something is not very good with your overall being, I personally suggest going on a detox diet, that involves taking out some foods that might cause sensitivities and you might not know it. They are: gluten, dairy, soy, sugar and even animal protein. It does not mean you have to do it forever, or that you have to do it all at once. Get rid of one category for a week and see how you feel. Listen to your body and you will know what to do next!

We started being kinder to ourselves and deconstructing our cravings and offering our body what it needed. So, if I was craving Nutella, I either bought a small jar of Nutella, just to satisfy my crave while blessing it and enjoying it to the fullest, or made my own. I also checked to see the meaning of craving sweet things, which most of the time has to do with love, intimacy, and connection. This is how I fixed the situation that caused the crave.

Nutella recipe: Coconut oil, almond milk, cocoa, and honey. Mix them all together in your blender.

 The same thing for pizza. I make a polenta crust and in 10 min I can make myself any pizza that I want, adding my favorite toppings.

Plus, we let ourselves enjoy everything that we desire for one day a week, even if it means chips. This gives us the freedom that we want, we enjoy our food and we are happy! We can go out for dinner, we can meet our friends in a coffee house and we are living the life.

food-what should you eat for breakfast - Orthorexia Nervosa

If you want a strategy for yourself, what I would recommend is:

  • Start researching the things that normally grow in the area you live in.

    There is no point in eating I don’t know what mushroom because of its minerals when I am sure you can get the same minerals from plants that grow in your area. God left each continent with the same abundance when it comes to nutrients, it did not say “Oh, I am giving the shiitake mushrooms only to Asians because they should be the only ones healthy!” I believe God, gave us all means to stay healthy, we just have to find the ones in our area. Since our ancestors never ate shiitake mushrooms, it might take a few generations until we get the same benefits out of them, simply because genetically we do not recognize them.

  • Be bad, once in awhile. Stop taking it all so serious. Break a rule, once a week and enjoy it. I do not mean hurting someone, but eating something “forbiddenwithout feeling guilty. That’s the secret.
  • Write down all the things you would like to eat, if they would be labeled “healthy”, if there was no GMO and no hormones and flavorings. What would you eat? Now, eat one of those things once a month and enjoy it to the fullest!

The secret is to enjoy life, to enjoy eating and to be free. (this is my belief)

vegetables-What should you eat for breakfast - Orthorexia Nervosa

I am not saying not to care about what you eat, but try to be a bit more flexible and have a more varied menu and, don’t forget to eat locally. This way you support your community, your body gets the known nutrients and you get closer to your roots.

Next week, I will talk about the third category of people, stay tuned for more and don’t forget to visit the Blog section if you want to know more about health. 

No. #1 Reason Most People Fail

Have you seen my other video? It's a must. Click the button below to watch it!
Watch video

Now, I’d love to know.

Do you suffer from Orthorexia Nervosa?

Leave a comment below and let me know.

Remember, share as much as you can in your reply. We are all here to learn, get inspired by one another, and you may never know who you are going to influence today. Be the sparkle you want to see in others.

Thank you so much for reading, watching and sharing your voice. You are awesome and I am honored to have you here.

With love,