Orthorexia Nervosa and the Danger of Fad Diets

While anorexia nervosa garners a lot of press, there are several other eating disorders that are just as dangerous but not as well known. One of the newest eating disorders to be identified is orthorexia nervosa. While there are cases of sufferers who have died from starvation because of the disorder, the main goal of the eating pattern is usually not to lose weight, but simply to improve overall health.

Orthorexia nervosa can lead to malnutrition and starvation, depending on what principles of nutrition the sufferer is following. There have been several cases of people starving to death on raw food diets, which often don't meet standard nutritional guidelines. In one case, a family who followed a diet of only raw foods suffered the loss of their child to starvation. The case highlighted the danger of following fad diets too strictly and how little some people understand these diets.

The situation gets worse when parents adhere too strictly to a diet that they are not well educated about. Vegan diets have been responsible for many cases of malnutrition and starvation, particularly when children are subjected to a misunderstood version of the diet by their parents. When balanced with protein, carbohydrates and enough nourishment from plant-based foods, a vegan diet can be healthy. But, there are many vegans who lack the appropriate knowledge to balance such a diet. In cases in Georgia and New York, infants have died of starvation when their vegan parents fed them inappropriate items for their age in order to keep them on what they perceived as the vegan diet.

In adults, there are many cases of malnutrition caused by people who stick to fad diets even as their health begins to fail. People who believe that a single food source diet will be healthier for them are led into a diet that results in a greatly decreased state of health. Many times these fad diets have very little scientific basis, if any at all. The book "Eat Right for Your Type" has been criticized for its scant science and poor reasoning. The diet supposes that the proper diet for any one person is almost entirely dependent on their blood type. For those who follow this diet, there is the possibility of missing out on healthy foods that don't correspond to a person's blood type, resulting in poor eating habits. For instance, the book suggests that everyone with Type A blood should eat a vegetarian diet. Those who believe this advice and immediately begin a vegetarian diet without doing the proper research on the diet are at risk for serious health problems.

Eating a healthy diet is generally as easy as cutting down on fat and eating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy items. If a diet tells you that it can greatly simplify your diet, or that just a few foods should make up your entire diet, beware of the possible consequences to your health.