I'm a little bit of a purist, and I started getting really serious about what I put in my system starting about a year ago; however, my journey with food was sparked by a rise in my vibration.... this is different, and seems like ppl are feeling the need to purify their bodies, but they have so many other  spiritual "blocks" that it's manifesting itself in dysfunctional ways.  Really, where's the "happy medium" when you need her??Love, Susan

Fixation with healthy eating can be sign of serious psychological disorder!!

Orthorexia
nervosa sufferers like to focus on 'righteous' eating and have rigid
rules about avoiding certain foods. Photograph: Getty

Eating
disorder charities are reporting a rise in the number of people
suffering from a serious psychological condition characterised by an
obsession with healthy eating.The condition, orthorexia nervosa,
affects equal numbers of men and women, but sufferers tend to be aged
over 30, middle-class and well-educated.The condition was named
by a Californian doctor, Steven Bratman, in 1997, and is described as a
"fixation on righteous eating". Until a few years ago, there were so
few sufferers that doctors usually included them under the catch-all
label of "Ednos" – eating disorders not otherwise recognised. Now,
experts say, orthorexics take up such a significant proportion of the
Ednos group that they should be treated separately."I am
definitely seeing significantly more orthorexics than just a few years
ago," said Ursula Philpot, chair of the British Dietetic Association's mental health
group. "Other eating disorders focus on quantity of food but
orthorexics can be overweight or look normal. They are solely concerned
with the quality of the food they put in their bodies, refining and
restricting their diets according to their personal understanding of
which foods are truly 'pure'."Orthorexics commonly have rigid
rules around eating. Refusing to touch sugar, salt, caffeine, alcohol,
wheat, gluten, yeast, soya, corn and dairy foods is just the start of
their diet restrictions. Any foods that have come into contact with
pesticides, herbicides or contain artificial additives are also out.The
obsession about which foods are "good" and which are "bad" means
orthorexics can end up malnourished. Their dietary restrictions
commonly cause sufferers to feel proud of their "virtuous" behaviour
even if it means that eating becomes so stressful their personal
relationships can come under pressure and they become socially isolated."The
issues underlying orthorexia are often the same as anorexia and the two
conditions can overlap but orthorexia is very definitely a distinct
disorder," said Philpot. "Those most susceptible are middle-class,
well-educated people who read about food scares in the papers, research
them on the internet, and have the time and money to source what they
believe to be purer alternatives."Deanne Jade, founder of the
National Centre for Eating Disorders, said: "There is a fine line
between people who think they are taking care of themselves by
manipulating their diet and those who have orthorexia. I see people
around me who have no idea they have this disorder. I see it in my
practice and I see it among my friends and colleagues."Jade
believes the condition is on the increase because "modern society has
lost its way with food". She said: "It's everywhere, from the people
who think it's normal if their friends stop eating entire food groups,
to the trainers in the gym who [promote] certain foods to enhance
performance, to the proliferation of nutritionists, dieticians and
naturopaths [who believe in curing problems through entirely natural
methods such as sunlight and massage]."And just look in the
bookshops – all the diets that advise eating according to your blood
type or metabolic rate. This is all grist for the mill to those looking
for proof to confirm or encourage their anxieties around food."http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/aug/16/orthorexia-mental-health-eating-disorder