By Dr. Mara Karpel

“An unhealthy diet is addicting and it’s addictive potential is proportional to the degree that it’s unhealthy.” ~ Dr. Joel Furhrman, interview on Dr. Mara Karpel & Your Golden Years

©M. Karpel, 2015

In the past few weeks, I’ve seen a few articles on Facebook about a mental “diagnosis” proposed  by Dr. Steven Bratman, author of Health Food Junkies. Dr. Bratman coined the term “orthorexia nervosa,” as a diagnosis for people who are overly focused on eating healthy foods. It’s important to know that this is not a recognized or actual diagnosis in the manual of diagnoses used by psychologists and psychiatrists, the DSM-IV, but one that Bratman has proposed based on his experience of becoming obsessed with healthy eating while living on a commune in upstate New York during the 1970s.

Bratman admitted that his theory of this mental disorder is not based on any scientific research. As a psychologist who has been focused on health psychology for much of my practice, I notice that several of the “symptoms” of this so-called disorder are actually a normal part of the process of making a change from unhealthy eating habits to healthier ones.

Nutrition counselor, coordinator of Total Health Immersions, and detox specialist, Malissa Schwartz says, “It’s quite crazy how people want to make it a ‘disease’ to eat healthy. I mean, personally, I don’t think you can have a balanced life by being too obsessive about anything, but we are so far from the norm that the Standard American Diet has become the new norm and the gauge needs to be reset. Otherwise, any healthy eating habits that may have been deemed as normal at one point are now looked at as ‘extreme.’”   Admittedly, our American diets have swung so far in the direction of unhealthy eating that it may seem “crazy” when we’re just trying to get to the middle. I certainly have run into my fair share of people who want to give their unsolicited opinion about my mostly vegan diet, as they drink a Coca-Cola, or munch on a piece of fried chicken. (Truthfully, this has happened more than once.)

Nutritional Excellence vs. the Standard American Diet (SAD)

Medical doctor, nutritional researcher, speaker, and best-selling author, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, joined me for an interview on my radio show in August 2013, where he commented on eating habits: “Sixty percent of the American diet is made up of processed foods, white flour products, oil, sweets, and soft-drinks. Another thirty percent is made up of animal products. About four percent is whole grains and about seven to eight percent of the diet is fresh produce, fruits, and vegetables. Micronutrients, including phytochemicals and antioxidants, which are in fruits and vegetables, are necessary for normal immune functioning, protecting us against diseases that ravage Americans. These are not present in processed foods, and they are not present in animal products.”

Dr. Fuhrman went on to say, “We’re eating a diet with ninety percent of our calories coming from foods that do not contain the phytochemicals and antioxidants that the human body is designed to function on. The five to ten percent that we’re eating is not enough for us to be healthy.” On the other hand, “when you apply nutritional excellence, you not only can prevent disease, but you can reverse disease. Nutritional excellence is significantly more powerful than medical interventions like drugs and surgery. Heart attacks don’t have to happen. We don’t have to be diabetic. We can get rid of ninety percent of cancers that affect Americans. There’s sufficient evidence to support these statements.” So, what does Dr. Fuhrman propose that we do? “Instead of eating ninety percent processed food and animal products and ten percent vegetation, we have to eat ninety percent vegetation and maybe ten percent of other things that are not fresh vegetables.”

Dr. Scott Stoll, national speaker, member of the Whole Foods Scientific and Medical Advisory Board, team physician at Lehigh University and department chairman of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Coordinated Health, agreed with this solution when we spoke on the show in September 2013. “Nutrition can solve about three quarters of health problems that most people are facing. And, not only do their diseases get better, but they feel better. They’re happier, more joyful, and they have more energy.”

This change to a mostly plant-based diet, rather than the Standard American Diet (SAD), has been supported by the research over and over again to reduce the risks for heart disease, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, and even mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety. Dr. Dean Ornish, clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco and the founder of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute, has conducted numerous studies demonstrating that benefits of changing to a whole-foods, plant-based diet on reversing chronic diseases, such as severe heart disease.

Kris Carr, cancer-survivor, speaker, and author of Crazy Sexy Diet, co-authored with Chef Chad Sarno, Crazy Sexy Kitchen, says, “I’ve not only been surviving, I’ve been thriving – with cancer.” Carr changed her diet and lifestyle to include a completely plant-based diet after being diagnosed in 2003 with a rare and incurable form of cancer. She attributes her vitality to “cooking consciously and compassionately for the health and happiness of my body and the world around me…In fact, thanks in part to a healthy and active lifestyle, I actually feel better with the disease than I did without it.”

Negative Habits Come Easily

Bratman’s proposed diagnosis of orthorexia includes some symptoms that I would agree are unhealthy, such as feeling guilt or self-loathing when you stray from your diet, which I will address in little later in this blog. His other “symptoms,” such as spending more than three hours per day thinking about food, planning tomorrow’s menu today, skipping foods you once enjoyed in order to eat the “right” foods, becoming stricter with yourself, and having a hard time eating with friends and family, are actually all part of the process of making a change from unhealthy eating habits to healthy ones.

Many of us know that picking up unhealthy habits is very easy, while changing an unhealthy habit to a healthier one is quite a bit more challenging. In his article, “The Simple Psychology of Habits,” Marc David, founder of the Institute for the Psychology of Eating, tells us, “The distinguishing feature of negative habits is that they come naturally, take little effort to develop, and quickly gain a momentum of their own that is difficult to offset.”

In fact, according to Dr. Fuhrman, “The more unhealthy your diet is, the more addictive it becomes, and the more difficulty you will have in even considering a different way.”

How to Change an Unhealthy Habit to a Healthy One

Increase Awareness

How do we go about making this change and quitting the addiction to bad habits?   “If negative habits are automatic, self-repeating, and unconscious, it follows that the simple ingredient, which must be present to work with any negative or unwanted habit, is always this: consciousness. Consciousness here means awareness, wakefulness, presence, and eyes wide open,” writes David. Therefore, at the beginning of this change process, the number one step is to be constantly being aware of what you put into your mouth. Keeping a food diary can be helpful, as well as doing some research about why a different way of eating would be beneficial, and constantly reminding yourself about why you’re making this change.

Jeremy Robinson, owner of Austin Holistic Fitness, says, “A habit is a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur unconsciously. Be aware of your surroundings and prepare for the unexpected. The conscious effort to be healthy will take over. You are what you eat so don’t be fake, fast, or cheap.”

Robinson suggests starting with cutting out those Cokes. “Just doing that, alone, will make a huge difference in how you feel,” he explains. “But, to do this, you need to stay aware and be conscious. Any time you automatically, habitually, reach for a Coke, you will need to remind yourself not to drink it and to drink water instead.”

One Step at a Time

Most health psychologists and nutrition coaches recommend making the change to healthier food a little at a time. According to Malissa Schwartz , “It’s much easier to replace a bad habit than to simply cut one out. So, instead of saying, ‘I’m going to quit eating fast food,’ a more successful approach would be to state what you want to achieve as something like, ‘I’m going to add in a salad and two servings of fresh veggies each day.’ With each situation, you have an opportunity to make a choice and remember that even all the small choices add up. In an uphill battle, where the odds are not always in the favor of those trying to embrace a healthier lifestyle, it’s important to stick to your choices. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want at restaurants or say ‘no, thank you’ to something that you know won’t serve your health.”

Find a Like-Minded Community

If your friends are not willing to try your new healthier foods, then do non-food-related activities with those friends and find a like-minded group of friends who enjoy the same healthy food choices that you’re choosing.  It’s always great to make new friends with people who support healthy changes in your life-style. You can even find groups of healthy eaters, making potluck dinner, on websites such as MeetUp.com.

Schwartz adds, “Creating a safe space while you navigate new waters is key to getting rooted in your new healthier habits. Just like hanging out at a bar is not the best place for someone to be who wants to quit drinking, sometimes giving up old familiar haunts, friends, and environments (that don’t support your goal) are necessary while you build your foundation.”

Venus deMarco, cancer-survivor, plant-based eater, and author of The Healing Journey of My Bodacious Ta-Ta’s, recommends, “The best way to change a habit is not to isolate people you love, but find peeps of like-mind to encourage you. Then just get thick-skinned and let comments roll off of you like water on a duck. Look healthy and do it with love, then [your loved ones] might follow.”

Be Kind to Yourself

Marc David writes, “It’s not about fighting self, hating self, hating the habit, or attacking our own weaknesses. It’s about following a path with a heart and gently guiding ourselves back home.” Don’t berate yourself or feel guilty for getting off track from your new healthy eating plan. Every day is a chance to start over again. Reward yourself for successes and be kind to yourself when you run into obstacles and challenges, knowing that just making the effort on this path is a sign of courage. It always helps to have guidance along the way. Find a mentor who will answer your questions and who will support you.

Get Excited About The New Habit

Finally, allow yourself to be excited about this new healthy life-style and how great you will feel taking such good care of yourself by putting nourishing food into your body, rather than approaching this change from a place of being fearful about the unhealthy foods. The choice of eating healthy is the same, but the emotional connection to that choice is different. Other people might still call you “crazy,” but that’s their problem, not yours.

©M. Karpel, 2015

[For more information, and interviews with expert guests, be sure to join me LIVE every Sunday, 5-7pm CT/6-8pm ET for “Dr. Mara Karpel & Your Golden Years.”  Join the conversation by calling in, e-mailing, or tweeting, or you can listen any time on podcast.]