5 Signs Your Becoming Health Obsessed

Not that caring about your health is a bad thing. However, caring too about your health, and veering into the territory of obsession isn’t healthy either.

I’ve put together a list of five signs here that could suggest you’re becoming health obsessed. These signs are things that I’ve seen firsthand. Often, it’s from people who are so obsessed with their health that it interrupts their normal life. I’ve been guilty of a few of them myself and found it hard to escape the mindset I was put in. The internet is an amazing resource for learning, but it can also fuel many of these areas of obsession.

Analyzing Food Ingredients

You carefully comb through the ingredients in everything in your cupboards. Nothing comes home from the grocery store without you thoroughly vetting the farms that grew the produce. At a friend’s barbecue you have a panic attack because the tomatoes for the veggie burgers aren’t organic. You even pull your kids out of school because the cafeteria and vending machine food is junk, and even with lunches from home your kids will inevitably end up eating skittles and potato chips for lunch. Pizza Fridays and hot dog days only reinforce unhealthy eating; why subject your kids to that? Homeschooling it is!

How To Deal With This Obsession in A Healthy Way

This food-related obsession is a bit more common than others. It even has a name. It’s called Orthorexia. Orthorexia is defined as “an obsession with proper or ‘healthful’ eating.” People with orthorexia become increasingly fixated on eating pure and healthy that they end up hurting their own well-being. While there is no actual treatment to deal with this, it does seem to be closely linked with OCD tendencies. If you think you might have Orthorexia, you can read more about it here.

I have absolutely dealt with this one before. I still check nutrition labels everywhere I go, but I try to keep the majority of my diet healthy, with some room for treat foods. For my sanity.

For parents, you probabaly don’t have to resort to taking your kids out of school. Instead, try to reinforce healthy eating as often as possible (and unhealthy eating in extreme moderation). Whether your kids are home-schooled or not they will eventually be tempted by unhealthy food choices and it’s your job to educate them enough to make the right choices when they are faced with that decision.

Panicking About Toxic Beauty Products

The Toxins. They’re on your skin! You read an article about the toxic chemicals in your makeup and beauty products so you start researching more. Eventually you realize everything you own is toxic and you’re afraid to put anything on your skin. You avoid makeup, skin products, and even toothpaste in fear of the chemical plethora that awaits. But you also avoid leaving the house because you don’t like how you look after a shampoo-less shower and with a makeup-free face.

How To Deal With This Obsession in A Healthy Way

Fortunately, there are lots of amazing toxin-free brands of makeup, shampoo, skin care products, and toothpaste out there, and with a bit of research you’ll find ones you love. Check out the skin deep database for the most non-toxic beauty products on the market. (I’m a fan of Alima Pure makeup). Alternatively, you can learn to make your own beauty products if you want to be 100% aware of what is going on your skin, but be aware this can be quite time consuming.

Feeling The Need To Tell Everyone

Maybe your friends are just too busy to spend time with you, but maybe they’re sick of continually hearing about how the coffee they drink is full of chemicals, the clothes they wear are toxic, and the meat they’re eating is carcinogenic. You tell them these things all the time because it’s important they know right?

How To Deal With This Obsession in A Healthy Way

Just because you’re informed about health doesn’t mean your friends want to hear about how everything around them is doing them harm. It gets annoying very quick and can even come off as insulting. Instead, offer your input occasionally and let your friends know you’re a resource if they ever have questions about their health. Or, you can do what I did. Start a blog to get what’s in your head, out.

Worrying About Chemicals in Clothing

Realizing every piece of clothing you own is made of pesticide-full cotton or other toxic synthetic materials, you give away every piece of clothing you own. Instead, you spend your savings on brand new clothes that are made only from organic fibers. Hell, maybe you’ll just wear a hemp sack everywhere to save some money.

How To Deal With This Obsession in A Healthy Way

Don’t forget that NOT buying new clothes IS eco-friendly, as is buying second-hand clothing. On top of that, the majority of toxic reside in your clothes gets washed out over time (not all, but most). If you’re still looking for an excuse to buy new clothes, opt for GOTS certified brands.

Wanting Everything To Be Organic

You don’t want to eat fruits and veggies that have been doused in pesticides, but the organic options you want are impossible to find at the grocery store or are way too expensive for your budget. So, you avoid produce and stick to the healthy ‘organic’ processed food options like rice crackers and dried apple snacks. That solves it. Need a new dining room table? Normal wood is doused in chemicals right? You must find organic wood only. What about toilet paper? That needs to be organic too right? Maybe you should just use leaves.

How To Deal With This Obsession in A Healthy Way

While it’s great to be aware of the pesticides in produce and everyday items, demanding that everything is organic can really take a toll on your mental health and your wallet. Believe me, I’ve been there. Figure out which things in your life are actually improved upon by being organic, and start there. Fortunately, not all fruits and veggies need to be organic. Don’t obsess about it. Just try to do your best, one thing at a time. Or not.

To Conclude

For me, my first reaction to learning more about food, toxins, and overall health was to go to the extreme; eliminate all the bad things! Unfortunately, it’s very difficult to make a complete switch to a 100% healthy lifestyle in a day, and typically involves more research and planning. Not sure where to start? Plant a garden. Good luck!

Sources

www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/by-eating-disorder/other/orthorexia

www.ewg.org/foodnews/clean-fifteen.php