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Obsessive eating behavior:these are the signals

Obsessive eating behavior:these are the signals

Lots of fruit and vegetables on your menu, zero added sugars, never even a glass of wine. That sounds healthy. But what if you go too far in your healthy lifestyle? These are the signs of an obsessive eating behavior.

  • You don't dare deviate from your eating rules.
  • You get panicky from (spontaneous) dinners, drinks and parties.
  • If you already eat out, check the menu in advance to see which ingredients are used and whether you can eat them.
  • You are extremely picky in a restaurant.
  • You avoid work drinks, refuse all treats and always join after dinner.
  • You sometimes step on the scale several times a day.
  • You are obsessive about your appearance and how you come across.
  • You plan your days in such a way that you can always exercise.

Eva had an obsessive eating behavior

You can read Eva's story in the January issue of Santé. She went overboard with a healthy lifestyle and only ate alkaline.

“It started about a year ago when I read an article online about alkaline foods. A few clicks away, I ended up on the alkaline diet. You are not allowed to eat anything from jars or packages, do not eat processed food and eat everything raw. I read that alkaline food helps to deacidify your body. According to the adherents of this lifestyle, alkaline foods are the only thing you should eat to stay healthy. That triggered me. For each category there are things in the list that you can eat:tomato, mango, apple, avocado, bell pepper, quinoa, millet, kamut, amaranth, cayenne pepper, spelled… It would be good for you because it is clean food.

When I started eating alkaline, I started prepping all my food. I prepared meals and snacks for the whole day. I always had my own food with me. I ate very lightly, so every time I thought:I need to eat something now, I grabbed something I made myself.

I didn't do anything to get food at a station or gas station on the way. I didn't trust that. Once I went to a restaurant with friends, I always hoped that there was something on the menu that I could have. I would then study each dish thoroughly to see if I could eat it. But actually it was standard:'No, because that's in it. And not this one either, because that's what it contains.' Or:'I don't know what oil it was fried in, so I can't eat it.' In that case, I really didn't eat anything in that restaurant. Then I just ordered a herbal tea or a smoothie. Of course I didn't drink wine either, because that isn't alkaline either."

Read more in the January issue of Santé!