WHen eaTinG

HealTHY
beCOMeS
UnHealTHY

MensHealth.ph

| OCTOBER 2015 61

 C a n t, I m o n a d I e t .

COUNTING
CALORIES IS
ONE THING;
OBSESSING OVER
THEM IS ANOTHER

62 OCTOBER 2015 | MensHealth.ph

Unhealthy
Obsession
Lets be clear about one thing first: Theres nothing
wrong with watching what you eat. After all, weight loss
is 70 percent diet and 30 percent exercise, points out
Laurel Gayle Lee, R.N.D., in-house nutritionist at Golds
Gym. Monitoring your calorie intake, she adds, also
assists you in effectively managing your weight. But
some people have taken this sound advice to extremes.
Scroll through numerous food posts on your
Instagram feed with hashtags like #eatingclean,
#fitfood, or #fitspo, and youll see users proudly sharing
photos of their joylessborderline inediblemeals to
gain validatory likes. Its all good until its not.
Sometimes, its one of the early manifestations of a
modern eating disorder known as orthorexia nervosa,
which is characterized by an unhealthy fixation with the
perfect diet.
The term was coined almost 20 years ago by the first
person to be diagnosed with the condition, American
doctor Steven Bratman, M.D. He decided to make a
concentrated effort to eat only nutritionally beneficial
food. Throughout his research, he found more and more
foods that hed restrict himself from eating. It got to a
point where his diet was causing him physical harm. To
his surprise, his healthy diet was making him sick.
According to experts, orthorexic sufferers are most
likely in their 30s, health-conscious, and highly
educated. If youve ever broken into a cold sweat for
eating a slice of cake, or turned down a dinner invitation
because it would impede your gains, then you might be
among the afflicted.
To be sure youre in the clear, ask yourself: Do you
care more about the nutritional value of your food than
its taste? Do you have a mental blacklist of foods you
love but wont eat? Would you pass on your moms
signature lasagna, even if it reminds you of the good ol
days, simply because of the carb content?
If you answered yes to all these questions, then you
could be part of the rising number of orthorexic people
in the world. [In the UK], orthorexia affects hundreds
of thousands of peoplemaybe millions, says Deanne
Jade, psychologist and principal of the UK National
Centre for Eating Disorder. The problem is growing
because its become socially acceptablecool, evento
eat a quirky diet.
True enough, just this morning, two female DJs on an
FM station were talking about how people proudly share
their experience with their quirky diets of choice on
social media. People now are like, I love my artisanal
coffee, or, Have you ever topped your pizza with
prosciutto? mocks one DJ. The movie Inside Out
sneaks in a quick commentary, too, on how San

PHOTOGRAPH BY UPPER CUT IMAGES

This kind of discipline is often admirable, but a bit of pancit Malabon

shouldnt freak you out just because, OMG, this is carbs!
Unfortunately, I was that guy a few years ago. I decided to become
the fittest version of myself, and that called for a drastic overhaul of
my diet. Every day, Id drink half a meal-replacement shake for
breakfast and the other half for dinner. Id allow myself one meal of
solid food for lunch, usually a chicken breast sandwich or something
similar. The diet, augmented by regular weights and Judo training,
helped me lose 30 pounds in two monthsway more than the
prescribed healthy weight loss of two pounds per week. It wasnt
pretty, but it worked.
So I stuck with it, convinced it would be good for me. After all, I
was staying away from the sweet and fatty stuff, right? The trouble
was, everything besides my weight wasnt doing okay. First, my
sports performance suffered as I lost both muscle mass and
explosiveness. More important, my adherence to my diet had started
to affect not just me, but also my wife, who was pregnant with our
first child at the time. Dining out with her was off the tableI would
turn down genuinely good and not-so-sinful food simply because I
had to eat clean.
I was lighter. I looked good. I felt terrible. And the fact that I was
being a lame husband in the process really got me down.

Francisco has joined Hawaii in officially ruining pizza,

thanks (or no thanks) to pure broccoli toppings.
Diet quirks are a common trend, but this can take a turn
toward orthorexia when strict restrictions become the
norm. The Atkins diet restricts carbs (not just rice, but
carbs in general). The Paleo diet cuts out grains, legumes,
and dairy. Eliminating foods (or worse, entire food groups)
from your diet on a whim is hazardous not just to your
physical health, but to your mental well-being as well. After
all, orthorexia is a problem of the mind, as all eating
disorders are.
Eating disorders are often associated with body image
issues, points out Kay S. Bunagan, M.A., a clinical
psychologist from Better Steps Psychology in Pasig. In
more extreme instances, eating disorders are also
associated with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), where
youre too preoccupied with a perceived flaw in your
appearance, she adds.

The Male
Weakness
While eating disorders are more often associated with
women, thats not to say that men are automatically
immune to societys aesthetic pressures. As Bunagan
explains, In more recent years, increasing emphasis on the
importance of physical appearance and a particular ideal
body as portrayed in media and perpetuated in our culture
has made both males and females more susceptible to body
image issues, and consequently, eating disorders.
In the UK, the National Eating Disorder Collaboration
states that 25 percent of patients with eating disorders are
male, partly due to the growing rates of men who are
dissatisfied with their bodies. I think theres more
pressure on men now to look fit, observes Nicole Duran,
R.N.D., of the St. Lukes Medical Center Global City.
People are seen more often because of social media, so
there might be that added pressure to look good. This, she
adds, could lead to an over-dependence on supplements
like whey protein, which can be classified as an eating
disorder in itself.
According to research presented at a 2015 American
Psychological Association meeting in Toronto, 29 percent
of its 200 male participants said they were concerned
about their own use of supplements, and 23 percent said
theyve used supplements to replace meals. It was also
found that three percent of participants had been
hospitalized due to kidney or liver problems linked to
excessive supplement usage. Its evident our infatuation
with looking like the Dwayne Johnsons and Ryan Goslings
of the world is getting out of hand.
Both men and women are susceptible for different
reasons, says Ursula Philpot, chair of the British Dietetic
Associations mental health group, but men can get
hooked on rules and regulations, and numbers and gadgets,
very easily. Case in point: The guy letting his meal go cold
while he computes its total calories on MyFitnessPal, or
the ripped dude who has a six-pack but a guilty conscience.
They are the ones suffering from orthorexia. And, worse,
they probably dont even know it.

ARE YOU
ORTHOREXIC?

CONFESSIONS OF
CLEAN EATERS
Learn from the
examples of men
whove found the
balance between
eating clean and
living well

Pushing
Limitations
Dino Pascual, 27,
musician
Dino Pascual follows a
structured diet. For six
out of seven days of
the week, his meals
consist of only three
types of food: protein,
vegetables, and beans.
He also keeps to his
healthy eating when he
goes out. At a party,
my mind searches for
the food I can eat and I
block out the food I
cant eat. When you
put limitations on your
diet, you get more
familiar with restaurants
with the kinds of food
you can eat.
Pascual has lost 40
pounds thanks to his
diet, but while it seems
highly restrictive, he
has found ways to add
variety to it. I can eat
all kinds of meat,
vegetables, or beans,
he says. This keeps
him excited to eat.
Going with several food
groups also ensures he
has varied sources of
nutrition. Not to limit
himself to just these
three food types, he
also has a cheat
day every week to
enjoy other food
groups as well.
Pascuals diet is strict,
but it affords him
some flexibility.

Take The BraTman TesT. If you

answer yes To four or more
quesTIons, Then you need To
ease off The healThy-food
fIxaTIon. answered yes To all
of Them? TIme To Talk To a
menTal healTh professIonal

Do you think of your diet plan for three hours or

more a day?
Do you plan your meals several days ahead?
Is the nutritional value of your meal more
important than the pleasure of eating?
Has the quality of your daily life decreased as the
quality of your diet increased?
Have you become stricter with yourself lately?
Does your self-esteem increase when youre
eating healthy?
Have you given up foods you used to enjoy in
order to eat the right ones?
Does your diet make it difficult for you to eat out,
distracting you from family and friends?
Do you feel guilty when you stray from your diet?
Do you feel at peace with yourself and in control
when you eat healthily?

The (Anti)
Social
Extreme
Its hard to accept that sticking to certain healthy foods
isnt good for you. Arent you supposed to avoid unhealthy
foods? How can a goal to live a healthier life be bad for you?
Well, to put it simply: The problem arises when your food
dictates your life.
Orthorexia begins when healthy eating starts to
interfere with ordinary life, explains Philpot. At
Christmas, birthdays, and weddings, people will eat certain
sorts of food. If you cant join in because your healthy
eating is such that you cant enjoy social occasions, that is
when it becomes problematic. When nutrition starts
becoming a larger part of your life and you start spending a
disproportionate amount of your time planning and
researching what youll eat, thats when we start to worry. It
becomes obsessional.
I remember, during my own aforementioned weight cut,
going to my Lolos house in Pasig for a joint birthday
celebration. Some of my favorite foods were on the menu
pork sisig, white rice, kalderetang baka, and fettuccine
carbonara. Focused on my diet, I didnt dig in the way I
MensHealth.ph

| OCTOBER 2015 63

Dont let
your boDy
mass inDex
Define you

64 OCTOBER 2015 | MensHealth.ph

Prevent eating disorders from taking over

your life. One way you can do that is to set
realistic goals for yourself. Psychologist Kay
S. Bunagan, M.A., of Better Steps Psychology
in Pasig, stresses the importance of learning
to appreciate your body beyond its physical
appearance. Instead, focus more on what
your bodys capable of achieving.
Developing other areas of our lives and our
selves and attaching more value to these
helps, too, she says. Its important not to
link so much of our self-esteem and selfimage with the physical body.

PHOTOGRAPH BY UPPER CUT IMAGES

Set Realistic
Goals

used to many pounds ago. Instead, I only got a teaspoons

worth of sisig and a five-inch strand of pasta, and that was
it. For me back then, that was a sacrifice necessary to
achieving my weight-loss goals. But really, all I did was miss
one helluva dinner with my family.
The silver lining there was I still attended the
celebration, whereas someone with a more serious case of
orthorexia wouldnt even show up for fear of straying from
his diet. Its when you allow dietary restrictions to spill over
into your relationships that you should really be concerned.
You begin to withdraw from people because you cant
eat with them; they cant prepare food for you the way you
need it prepared; they cant offer you the kinds of foods that
you find acceptable, notes Russell Delderfield, a researcher
at the University of Bradford who studies eating disorders
in men. It even goes to the point of behaviors that you
normally associate with anorexia, such as hiding food and
disposing of it later, or avoiding any situation where theres
exposure to unacceptable foods. That, to me, is more than
being on a fitness drive.

Dirty
Words
A squeaky-clean floor can sometimes make you slip. Those
invested in studying our eating habits are now also
realizing the sneaky perils of a perfect diet. Referring to
foods as clean or dirty makes people judge individual
foods outside the context of their diet, notes Californiabased nutritionist and Mens Health US nutrition advisor
Alan Aragon.
On its own, a Snickers bar may seem like forbidden fruit
to some dieters. But ask fitness trainers, and some would
recommend it as a sound post-workout snack thanks to its
nut and protein content. When you think of healthy food,
what comes to mind? Usually ang isip ng tao sa healthy
food, dry at walang lasa, says Lee. The problem with that,
she argues, is that you tend to limit yourself to these foods
rather than enjoying a variety of food with more flavor and
nutritional benefits.
Lee also warns that an overdose of clean food can still
lead to weight gain: When you have an excess intake of
3,500 calories, your body converts it into one pound of fat.
Divide that by seven days, and all you have to do is take in
500 more calories than you burn each day, and youll gain a
pound of fat after a week. The thing is, those excess
calories can come from anything, from cupcakes to salads.
The bottom line, Lee adds, is that if you take in more
calories than you burn, then youll gain fat no matter how
clean you eat. Some think, Puro ulam lang ang kinakain
ko at hindi naman ako nag-ra-rice, pero hindi pa rin ako
pumapayat. Again, the key here is to keep everything
in moderation.
Another danger of being fixated on clean food is
restricting yourself to certain food groups, leaving out
supposedly dirty food that can provide much-needed
nutrients. Relying on a certain food group, like eating only
vegetables, can help you lose weight, but youll be missing
out on some vital nutrients from other food groups, says
Llena Tan-Arcenas, R.N.D., M.S.N., R.N., culinary services

manager at San Miguel Pure Foods. Her advice: Follow a

balanced diet, complete with carbs, protein, and vegetables.

CONFESSIONS OF
CLEAN EATERS
Learn from the
examples of men
whove found the
balance between
eating clean and
living well

The CrafTy
Cook
Ben Pablo, 26,
online promotions
expert
Keeping to a strict diet
has always helped Ben
Pablo keep the weight
off. Before, I cut out
rice and red meat from
my diet. I believed in
the protein power of
eggs. Id eat an apple
for lunch, then a
banana two hours
after. Before long,
though, they lost their
flavor and charm.
No doubt his diet
worked because he
successfully lost 25
pounds. But what led
to a more varied diet
was a change in living
space. When I moved
out, I started preparing
my own food. Id make
myself salads, Id
steam food, or boil
potatoes. I was limited
by my circumstance,
but I was forced to eat
better, he shares. I
learned how to use
spices and curry
powder to give my
food more flavor. Flavor
is the savior, and Im
not obsessed with
anything.
He also doesnt
allow his diet to
interfere with social
gatherings, treating
them as impromptu
cheat meals. Were
social beings. If youre
a normal person with
friends and family, that
cheat meal is going to
find you. Youre gonna
get that cheat meal at
a birthday or while
youre out with friends.
And theres nothing
wrong with that.

Make a
Clean
Break
Cases of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease are on the rise.
Such diseases are non-communicable, meaning our
lifestyles and diets largely contribute to our risk of
contracting such illnesses.
While its certainly wise to prevent the onset of these
diseases by going on a full-throttle offense anchored on diet
modification, we also must understand that allowing these
newfangled diet plans to consume our lives can only
endanger us if were not careful. According to Lee, eating
healthy isnt as complex and difficult as some perceive.
Make a change in lifestyle for long-term success. Shop for
good cuts of meat like lomo and tenderloin, and cook them
any way you please, just not deep-fried, she advises.
Taking small, frequent meals (five or six times a day) is still
the best way to go.
Another simple way to enjoy a balanced and varied diet:
the Pinggang Pinoy, which comes with recommended food
portions. According to this guide released by the Food and
Nutrition Research Institute and the Department of
Science and Technology, your plate must consist of 33
percent rice, 33 percent vegetables, 17 percent meat, and 17
percent fruit.
Plates with dividers in general have their unique
benefits, too. A 2007 study found that those who use plates
with four-portion dividers are six times more likely to lose
five percent of their body weight, shares Lee.
But the ultimate takeaway is this: Find a dietor, for a
better way of putting it, a meal planthat youre happy
with. Cheat meals are for people who dont enjoy what
theyre eating most of the time. But if youre satisfied with
your diet and you arent depriving yourself, then you wont
feel the need to binge or cheat, Lee stresses. The challenge
now is to enjoy food for what it is and not solely for the
macronutrients it provides. Stick to some guidelines, but
dont restrict yourself to the point where your diet becomes
very burdensome.
Its safe to say my days of obsessive dieting are behind
me. In hindsight, it was an ill-advised diet prescribed to me
by a former mentor, whom I no longer talk to (for obvious
reasons). I maintain a flexible diet now. According to
studies published in Appetite, flexible dieters (those who
can make small adjustments to their diets when necessary)
are more successful in weight management than those who
stick to stringent habits.
I enjoy several small (and not so small) meals a day, one
still being a meal-replacement shake, and I avoid white rice
as much as I can. But I grab milkshakes with my wife and
daughter when we feel like celebrating, and I never turn
down a slice of cake, or two, at birthday parties. This may
not be the cleanest eating approach out there, but this is
the solid foundation Id rather obsess about in building the
healthy lifestyle I can live with. j
MensHealth.ph

| OCTOBER 2015 65