The Fine Line Between Orthorexia and Eating Clean

Orthorexia and Eating Clean: Summary

Carly Faye Loewenthal, a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner (FDNP), coaches patients with eating disorders. She is an advocate for integrating physical health and mental health treatment and believes that a severe obsession with healthy eating, known as orthorexia, can be harmful and advocates for a balanced approach toward food choices.

We cover Carly’s personal journey from dealing with mental and physical health issues, including anorexia in her college years, and her transformation in reclaiming her health and well-being. She mentioned that the typical client she works with is between the ages of 20 and 45 and is ready to fully commit to their transformation.

She highlighted the importance of emotional processing and stated that many of her clients have repressed trauma that contributes to their disordered eating. Carly stressed that obsessive behaviors around exercise, food, and body image consumed her every day, demonstrating a clear lack of control and indicating a disorder.

In contrast, a clean eating lifestyle would involve thoughtful choices about food and supplements without creating anxiety or stress about missing a supplement or having a certain type of food. Carly shared a success story of a client who, in four months, managed to regain control of her disordered eating, establish a new career path, and move to a new state. 

This episode emphasized the interplay of mental and physical health, the importance of recognizing and processing shame and repressed emotions, and cautioned against the risk of developing orthorexia from an overemphasis on eating “clean”. It ends with a call to action for listeners to take the next step in their health journey and learn to process their emotions effectively.

Orthorexia and Eating Clean: Topics

Introduction and Guest Background

 Understanding Disordered Eating

 Guest’s Personal Health Journey

 Exploring Gut Health and Mental Health Connection

 Impact of Traumatic Events on Health

 Dealing with Depression and Anxiety

 Uncovering Autoimmune Condition

 Uncovering Repressed Trauma

 Dealing with Orthorexia

 The Impact of Food Choices on Health

 The Power of Mindset in Food Sensitivity

 The Role of Belief in Food Sensitivity

 The Mind-Body Connection in Food Sensitivity

 The Role of Anxiety in Food Choices

 The Power of Mindset in Healing

 The Balance Between Physical and Mental Health

 The Journey of Healing from Disordered Eating

 The Role of Shame in Disordered Eating

Where to Find Carly Faye Loewenthal

More About FDN

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