At some points in her life, Kaila Prins has been a vegan, a fitness/figure competitor wannabe, a strict Paleo devotee and an emotional eater with disordered eating habits. For 13 years, she struggled with anorexia, orthorexia, EDNOS (eating disorder not otherwise specified) and exercise addiction.
Read part 1 of her interview before moving to part 2 below…
When did you realise you needed help?
KP: I remember picking up a copy of Dr. Steven Bratman’s book Health Food Junkies at the Strand bookstore in NYC just before I realized that I needed to drop out of grad school. I didn’t believe that I was anorexic—I was eating 6 meals a day after all—but orthorexia made sense. I had fear foods and safe foods. I believed that food was a moral issue. I was obsessed and scared, and that book made me realize that I wasn’t alone.
But, it was years before I even started letting go of my “clean eating” obsessions, although I believed I had recovered—first going vegan, then becoming dogmatically paleo.
I did try therapy several times, but I’m not really good at therapy so I ended up having to do a lot of this work on my own.
“I had fear foods and safe foods. I believed that food was a moral issue. I was obsessed and scared.” – Kaila Prins
How do you draw the line between trying to eat healthily and being obsessed with eating healthy food?
KP: This is the question, isn’t it? Unfortunately the only way to do it is to not obsess about it. That means not reading the food blogs. Ignoring the scaremongering headlines. Not clicking on article that says one type of macronutrient is better than the other. Unsubscribing from the fitness podcasts.
The thing about “eating healthy” is that it’s not as complicated as everyone wants you to think. There’s no “superfood,” and no magic ratio of macronutrients. That’s pretty much all you need to know: eat vegetables, eat meat, try not to spend all of your money on stuff that comes in boxes, and don’t worry if you have a night or two or three where ice cream sounds like a fun idea.
Last question, how do you know you’ve recovered?
KP: I know I’m recovered because I have literally zero fear foods.
Last night, I went to a restaurant later than I normally eat and without looking at the menu beforehand and ordered a burger. I didn’t ask what it was cooked in. Afterward, we went out and got nutella doughnuts. I am not “compensating” for this today or punishing myself.
I shop at the farmer’s market and at the grocery store. I don’t follow a meal plan. The only foods I avoid are the ones that I am actually allergic to, not just a supposed “sensitivity”. For example, if I eat apples or almonds, my mouth bleeds and if I eat dairy, I break out in painful cystic acne.
Other than that, I’m learning how to be adventurous with my food choices. I like to eat vegetables, I like to eat meat. I also really like bread and chocolate, and I don’t think that any of those foods are morally better than others. I don’t believe that foods are “clean” or “unclean.” They’re food, and I know how to eat a variety of things in moderation.
“The thing about “eating healthy” is that it’s not as complicated as everyone wants you to think. There’s no “superfood,” and no magic ratio of macronutrients.” – Kaila Prins
Not sure if you are just being health conscious or bordering on being orthorexic? Here’s a helpful list of symptoms to help you identify.
READ THIS NEXT: Orthorexia Nervosa: Clean eating gone rogue
Do you have any questions about orthorexia? Questions for Kaila? Ask them in the comment box below!
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This was a really great read! It’s really becoming an issue in our society where people are becoming too obsessed that I think it’s affecting their health in a negative way! Good on Kaila!
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