Lately I've been thinking that I should lose some weight. My body mass index (BMI) hovers around 25 to 26, so I can definitely afford to lose a few pounds. I'm convinced of the health benefits of maintaining a lower weight -- within reason, of course.

Making an effort to eat healthier and then losing some weight can be very satisfying, and the lost weight becomes a good motivation to continue eating right.

Some people with eating disorders, however, continue to lose weight past the point where it is healthy. For patients with anorexia nervosa, extreme weight loss can cause severe medical problems and sometimes can be fatal.

Even people who maintain a normal and healthy weight can sometimes be so intensely focused on their eating that eating "correctly" interferes with their lives. Their eating plan dominates and crowds out other normal activities.

The term "orthorexia" was coined by Steven Bratman, M.D., to describe people who get more satisfaction from eating "right" than from eating. Individuals with orthorexia are obsessed with healthy eating, although exactly what they will and won't eat depends a lot on their own definition of a proper diet.

Their focus on dietary perfection and their fixation on obtaining and preparing the right ingredients can affect their relationships with family and friends. Often, they become rather lonely, since no one else shares their severe dietary obsessions.

Orthorexic eaters put great store in strong willpower and self-discipline, and they constantly resist temptations to lapse from their strict diets. Often, they seem to have a feeling of superiority toward people who are less careful about their diet, especially those who eat junk food.

And if orthorexics do happen to break down and occasionally eat some prohibited food (pepperoni pizza, for instance), they feel guilty to the point of self-condemnation.

I'm all for eating healthily and I respect people who adhere to special diets, as long as their food plan makes sense nutritionally, helps them maintain an appropriate weight, and doesn't become a harmful obsession.

When eating right and preaching to others about their possibly unhealthy behaviors become more important than nourishing healthy relationships, orthorexia has reared its head. 

It is also important to remember that improving one's health requires more that just eating right. Getting adequate exercise and sleep are also essential for fine tuning both our bodies and our minds.