I read this story about an eighty-two year old woman who developed pulmonary embolisms (blood clots in her lungs) and confusion. The doctors believed it was caused by a strict raw vegan diet that she ate for six months prior to coming to the hospital This diet only consisted of bananas, tomatoes, carrot juice apples with-out the skin, almonds, and avocados. She believed that this diet was helping her health. This is an example of orthorexia nervosa. Trying to eat in healthy way that ends up worsening your health.
The doctors saved her life and she began eating a more varied whole-food plant-based diet. Her confusion also disappeared. The problem with her raw vegan diet was that she was not getting all the essential amino acids each day from her restricted diet. Interestingly, she was reaching her overall daily requirements for amino acids at 1 gram/kg of weight. An easy way to ensure you get all of your essential amino acids is to eat a variety of foods that include grains and legumes in your daily food pattern.
Source:
Williams, K., & Patel, H. (2020). Dietary Amino Acid Deficiency with a Restrictive Raw Vegan Diet: A Case of Orthorexia Nervosa: Lacking Lysine/Methionine Madness.International Journal of Disease Reversal and Prevention,2(1), 6.
