Orthorexia: When Healthy Eating Becomes An Unhealthy Obsession

Written By: Megan Collom, Clinical Trainee at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program

ALTHOUGH IT IS NOTas well known as other eating disorders, orthorexia is just as damaging and dangerous. Orthorexia is not formally recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel and is not an official diagnosis, yet, it is still a form of disordered eating. Orthorexia was coined in 1996 by Dr. Steven Bratman, who defines it as a “fixation on righteous eating” (Nazario, 2020).

Orthorexia is characterized by an obsessive hyperfocus on healthy eating that results in rejecting varieties of food for not being “pure” enough. In fact, it is often misconceived as healthy eating. It is important to note that being aware of and concerned with the nutritional quality of food isn’t considered disordered eating. People with orthorexia, however, become so notably concentrated on ‘healthy eating’ that they damage their own well-being (Orthorexia, 2019).

Children and adolescents who show signs of this type of disordered eating may develop obsessive anxieties about eating the most “pure, perfect or healthy” foods that can negatively influence their daily life. An example of this could be your child turning down an opportunity to go out to eat with friends because they are anxious that they will not be able to follow their strict dietary guidelines (Dunham, 2020). If similar situations are occurring often, it may be wise to begin a conversation with your child about their relationship with food.

Some behavior changes that could be signs of orthorexia include:

• Increased avoidance of specific foods (in the absence of a true food allergy.)
• Eliminating an entire food group.
• Refusing to eat any processed food.
• “Acceptable” food choices decrease so much that once-loved foods become off limits.
• Going out to eat or socializing when a meal is involved becomes difficult.
• Guilt, shame or irritability when unable to follow their strict diet
• Avoiding food that is made by others
• Spending excessive time ruminating about what food will be served at upcoming events
• Spending excessive time in grocery stores or online reviewing food labels/ingredients
• Distress when ‘safe’ or ‘healthy’ foods aren’t available
• Obsessive following of food and ‘healthy lifestyle’ blogs on social media

In general, making healthy dietary modifications can be a good decision for the majority of children and teens. On the other hand, if your child tends to have rigid or perfectionist tendencies and is beginning to obsessively restrict their diet, it may be valuable to seek support from a mental health professional or your child’s doctor.

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References

Dunham, L. (2020, February 25). Orthorexia: An unhealthy obsession with Healthy Foods. Cincinnati Children’s Blog. https://blog.cincinnatichildrens.org/healthy-living/fitness-and-nutrition/orthorexia-an-unhealthy-obsession-with-healthy-foods.

Nazario, B. (2020, September 9). Orthorexia nervosa: Signs & treatment. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/eating-disorders/what-is-orthorexia.

Orthorexia. National Eating Disorders Association. (2019, December 13). https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/by-eating-disorder/other/orthorexia.