Anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating are all eating disorders that are commonly known. However, there is another, lesser-known condition that has recently become a big problem for the health-conscious community. It is called orthorexia nervosa, and it is an eating disorder that occurs when someone becomes obsessed with avoiding all foods that are deemed “unhealthy.”
Differences from Anorexia
The difference between anorexia and orthorexia is that the former causes an obsession with being thin, while the latter leads to an obsession about maintaining a toxin-free diet. Many times, orthorexia is linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder because those suffering have a strong desire to completely control what goes into their bodies.
Symptoms of Orthorexia
There are some very simple questions that can help you know if you or a loved one might be suffering from orthorexia nervosa. They include:
- Are you more worried about the goodness of the food you eat than the pleasure you get from eating it?
- Do acquaintances have difficulty understanding your diet?
- Are you constantly looking for ways foods are unhealthy for you?
- Do you feel guilt or self-loathing when you stray from your diet?
- Do your love life, job, free time, and creativity all take a back seat to following the perfect diet?
- Does it seem beyond your ability to eat a single meal prepared by someone else and not control what is served?
While these questions may illuminate problems with your eating habits, answering yes to some of these could have to do with other conditions, such as severe food allergies. Orthorexia has more to do with a person’s general state of mind and their feelings towards nutrition and food.
While having orthorexia may not seem like such a bad thing since you are eating “healthy” all the time, the condition can actually be very unhealthy because of nutritional deficits specific to restrictive diets. Nutritional issues, however, might not be as apparent as the social problems that come with orthorexia.
Treatment for Orthorexia
The problem with treating this disorder is society’s collective belief that healthy eating is of the utmost importance. Before treatment can begin, the patient must first be willing to admit they have a problem, which can be difficult if other people in their life don’t realize there’s a problem either. Then, they must identify what has caused their obsession in order to overcome it.
Treatment for orthorexia will usually require professional help from a therapist who is skilled at treating eating disorders. Working with a psychologist can help with learning how to become more flexible and less dogmatic about eating healthy. Also, it will be necessary to work through underlying emotional issues as well in order to prevent any future setbacks.
Those who have recovered from orthorexia will usually still eat healthy, but they will ideally have a better understanding of what that entails. It is important for them to realize that eating exclusively healthy food will not make them a better person, and that they cannot base their self-esteem on the quality of their diet. They have to understand that food is really just a small aspect of life, while other things, such as quality of life, are much more important.
