There is no doubt that eating a healthy diet is central to living a long, happy life. Research shows that eating healthy can significantly enhance your mood. Moreover, when you eat healthy, you are giving your body what it needs to function optimally.
However, the pursuit of healthy eating, when taken too far, can also turn into an unhealthy obsession. Getting too focused on the purity of your diet and every little ingredient that goes into making it can be damaging. Just like any other type of obsession, becoming fixated on eating “clean food” and having the perfect diet can eventually wreak havoc on your physical and mental health as well as your relationships with the people around you.
What Is Orthorexia?
Orthorexia nervosa is the term given to the fixation on healthy eating. Orthorexia isn’t an official diagnosis, but some experts link it to bulimia and anorexia nervosa—the most common eating disorders. Orthorexia can develop out of very high concern for health and wellness and may be a person’s way to feel more in control of their life.
Listed below are some of the signs that you may have orthorexia:
- You feel anxious if you do not have access to pure and healthy food, hence avoiding situations that you feel may affect how you can access them.
- You would rather not eat than partake of food that is less than “perfectly healthy.”
- You feel guilty when eating certain foods that are not up to par, such as the occasional candy bar or piece of cake.
- You have rigid specifications for healthy meals which make planning them a source of stress among other members of your household.
- You forgo an entire food group because you think all of its components are bad for you. A case in point is avoiding sources of carbohydrates (e.g., rice, pasta, bread, cereals, etc.), thinking they are unhealthy and can make you gain weight.
- Your diet and food choices have become part of your identity, and you derive a profound sense of accomplishment from extensive meal planning.
- You spend an inordinate amount of time researching “food and nutrients,” “healthy diet,” and other related topics.
- You’re willing to spend a lot of money on healthy food (like plant-based meats and such) even to the point of encountering financial difficulties.
- You adopt a judgmental attitude when learning about other people’s diets and lecturing them on the “right” way to eat.
- You’re showing signs of malnutrition and experiencing drastic weight loss and a general feeling of unhappiness.
