Orthorexia Nervosa is a destructive obsession with healthy eating and the quality and purity of food in your diet. American doctor Steven Bratman coined the term orthorexia Nervosa. It is a dangerous obsession with healthy eating and the quality and purity of your food.
Orthorexia is becoming more popular with the rise of “clean eating.” Clean eating is a way to reduce sugar intake and unhealthy fats. This includes eating whole foods in their natural state. It could be as simple as sticking to a vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, or raw food diet. However, orthorexia can also develop from rigid eating habits, such as the keto and paleo diets.
Orthorexia, on the other hand, can lead to excess weight loss, malnutrition, and other health problems. The impact is not limited to the physical. Orthorexia can cause severe emotional distress, disrupt your daily functioning, affect your relationships and social life, and even lead to a loss of your ability to function.
Your life and health don’t have to be influenced by what you eat. You can regain a healthy and balanced way of eating and the support you need by seeking treatment and self-help.
Orthorexia symptoms and signs
Orthorexia can be overlooked because eating healthy is a common goal. The following questions are helpful if you are concerned about your diet or your loved one’s eating habits.
Orthorexia can be defined as a set of behaviors and patterns. Are you or your loved one suffering from orthorexia?
Do you refuse to eat whole food groups? You could be limiting your intake of crucial nutrients.
Reduce your social life with family and friends to help you stick to your diet. It may be too much if your desire to eat healthy limits your social life.
Plan your meals well in advance. You’ll soon find that you want to eat only a few ingredients in your diet. It can be a great way to feel accomplished as you have mapped out your meals and begun thinking about how best to achieve your health goals.
Spend a lot of time researching the nutritional components of food. Has this replaced your favorite activities? Are you constantly looking for unhealthy food? This could result from continually searching for healthy lifestyle blogs or joining numerous chat rooms about the topic.
Do you spend more than your budget on food? Your diet will become more complex and more costly.
Do you judge others’ eating habits? Or encourage them to limit certain foods? Orthorexia has a moral component. Orthorexia can lead to you deciding which foods are “good” or “bad.” It could also cause you to assign negative traits to those who eat too many certain foods.
Feelings
Orthorexia is a condition where you experience many “highs” and sometimes “lows” related to your diet. You may feel a sense of accomplishment and superiority at first.
