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We all try to make healthier eating choices. Cutting down on animal products is good for our bodies, and good for the planet, as is choosing to eat organic whenever possible. But believe it or not, healthy eating can go too far. Dubbed the ‘new anorexia’, orthorexia is an eating disorder where sufferers focus on ‘pure food’, to the detriment of their jobs, families and relationships.

Rules are meant to be broken

People who suffer from orthorexia nervosa have very strict rules about what they may, or may not, eat. Defined by Steven Bratman, an MD from Colorado in the US, orthorexia sees sufferers obsessed with eating ‘healthy’ food, as they define it. While everyone should try to eat a healthy diet – avoiding too much fat and sugar, and getting plenty of fresh fruit and veg – most experts agree that the odd chocolate bar could even be good for you. For orthorexics, that occasional indulgence is not an option – ever.

Symptoms of orthorexia

Orthorexics, unlike anorexics, aren’t concerned with being thin, and don’t under-eat. Rather, they are so obsessed with eating healthily that their food choices can have a bad effect on their physical and psychological health. Orthorexics believe they must stick to the diet they have chosen for themselves at any cost, and opt for foods they believe to be ‘pure’. They’re unhealthily preoccupied with thoughts on how food is prepared, and what it contains, and may go to extremes to ensure that the food they eat meets their strict standards.

When to worry

If you opt for healthy food whenever possible, if you try to eat a raw food diet, or you are vegetarian or vegan, you may not necessarily have orthorexia. It’s when you become obsessed with food, and your diet interferes with your life, that you should consider seeking professional help. If you find yourself isolating from friends and family, putting pressure on yourself to be ‘perfect’, and have signs of malnutrition like weakness and anaemia, you should seek professional help.

Disordered Eating is a UK website with information on orthorexia, and how to get help if your food choices are affecting your life.

Tags: Eating disorders, healthy Eating