An orthorexia diet is an unbalanced diet that often results in malnutrition. While someone with orthorexia may feel as though cutting out ...SkiptocontentNowOfferingVirtualEatingDisorderTreatmentOptionsLearnMore8WarningSignsofOrthorexiaOrthorexiahasbeengettingalotofattentionasoflate–withintheeatingdisorderfield–andeveninmainstreammedia.Asaneatingdisorderprofessional,Iamthankfulforthepressthatthisconditionhasbeenreceiving–mostlybecauseorthorexiaisabigdeal.Whilemanypeoplelivingwiththisconditionmayreportthatitstartedoffasapositivewaytoimprovetheirhealth,forthosewhohavethebiological,socialandpsychologicalprecursorsfordevelopinganeatingdisorder,theseseeminglyinnocuouslifestylechangescanactuallyhaveveryoppositeeffects.Inourcurrentculture,cuttingoutentirefoodgroupslikesugar,fats,carbohydratesanddairyarecommended.Foodshavebeengivenambiguouslabelsthathaveunhelpfulandevenharmfullabelslike“good”and“bad”attachedtothem.Forthisreason,manyofthoselivingwithorthorexiacaneasilybeidentifiedas“healthconscious”or“healthy”totheuntrainedeye,makingmanywhomaybesufferingfrommalnutritionanddebilitatingrigiditythinkthattheirlifestyleis“normal.”HowDoWeDifferentiateOrthorexiafrom“HealthyEating?”Let’sbreakdownsomeofthemostcommonsymptomsoforthorexia:Afixationoverthequalityoffood:Thisisreallyatthecoreoforthorexia.Individualslivingwithorthorexiaareextremelyfocused–andoftenobsessive–overthequalityandpurityoftheirfood.Individualswiththisconditionoftenlimit“gofoods”tothosethatareorganic,farmfresh,whole,rawand/orvegan.Thequantityoffoodistypicallylessimportantthanthatquality.Inflexibleeatingpatterns:Someonewithorthorexiaislikelyincrediblyrigidwiththeirfoodconsumption.Anythingconsideredbytheindividualtobe“bad”or“unhealthy”willlikelybeavoided.Acommonexampleofthisinflexibilityisifsomeonewithorthorexiawerestuckonanisland,andtheonlyfoodavailabletothemwassomethingthattheyhavedeemed“unhealthy”theywouldchoosetoeatnothing.Severeemotionalturmoilif“rules”arebroken:Ifsomeonestraysfromtheirrigideatingpatterns,orfromt

Orthorexia: An Obsession with Eating Pure ... Dedication to eating healthfully doesn't seem harmful to most people. But, for some, a fixation on ...HomeHealthDiseasesandConditionsEatingDisordersOrthorexia:AnObsessionwithEatingPureRossHelen/iStock/ThinkstockDedicationtoeatinghealthfullydoesn'tseemharmfultomostpeople.But,forsome,afixationonhealthyeatingdevelopsintoanobsession.Ifsomeonerefusestoeatfoodthatisnot"pure"andstartsavoidingfoodstheyoncelovedorentirefoodgroups,theymaybesufferingfromadisorderedeatingpatterncalledorthorexia.WhatisOrthorexia?Whilethereiscurrentlynoformalcriteriafordiagnosingorthorexia,itisgenerallyinterpretedasanunhealthyfixationoneating“pure”foods.Originallyidentifiedasadisorderedeatingbehaviorinthe'90s,expertsbelieveithasbeengainingsteaminrecentyears,fedbyfoodmarketingclaimsandbythemedia'softenconflictingdietaryadvice.Likeanorexianervosa,orthorexiaisadisorderrootedinfoodrestriction.Unlikeanorexia,forpeoplewithorthorexia,thefocusisgenerallyonthequalityinsteadofthequantityoffoodbeingrestricted.AccordingtotheNationalEatingDisordersAssociation(NEDA),possiblewarningsignsoforthorexiaincludecompulsivecheckingofingredientslistsandNutritionFactsLabels,cuttingoutanincreasingnumberoffoodsorfoodgroups,showinghighlevelsofdistresswhen"healthy"foodsaren'tavailable,andobsessivelyfollowing"healthylifestyle"socialmediaaccountsandblogs.Followingacertaindietortryingtoeathealthydoesn’tnecessarilymeansomeonehasorthorexia.But,whenabehaviorturnsintoafixationorobsessionitmaybeareasonforconcern.Aswithanypatternofdisorderedeating,orthorexiacaninterferewithanindividual’smentalandphysicalhealth.Inseverecases,orthorexiamayleadtomalnutritionwhencriticalnutrientsareeliminatedfromthediet.AnIsolatingDisorderSharingamealisoneofthekeywayswesocializeandbondinsociety.Butforpeoplesufferingfromorthorexia,afamilymealcanseemlikeaminefield.Eatingfoodthattheydon'tconsiderpure,orthatsomeoneelsehasprepared,cancauseanextremeamountofanxiety.Someonesufferingfromorthorexiamaynotenjoyfoodinthes

Orthorexia refers to an unhealthy obsession with eating “pure” food. Food considered “pure” or “impure” can vary from person to person. This doesn't mean that ...

Orthorexia nervosa is perhaps best summarized as an obsession with healthy eating with associated restrictive behaviors. However, the attempt to attain optimum ...NCBISkiptomaincontentSkiptonavigationResourcesHowToAboutNCBIAccesskeysMyNCBISignintoNCBISignOutTryoutPMCLabsandtelluswhatyouthink.LearnMore.JournalListFedPractv.34(6);2017JunPMC6370446FedPract.2017Jun;34(6):36–39.PMCID:PMC6370446PMID:30766283OrthorexiaNervosa:AnObsessionWithHealthyEatingJonathanR.Scarff,MDAuthorinformationCopyrightandLicenseinformationDisclaimerDr.ScarffisapsychiatristattheWilliamJenningsBryanDornVACommunity-BasedOutpatientClinicinSpartanburg,SouthCarolinaCopyright©2017FrontlineMedicalCommunicationsInc.,Parsippany,NJ,USA.ThisarticlehasbeencitedbyotherarticlesinPMC.Despiteafocusoneating,orthorexianervosamayleadtomalnourishment,lossofrelationships,andpoorqualityoflife.FirstnamedbyStevenBratmanin1997,orthorexianervosa(ON)fromtheGreekortho,meaningcorrect,andorexi,meaningappetite,isclassifiedasanunspecifiedfeedingandeatingdisorderintheDiagnosticandStatisticalManualofMentalDisorders5thedition(DSM-5).1,2Mr.Pisa30-year-oldmalewhopresentedtothementalhealthclinicwithhiswife.Thepatientrecountedthathehadwantedto“behealthy”sincechildhoodandhasfocusedonexerciseandproperdiet,butanxietyaboutdietandfoodintakehavesteadilyincreased.Twoyearsago,headoptedavegetariandietbyprogressivelyeliminatingseveralfoodsandfoodgroupsfromhisdiet.Henowfeels“proud”toeatcertainorganicallygrownfruits,vegetables,nuts,beans,anddrinkonlyfruitorvegetablejuice.Hiswifestatedthathespentbetween3and5hoursdailypreparingfoodortalkingtofriendsandfamilyabout“correctfoodstoeat.”Healsobelievedthaterrorsindietaryhabitscausedphysicalormentalillnesses.Hereportedsignificantguiltandshamewheneverhe“slipsup”onhisdietaryregimenandeatsanythingcontainingseafood,beef,orporkproducts,whichhecorrectsbyadayoffasting.Hiswifewasfrustratedbecauseherefusedtogotorestaurantsandstarteddecliningoffersfromfriendstoeatdinnerattheirhomesunlesshecouldbringhispreparedfoo

Although not formally recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, awareness about orthorexia is on the rise. The term 'orthorexia' was coined in ...FacebookInstagramTwitterPinterestYouarehereHome/Learn/WhatareEatingDisorders?/InformationbyEatingDisorderOrthorexiaAlthoughnotformallyrecognizedintheDiagnosticandStatisticalManual,awarenessaboutorthorexiaisontherise.Theterm‘orthorexia’wascoinedin1998andmeansanobsessionwithproperor‘healthful’eating.Althoughbeingawareofandconcernedwiththenutritionalqualityofthefoodyoueatisn’taprobleminandofitself,peoplewithorthorexiabecomesofixatedonso-called‘healthyeating’thattheyactuallydamagetheirownwell-being.Withoutformaldiagnosticcriteria,it’sdifficulttogetanestimateonpreciselyhowmanypeoplehaveorthorexia,andwhetherit’sastand-aloneeatingdisorder,atypeofexistingeatingdisorderslikeanorexia,oraformofobsessive-compulsivedisorder.Studieshaveshownthatmanyindividualswithorthorexiaalsohaveobsessive-compulsivedisorder. WARNINGSIGNS&SYMPTOMSOFORTHOREXIACompulsivecheckingofingredientlistsandnutritionallabelsAnincreaseinconcernaboutthehealthofingredientsCuttingoutanincreasingnumberoffoodgroups(allsugar,allcarbs,alldairy,allmeat,allanimalproducts)Aninabilitytoeatanythingbutanarrowgroupoffoodsthataredeemed‘healthy’or‘pure’UnusualinterestinthehealthofwhatothersareeatingSpendinghoursperdaythinkingaboutwhatfoodmightbeservedatupcomingeventsShowinghighlevelsofdistresswhen‘safe’or‘healthy’foodsaren’tavailableObsessivefollowingoffoodand‘healthylifestyle’blogsonTwitterandInstagramBodyimageconcernsmayormaynotbepresentHEALTHCONSEQUENCESOFORTHOREXIALikeanorexia,orthorexiainvolvesrestrictionoftheamountandvarietyoffoodseaten,makingmalnutritionlikely.Therefore,thetwodisorderssharemanyofthesamephysicalconsequences. Learnmoreabouthealthconsequences>Learnmoreabouteatingdisordersstatistics>TREATMENTTherearecurrentlynoclinicaltreatmentsdevelopedspecificallyfororthorexia,butmanyeatingdisorderexpertstreatorthorexiaasavarietyofanorexiaand/orobsessive-compulsive