What is Orthorexia? Is It Like Anorexia?

Eating a healthy diet is so important and so many articles have been written to remind us of that fact.  While eating a healthier diet is vital, it seems that some individuals have taken that idea to such excess that it becomes an obsession and then it becomes unhealthy.

The term, orhtorexia, refers to an eating disorder characterized by a zealous obsession with eating only healthy foods.  Orhtorexia is actually a type of mental disorder because the fixation becomes so intense with healthy eating.  The term is not yet recognized medically and it originated with a Colorado doctor named Steven Bratman.

He draws a parallel between orthorexia and other eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa.  If the obsession with eating only healthy foods becomes too extreme, the result of this mental disorder can be severe malnutrition or, worse yet, death.

A low self esteem is at the root of orthorexia nervosa and the individual does lots of self induced guilt and blaming when they crave what they see as unhealthy forbidden foods.  The problem with orthorexia nervosa can occur when the individual’s dietary restrictions become so severe that they are simply not consuming enough calories and balanced foods to remain healthy.

It may start with a restriction of fats at first, then avoidance of preservatives, food additives and then, all animal products.  While trying to lower one’s fat is commendable, the diet may progress to strictly raw foods.  Often, there is not enough calories or protein in this kind of severely restricted diet to meet the person’s nutritional needs.

The underlying motivation, at first, is sound.  The person with orthorexia nervosa wants to eat only what is natural, pure and healthy.  It is a question of degree and those with orthorexia have taken the concept past the boundary of logic.  The chief difference between orthorexia and anorexia is the motivation that starts the disorder.

An anorexic is motivated by the desire to be thin and takes that idea to a fixation and unhealthy degree and an orthorexic does the same thing, only with healthy foods.  Both disorders can lead to disastrous health results with malnutrition as the outcome.

Orhorexia nervosa has not yet been recognized officially by the American Psychiatric Association as a mental disorder.  People with orthorexia, just as people with anorexia, show signs and symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder.

Signs that an individual suffers from orthorexia would be the healthy diet is socially isolating, thinking about healthy foods more than 3 hours per day, quality of life is diminishing as a result of healthy diet and excessive guilt or anxiety occurring when going off of healthy diet.  Emaciation of an individual also indicates their healthy diet has gone too extreme.