Between fad diets, the protein-ification of nearly everything, and new wearable technology that tracks all kinds of biometrics, it is easy to get swept up in the health-obsession craze. With all of the information online and on social media, it can be hard to know what you need and do not need when it comes to your health, especially nutrition. Videos across social media often label certain foods as "bad" or containing "fake ingredients," fueling a societal infatuation with "eating healthy."
While eating a healthy diet is a great way to bolster well-being, there is a line that healthy eating can cross. Too much focus on it can turn into orthorexia, a condition becoming more common in society. Some research suggests this rise is largely due to pressure from social media.
What Is Orthorexia?
Orthorexia is not found in the DSM-5, the official handbook for mental health diagnoses, but two dietitians told HuffPost they expect it to become an official diagnosis eventually. "It's subclinical disordered eating, so it's not something that has a clinical diagnosis code, but it's widely recognized in the disordered eating community," said Beth Auguste, a maternal wellness dietitian in Philadelphia. "Orthorexia can be generally categorized as a preoccupation with healthy eating and a fixation on the purity of food," she added.
"It's an obsession with what someone perceives as the proper way of eating, or the healthy way of eating," added Beth Heise, a registered dietitian with OnPoint Nutrition. Since many people enjoy eating healthy foods or do so to control health markers like cholesterol and blood sugar, it can be hard to distinguish a healthy diet from a dangerous obsession.
Signs You May Have Orthorexia
Extreme Food Restrictions
"Orthorexia can show up some of the same ways that anorexia shows up, where it can be restricting — not eating certain food groups, having a lot of anxiety if you are not having full control over the food that you're eating and the source that it comes from," Auguste said. You may create rigid rules, like only eating brown rice and never making exceptions for white rice. "It winds up becoming less about healthy eating, which is usually what it starts out as, and more about an unhealthy obsession with food purity or 'clean eating,' or 'proper eating,'" Heise said.
Social Life Interference
"When it crosses the line is when it starts to interfere with your activities of daily living," Auguste said. If stress about food causes you to turn down plans because you are unsure of the food situation, it could be a cause for concern. "When it impacts your ability to live socially in the world, comfortably, then it's a problem that you should address," she added.
Compulsive Ingredient Analysis
It is normal to check ingredient lists and nutrition labels occasionally, especially for allergies or specific goals. But for someone with orthorexia, they may find themselves "compulsively, all the time, analyzing all the ingredients," Heise said. This may lead to hours spent meal planning or researching the nutrition of every ingredient.
Anxiety or Guilt After Breaking Rules
"I think the line comes when you start to feel like you're thinking about healthy eating all the time," Heise said. If you feel anxiety about eating something or guilt after breaking food rules more often than not, that could be a sign of orthorexia. Auguste added that if thoughts about food disrupt mental or physical health, it is a red flag.
What to Do If This Sounds Like You
With support from a dietitian or mental health professional, you can determine whether your healthy eating is simply that or something more. "It's really important to talk to somebody like a dietitian who specializes in disordered eating, a therapist who specializes in it, who can help you figure out if this is a problem for you," Auguste said. Dietitians generally take insurance and can help ensure you are on the right track.
"You can definitely recover from orthorexia if you have the right support," said Heise. "So, as soon as you feel those feelings, address it as early as possible so that it doesn't turn into something that rules your life."
Healthy Eating Is a Lifelong Process
Your nutrition needs likely differ from others, so do not put too much stock in social media trends or a friend's diet. Focus on realistic goals, like variety in meals. "Are you getting a variety of different foods? Are you getting a variety of different nutrients? Because that's where true nutrition comes in," Heise said. Auguste emphasized letting go of all-or-nothing thinking. "I have so many patients that do that, and then it's not sustainable to be 100% all of the time," she said. Finding the middle ground is key. "You can say to yourself, 'I usually eat healthy.' You don't have to say, 'I always eat healthy,'" she noted. Using "always" language introduces failure and self-judgment. It is perfectly okay to have a salty snack or sweet treat.
"The more practice you can get of letting yourself find the middle, where you're not 'always,' you're just 'usually' doing something, I think the better," Auguste said. Have compassion for yourself, as society does not make it easy to be forgiving about food choices. "Eating and healthy eating in general, is just a lifelong journey. It's not really a set of rules and a one-and-done; it's something that you engage in throughout your lifetime," Heise said. Your diet needs may change over time. "A few choices here and there that you feel like maybe weren't as great are not going to make that big of an impact. It's really more focusing on getting you what you need throughout your life," she said.
If you are struggling with an eating disorder, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for support.
