The word Orthorexia is derived from the Greek “orthos” meaning correct and “orexi” meaning appetite. Today we are going to talk in more detail about this disorder.
What does Orthorexia mean?
Together, Orthorexia can be defined as the “hunger for the right food”.
Although it is not currently included as a disorder in diagnostic manuals such as DSM-V or ICD-11, it is a condition that usually begins as an attempt to improve the quality of one’s diet. That is, there is a pathological concern for healthy food, preferring to choose organic, ecological foods, without being artificially treated or without added preservatives, among others. Over time, with this concern, obsessions about food choices begin to appear, dedicating time and effort to consuming those that fit the regimen, while other foods are totally forbidden.
Orthorexia: Healthy Eating Taken to the Extreme
Thus, we are talking about a form of care taken to the extreme in which eating behavior is shaped, while a quite restrictive eating style is implemented, even leading to discarding complete food groups (carbohydrates or fats, for example). All of this is also usually accompanied by rituals such as preparing food following steps and using specific utensils as if it were a ceremony.
For the person with Orthorexia, all their meals must be healthy, wholesome, and correct. They tend to self-punish if they do not comply with their eating plan when temptation wins. Their self-esteem and sense of accomplishment are linked to how they ate.
Similarly, people with Orthorexia tend to think about food all day, which prevents them from enjoying other aspects of their lives. In addition, they often have a cognitive pattern similar to that of obsessive-compulsive disorder, which we see in the obsession with “healthy” food, traits of perfectionism, rigid thinking, hyper-morality, and high concern for rules. Thanks to these characteristics, this condition has been informally described as the most modern presentation of Anorexia Nervosa, although in the case of Orthorexia, the problem with food does not revolve around quantity as in Anorexia Nervosa, but rather is based on quality.
The desire to eat healthily and medical recommendations about healthy foods and diets have always existed, but currently, this concern shows signs of overflowing, to avoid something inherent to our human condition: our physical fragility and the existence of diseases.
Characteristics of People with Orthorexia
Among the diagnostic criteria for Orthorexia we can mention:
- Spending a large part of the day thinking about and planning the diet.
- Being more concerned with the quality of food than with the pleasure of consuming it.
- Feelings of guilt when diet guidelines are not met.
- Social isolation; thus making it difficult to share situations involving food intake due to fear of the lack of variety and flexibility that governs their diet.
Determining Factors in Orthorexia
Among the factors that influence Orthorexia are:
- Strict, controlling, and demanding individuals.
- Obsessive-compulsive behaviors.
- Vulnerable groups
- Women
- Adolescents
- Some types of athletes
- “Recovered” patients from Anorexia Nervosa.
- Feelings of doing something to prevent an illness.
- People seeking spirituality through food and/or using food to create an identity.
Very close to hypochondriac disorders, society hardly conceptualizes Orthorexia as pathological; quite the opposite, those who suffer from Orthorexia come to believe themselves superior in aspects such as health, intelligence, and knowledge than the rest of society. This is because their self-worth is associated with what they ingest, so they feel superior to those who do not follow these eating rituals.
In conclusion, Orthorexia is a condition that lacks further studies to define it as a disorder and, therefore, to make it part of diagnostic manuals and practical guides. Although Orthorexia consists of extreme concern for foods considered healthy and, in some cases, free of contaminants, this entity can be related to obsessive health concerns, hypochondriac fears of diseases, and, in some ways, with cultural attitudes linked to diet and food. While restrictive dietary anomalies and weight loss may occur, these cannot be considered atypical or incomplete cases of Anorexia Nervosa.
Orthorexia Self-Assessment Test
Finally, I would like to share some questions for you to self-answer and, as a guide, to find out if there is any predisposition towards Orthorexia. In this way, you can seek professional help if you require and wish to; since, excessive concern for healthy food can damage the health of those who get trapped in the pursuit of dietary perfection.
- Do you spend a lot of time planning your meals, avoiding other duties and/or activities you enjoy?
- Do you wish you could occasionally eat without worrying about the quality of the food?
- If you eat out, do you think about the origin and preparation method of what you eat?
- Do you feel guilty if you deviate from your eating plan?
- Do you feel in control when you follow your eating plan to the letter?
- Have you declined invitations to restaurants / birthdays / weddings / celebrations because you believe there would be nothing healthy for you to eat?
Thus, the important thing about eating is not to categorize foods as good or bad, but rather to realize that such rigid patterns and rules leave out a delicious portion of life: the one enjoyed when shared with others. In any case, the emphasis should be on moderating quantities, trying to eat everything, and having a balanced and obsession-free diet.