Darrick Robles Healthy nutrition is essential for a long life and our well-being. However, when healthy eating becomes compulsive, it can lead to a disorder called orthorexia. Psychologist and psychotherapist Madeleine Gauffin explains the signs and reveals where those affected can get help.
3 quick facts about orthorexia
- An obsession with diet and over-exercising can mask underlying fears.
- People with orthorexia often become increasingly isolated.
- Therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help.
A healthy lifestyle is good for you. Especially in times of great stress and uncertainty, it is natural to control what can still be controlled – such as nutrition and fitness level. However, it can happen that you become so obsessed with your diet and exercise that other areas of your life suffer, such as your relationships and the need for rest and recovery .
What is orthorexia?
Orthorexia nervosa was first defined in 1997 as “over-preoccupation with a healthy diet”. The term orthorexia comes from the Greek orthos (right) and orexia (appetite or nutrition).
“Orthorexia nervosa is a disorder in which you become obsessed and obsessed with healthy eating,” explains psychologist and psychotherapist Madeleine Gauffin. “Although it overlaps with other eating disorders, it is not yet recognized as a distinct eating disorder in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). However, it is receiving increasing attention in the scientific literature,” says Gauffin.
How is orthorexia different from other eating disorders?
“There’s a fine line between eating disorders like anorexia and orthorexia,” says Gauffin. “The goals may be different, but the attitude is similar — there’s a compulsion around nutrition that just isn’t healthy.”
When it comes to anorexia nervosa and bulimia, thoughts usually revolve around weight loss. Orthorexic sufferers, on the other hand, focus on the quality of the food – although it is likely that weight also plays a role.
This often leads to ritualized eating habits —for example, people spending an inordinate amount of time thinking about, sourcing, and preparing food. They also rigorously eliminate foods they consider unhealthy or unclean from their diet.
Many people affected by orthorexia also develop a real addiction to exercise. Then the compulsive training plays just as important a role as the strictly controlled diet . A recently published study found that there is often a connection between orthorexia and exercise addiction.
“For most people who eat healthily or exercise regularly, it’s okay to eat a piece of cake, have a glass of wine, or skip a workout once in a while,” Gauffin explains. “People with orthorexia, however, become anxious at any disruption to their usual routine. They are obsessed with eating certain foods, such as those on a vegan or gluten-free diet, and other foods, such as gluten-free diets. B. to avoid refined sugar.”
Possible signs of orthorexia
Orthorexia is often difficult to detect – both in others and in yourself. Orthorexic behavior can easily be justified under the guise of a healthy lifestyle. The general renunciation of entire food groups without a doctor having advised you to do so can be a typical sign.
If you answered yes to any of the following questions, you may be affected by orthorexia:
- Do you spend so much time thinking about, choosing and preparing healthy foods that other areas of your life like family, relationships, hobbies or work suffer?
- Do you feel anxious, guilty, ashamed, unclean or unclean after consuming foods that are considered unhealthy?
- Do you judge other people who eat foods that are considered unhealthy?
- Does your personal happiness depend to a large extent on what foods you eat and how you structure your training?
- Even on special occasions, are you unable to relax when it comes to food?
- Are you cutting out more and more foods from your diet while setting an increasingly strict list of diet and exercise rules?
- Are you living on an eating plan that has caused you to lose more weight than is good for you, or other signs of malnutrition like hair loss, missed periods, or skin problems?
Am I at risk of developing orthorexia?
“People who would be described as achievement-oriented, highly ambitious, perfectionist, and disciplined are most at risk,” says Gauffin. “On the surface they appear competent and always in control, but deep down they often feel like they’re not good enough.”
Orthorexic sufferers believe that they can only be loved if they are perfect. And for her, perfection means being healthy and looking healthy, according to Gauffin. “A lot of this has to do with childhood, when they were expected to do well in school and at sports and later find the right job. In doing so, they were given the subliminal message that you have to be successful in order to be loved.”
“Decisive events such as bereavement or divorce can also trigger orthorexia. People use a focus on healthy living as a strategy to manage emotional pain —to the point where that focus becomes an obsession,” Gauffin explains.
Is It Really So Harmful to Obsess About Eating Healthy?
“On the one hand, the compulsion can lead to consequences such as malnutrition and associated health problems ,” says Gauffin.
Orthorexia can also mask – and sometimes even worsen – mental health problems. “People who develop orthorexia are often particularly anxious personalities who try to suppress fears by preoccupying themselves with diet and exercise. The orthorectic behavior helps them stay in control of their emotions.”
A vicious circle often develops out of such psychological problems, explains Gauffin. “The more time someone spends obsessively sticking to diet and exercise regimens, the more they withdraw into their own world — and the less time they spend on socializing and other activities.”
“This can lead to those affected feeling lonely and increasingly losing contact with their family and friends. After a while, they find it increasingly difficult to step out of their isolation, and this further increases their anxiety.”
Where can people with orthorexia get help?
The orthorexia often only comes to the fore when talking about completely different problems. “Most people who seek help usually do so for another reason, like anxiety , depression , trouble sleeping , or a breakup,” Gauffin said. People with this disorder have often lost a sense of how much they are missing out on in life.
If you think you have orthorexia, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be helpful to change the thoughts and behaviors that lead to your obsessions with food and exercise.
Our doctors can help you figure out if you need help for orthorexia or another eating disorder.
