Part of any healthy lifestyle will involve eating a balanced diet – we all need food and drink to sustain ourselves. It isn’t all about the consumption though, often our relationship with food is very complex. The choices we make around food, who we eat with and our eating habits can have a huge impact on our health, both physically and mentally. If our attitude towards food or eating becomes abnormal or skewed, then this can develop towards an eating disorder, particularly where there is an obsessive focus on particular foods groups or achieving a certain weight or size.
The term orthorexia is the obsession with proper of healthful eating. Being aware of what you eat, how much of it and it’s nutritional value is no bad thing. However, people with othorexia can be so fixated in their pursuit to eat healthy that actually the opposite effect is achieved, which damages their wellbeing. Malnutrition is a common outcome, as food is eaten in such a restrictive way that it is no longer healthy. While there is no formal diagnostic criteria for orthorexia, many individuals with orthorexia will also have obsessive compulsive disorder.
Compulsion may arise form having to check every single ingredient or nutrient level in food, with an marked concern about it’s quality. Someone with orthorexia can spend hours thinking about the food served to them that they didn’t prepare themselves, for example eating at parties or at a restaurant. Eating socially becomes problematic as a result. Increasingly, more food groups are cut out, leading to the person only eating a very narrow set of foods. If the safe or healthy food isn’t available, this could lead to the person experiencing high levels of distress as they feel unable to adapt their choices.
Like anorexia, orthorexia can result in the person eating very little – therefore the treatment for both of these eating disorders are similar. Recovery from eating disorders often take a long time, because the person will need therapy to deal with the underlying psychological causes that lead them into their eating disorder. A restorative eating plan to enable the person to regain their physical health may also be required, particularly if they have experienced severe weight loss. Even with the help available, it’s crucial that the person wants the recovery for themselves.
Therefore, while it’s important to eat a healthy diet – our attitude towards food needs to be balanced as well. Take a check on whether your food choices rule your day – either in a compulsive or obsessional way. Are your friends or family concerned about your approach to food? If so, this could be another sign that your approach to food may be disordered – seek further guidance. The National Centre for Eating Disorders can provide further information and support, as well as the NHS.
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