Orthorexia: Where to Draw the Line Between Healthy Eating and Obsession?
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By: Lindsay Taylor PhD
Dr. Steven Bratman coined the term orthorexia ("right appetite") more than two decades ago to describe what happens when health-conscious diets go too far.
Although it still hasn't been accepted as an official medical diagnosis, orthorexia nervosa is a proposed eating disorder that involves an extreme obsession with eating a "correct" diet. People with orthorexia nervosa strive to eat only foods they consider healthy and strictly avoid foods they deem to be unhealthy or impure. Their obsession with eating a healthy diet takes over their lives, eventually impairing their mental, social, and even physical well-being.
The topic of orthorexia is controversial within health circles. On the surface, it can be hard to distinguish between folks who are simply health-conscious and those who have crossed the line into disordered eating. Any diet-even relatively mainstream ones like Mediterranean or paleo-could veer into orthorexia depending on the individual.
People who raise concerns about orthorexia often get accused of "fit-shaming." Then the straw man arguments begin: "Oh, so I guess it's healthier just to eat Twinkies and Big Macs, then?" No, obviously not. Orthorexia starts with food rules or following diets, but it's much more than that.
To be clear: Wanting to be healthy is not orthorexic. Neither is believing that some foods are healthier or more nutritious than others. Cutting out certain foods, tracking macronutrients, or following a specific diet is not inherently problematic. However, those behaviors can be stepping stones to orthorexia, so this is a conversation we need to be willing to have.
