Is Being Obsessed With Healthy Eating an Eating Disorder?
Have you ever wondered if there is such a thing as being too obsessed with healthy eating?
Keeping a health-conscious lifestyle is important, and nutritional awareness helps us make better choices when it comes to what we put into our bodies. However, the topic of being too focused on healthy eating has been discussed more lately, especially as we are starting to see the effects of the “clean eating trend. Many wonder if it could fall into the category of an eating disorder.
This article looks at the term “orthorexia” to describe what it means to be too obsessed with healthy eating and if it can be considered an eating disorder. We’ll examine how an obsession with healthy eating affects well-being and discuss the need for balance in staying health-focused.
Key Takeaways:
- Being obsessed with healthy eating may not be a formally recognized eating disorder, but it can manifest as orthorexia, an unhealthy fixation on food quality and purity.
- Orthorexia is characterized by strict adherence to self-imposed dietary rules, the avoidance of foods deemed unhealthy or “dirty,” and a preoccupation with the perceived benefits of healthy eating.
- Recognizing the signs and symptoms of orthorexia is important for early intervention and seeking appropriate treatment.
- Factors contributing to the obsession with healthy eating may include societal pressure, media influence, perfectionism, and a history of disordered eating or body dissatisfaction.
- Treating orthorexia involves approaches such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, nutritional counseling, and support groups to promote a balanced relationship with food.
What Classifies an Eating Disorder?
Eating Disorders and Their Classifications
Eating disorders are complex mental health issues. They involve a harmful relationship with food and self-image. These conditions can lead to severe physical and emotional problems.
These disorders are grouped based on certain criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). This grouping helps doctors identify and treat those facing these challenges.
Understanding eating disorders means knowing the different types that exist. There are three main types: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder.
It’s key to know that anyone can be affected by an eating disorder, regardless of gender, age, or background.
Each disorder brings its own dangers but can be managed with professional help and support.
What is Orthorexia?
Orthorexia is when someone obsesses over eating healthy. They are consumed with healthy eating rules. It’s seen as an unhealthy obsession with the quality and purity of food.
Although it is recognized by the National Eating Disorders Association, orthorexia isn’t officially recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is used by psychiatrists and clinicians to diagnose psychiatric illnesses.
Characteristics of Being Too Obsessed With Healthy Eating
People with orthorexia stick to strict diet rules. They’re scared of “bad” foods. They always check food labels for bad stuff.
They care more about food quality than enjoying meals or socializing. Breaking their diet causes guilt and anxiety, and sometimes, they don’t get enough nutrients. Orthorexia can also translate to exercise behaviors too.
Those struggling with orthorexia can put an overwhelming emphasis on their fitness routine, feel immense guilt when they have to take a day off from the gym, and easily fall victim to overtraining or underfueling.
Orthorexia isn’t just being health-conscious. It’s when this focus harms your health and happiness. Wanting to live healthily is good. Letting it control your life is not.
What are the Signs of Orthorexia-Being Too Obsessed With Healthy Eating?
It’s important to spot orthorexia early on. Knowing the signs helps you or a friend get the right help quickly.
Recognizing the Signs and Symptoms of Orthorexia
Orthorexia shows itself through various signs that hurt both body and mind. Knowing what to look for helps you identify orthorexia and get help:
Intense Fear/Anxiety of “Unhealthy” or “Dirty” Foods
Those with orthorexia fear eating foods they think are unhealthy. This fear can cause significant anxiety or distress around these foods.
Obsessive Checking of Food Labels
Some individuals often check labels closely, worrying a lot about food purity. They get hung up on the details of food quality. This leads to spending excessive amounts of time planning, preparing, and thinking about food and meals.
While it’s good to be informed about what you put in your body, this obsession can cause an individual to miss out on the nutrients that they would otherwise receive or even just the enjoyment of eating.
Strict Adherence to Self-imposed Dietary Rules
They set tough diet rules, cutting out whole food groups (such as sugar or carbohydrates) or only eating “clean” foods.
An obsession with “clean” eating emphasizes not only the type of food but also its origin. Someone with an obsession with clean eating might avoid eating altogether in certain circumstances if they can’t verify that the food is organic or pesticide-free.
This puts an emotional and financial burden on the person in addition to the harm caused by undereating.
Social Isolation Due to Food Restrictions
They might avoid social gatherings to stay away from “bad” foods that don’t align with their restrictive eating habits. This can make them feel lonely and hurt friendships.
Judgmental attitude towards others’ eating habits
They tend to criticize or judge others based on their food choices, often feeling morally superior because of their own dietary practices.
Consequences Of Orthorexia
Orthorexia also leads to emotional and physical issues:
Nutrient deficiencies: Their strict diets can cause them not to get enough nutrients, harming their health.
Weight loss: Their focus on healthy eating can make them lose too much weight. This is a clear sign of orthorexia.
Impaired social functioning: Their eating rules and avoiding outings can make it hard to have a normal social life and keep friends.
Knowing these signs is key to dealing with orthorexia. If you think you or a friend might have it, getting help from specialists in eating disorders is critical.
Reasons Why People Become Obsessed With Healthy Eating
Underlying factors contributing to the obsession with healthy eating. Many reasons lead to an obsession with healthy eating.
Societal Pressure
The media plays a big role. We live in a health-focused world. Messages everywhere tell us what to eat, so people focus too much on their diet, hoping to fit in or having unrealistic expectations of what we should look like. Those whose jobs depend on specific body types, such as athletes or celebrities, are more prone to developing such an obsession.
Perfectionism
People wanting to be perfect might stick to strict diets. This helps them feel in control and achieve their ideal self-image. The need for control is a big factor. Following dietary rules gives people a way to manage their bodies and lives, helping to lessen their worry and doubt.
History of Mental Disorders
A history of eating issues or unhappiness with one’s body can also lead to this obsession. Some may shift from limiting food amounts to only eating “clean” foods. Others think strict eating will make them look better, and this belief drives them to follow rigid diet plans.
Previous Health Problems
Some people will go on strict diets when faced with certain diseases, including cancer or diabetes. In many cases, an adjustment to their diet helped them manage those diseases and maybe even brought them into remission. For medical conditions, strict adherence may be necessary.
However, when it comes to your goals and health preferences, strict adherence without flexibility can cause additional stress to your mind and body, negatively impact other areas of your life (like relationships) and can result in health problems in the future if it’s getting in the way of you meeting your nutrition needs, like in the instance of low energy availability issues.
Culture or Environment
The environment one grows up around can encourage a strong focus on health. Communities and workplaces stress eating well. This can make people feel they need to follow strict diets to fit in or seem “healthier.”
What Kind of Treatment Is Needed?
Getting the right treatment for orthorexia is crucial. It helps beat the urge only to eat “pure” foods and makes eating enjoyable again. Recovery needs attention to both the mind and body.
Approaches to treating orthorexia and promoting a balanced lifestyle
Several treatments can aid in fixing one’s eating habits, or this obsession with healthy eating. They lead to a healthier and more balanced way of life. These include:
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT works well for eating issues like orthorexia. It challenges harmful thoughts about food and body image. It also builds better coping mechanisms and boosts self-worth.
Nutritional counseling: A dietitian’s guidance helps restore a balanced diet and create a healthy mindset about food.
Support groups: Being part of a support group can be very useful. They offer a place to share experiences and gain support. They make a recovery less lonely by providing a community.
At Fueled and Balanced, we teach our clients their nutritional needs and help create healthy meal plans. We also strive to fix any nutritional gaps caused by eating too restrictively.
The goal is to make peace with food. Treatment should shift focus towards a well-rounded approach to health. This means looking after your physical, mental, and social well-being.
Find Balance and Avoid Being Obsessed With Healthy Eating
The idea of orthorexia highlights the risks of an extreme focus on eating healthily. While not officially an eating disorder, an unhealthy obsession with food’s quality and purity can hurt your well-being.
Being able to spot signs of orthorexia is important. These include a strong fear of “unhealthy” foods and following strict diet rules. If these signs sound familiar, it’s important to get help.
As a registered dietitian, I have seen firsthand the impact that diet culture, nutrition misinformation, and comparison have had on so many people. That is why it’s my mission to help active women fuel their bodies and create healthy relationships with food and exercise so they can live life more freely.
I encourage you to learn more about my services here for a one-on-one Nutrition Coaching & Counseling package.
Source Links
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6370446/
