Eating healthy is not only commendable, but also beneficial for health. But what happens when caring about food turns into an obsession? Orthorexia is the little-talked-about eating disorder that affects more and more people.
What is orthorexia?
Orthorexia (from the Greek orthosis – right, and orexis – appetite) is a disorder characterized by an obsessive preoccupation with eating foods considered “clean” or “healthy”. The term was introduced in 1997 by the American doctor Steven Bratman, who himself faced this problem.
Unlike anorexia or bulimia, where the obsession revolves around the quantity of food, in orthorexia the problem is the perceived quality of the food. The affected person does not necessarily want to lose weight; always wants to eat right and healthy.
“We are talking about people who are constantly looking for healthy foods, constantly looking for foods that say organic on the label, constantly looking for foods that apparently treat something. These foods are called functional foods. That is, foods that, in addition to their nutritional role, can also have certain roles in therapy and prevention,” says Dr. Florin Ioan Bălănică, Senior Psycho-Nutritionist, specialized in Eating Behaviors.
An approach such as the latter also involves risks, if those people stop going to the doctor when faced with health problems and leave everything to diet.
Orthorexia is not yet officially recognized as a separate diagnosis in psychiatric textbooks, but specialists are increasingly treating it as an independent disorder with clear mechanisms and consequences.
What does orthorexia look like in everyday life?
According to specialists, orthorexia manifests itself through a set of rigid behaviors that gradually invade the whole life:
- Strict and constantly expanding dietary rules. The person eliminates entire food groups: first sugar, then gluten, dairy, additives, until the list of “allowed foods” becomes smaller and smaller.
- Intense anxiety around food. The mere idea of consuming a “forbidden” food causes panic, shame, or deep guilt. Meals at restaurants or with friends become sources of major stress.
- Spending too much time on meal planning: hours reading labels and researching where food comes from.
- Social isolation: going out with friends, family meals, parties are avoided if one cannot control what is eaten.
- The feeling of moral superiority. People with orthorexia often end up judging those around them for their food choices, believing that they are “eating wrong”.
What are the risks?
Although the initial intention is health, orthorexia produces serious effects on several levels:
Excessive elimination of food groups inevitably leads to severe nutritional deficiencies: lack of proteins, essential fats, vitamins and minerals. Consequences include anemia, bone fragility, hormonal problems, chronic fatigue, and pathological weight loss.
At the same time, on a psychological level, orthorexia fuels anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive thinking. Over time, self-esteem becomes completely dependent on the “purity” of the diet.
Why are there more and more eating disorders?
One of the explanations for the increase in the number of cases is the information paradox. Dr. Bălănică explains:
“There are many patients who tell me that they don’t know what to believe anymore, because they have far, far too much information. Many times, this information comes even from doctors or medical professionals, and then people don’t know which direction to go.”
We live in an era of unlimited access to health and nutrition data, without always having the tools to sift through it. Although the field itself is a complex one, as the specialist points out:
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“Nutrition is a science, medicine is a science, and eating behaviors are part of the area of psychonutrition, meaning the intersection of psychology, medicine and nutrition.”
Added to this is an important psychological factor, especially among young people. Dr. Bălănică explains the neurological mechanism behind the vulnerability of adolescents:
“Young people today are stressed about looks, about money, about comparing themselves to other young people. This stress creates some mental connections that actually happen between two hormones: dopamine and serotonin. Dopamine is the hormone of happiness, well-being, and reward. Serotonin is the brake hormone. Teenagers function with accelerated dopamine and no serotonin, meaning no brake.”
Increased susceptibility to trends – including the so-called welnwss culture from online is fertile ground for the establishment of eating disorders, including orthorexia.
Are there any forbidden foods? A short answer: no
One of the central myths of orthorexia is that there are foods that should not be eaten at all. Dr. Bălănică categorically dismantles this myth:
“There is none. Anything we can consume, when we consume it in moderation. And sugar if we have to consume it, we can consume it in moderation.”
As for solving eating disorders, the doctor does not believe in universally valid recipes, but he believes that programs that include family and groups that face the same problems are the ones that can help and change habits.
