Orthorexia Nervosa is a term used to describe a fixation on righteous eating. It is a condition wherein the person with the disorder is obsessed with eating in the way they believe is healthiest. Typically, the disorder progresses from being a simple desire to eat healthier to a compulsion and obsession, to the point where a person’s mental and social health are threatened.
People who have beaten the disorder describe the need to eat completely healthily as a dependency; as if they do not stick to the incredibly specific diet they have set out for themselves, they feel “unholy”, or “ashamed”. When they eat the “right” way, they feel superior to others. Their diet is the source of their self-worth, and they tend to value and judge a person based on the way that person eats.
The disorder progresses to a point at which the person is consumed with the thought of food. They would spend hours planning and purchasing food, and should they slip up on their diet, would feel intense regret, which can be abated only by stricter dieting.
It is this type of behaviour that makes Orthorexia a disorder. Similar to the better known disorders of Bulumia and Anorexia, instead of being obsessed with the quantity of food, the person becomes obsessed with the quality of food. You might ask: Is this really a serious thing that can happen? And the answer is yes. Although eating healthily is always advisable, obsession never is.
According to the World Health Organization, “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Although healthy eating might be good for you physically, an obsession to the point where you spend most of your time thinking about the food you eat cannot be good for your mental state.
Most people suffering from the disorder report feeling an “anxiety” towards food. Furthermore, because their validation comes from the way they eat, messing up their diet can come with feelings of worthlessness and depression. On the other hand, social well-being is threatened, too. Humans don’t eat food just for the sake of nutrition. The idea of eating together is highly valued in our society, even if we don’t notice it. Whether it’s breakfast with the family, lunch with friends, or dinner with a significant other, eating together means more than just consuming food. It means interaction; socialization. Eating provides an excuse to meet and give each other attention. Imagine, then, being someone who has Orthorexia. Imagine feeling nervous when your neighbour invites you to a BBQ, and having to cancel because you can’t stand the idea of looking at people eat so “badly”. Imagine not being able to socialize with your colleagues at a work party because you’re disgusted by the food being served. It seems to me like a lonely existence.
However, like any life-consuming addiction, the first step is recognizing that there is a problem. The next is taking the necessary steps to fix that problem. In most cases, those steps are seeking a nutritionist; and maybe a psychiatrist, who can help you separate eating from self-worth, and who can slowly wean you off of your obsession.
