HEALTH

When ‘eating healthy’ becomes an unhealthy obsession

8 December, 2022 . 0

Most of us aspire to eat healthily. But for some, this desire can spiral into an obsession known as orthorexia – and it can have serious consequences.

Orthorexia isn’t officially recognised as an eating disorder yet, but for people living with it, it’s a serious mental health condition that often begins with striving to “eat clean”.

Eating a healthy diet is something we’re all “prescribed” – and the reasoning is sound, given a healthy, nutritious diet is linked to everything from a lower risk of heart disease to protection against certain cancers and even things like improved mood.

But sometimes healthy or “clean” eating turns into an obsession with eating healthy food, called orthorexia.

“Orthorexia isn’t just looking after what you eat,” nutritionist and adjunct lecturer at UNSW Sydney Dr Rebecca Reynolds, explains.

“It’s taking this to a level where it has significant negative impacts on your life.”

Dr Reynolds explains that, as well as being obsessive about eating healthy, orthorexia often involves extreme anxiety regarding food choices, as well as feelings of guilt or shame if the self-imposed eating rules are broken.

“We’re talking about when someone might not be able to eat anywhere else other than their kitchen at home anymore.

“Cutting out entire food groups, foods or nutrients can also result in malnutrition if you don’t know the true nutrient content of the foods and drinks you’re having, compared to what your body actually needs.”

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How – and why – does orthorexia develop?

Psychologist Dr Ranjani Utpala is clinical director of Butterfly Foundation, the national charity for all Australians impacted by eating disorders and body image issues.

She says research into the risk factors and causes of orthorexia is sparse, but emerging evidence does shed some light.

“This suggests certain personality traits, including those who are very highly perfectionistic or who have obsessive compulsive traits, may be more likely to develop orthorexia,” Dr Utpala says.

“People who have had a history of past or current eating disorders are also seen in the research as being positively associated with a greater likelihood of orthorexia.

“The other thing to consider here is that, given the current societal fixation with ‘clean eating’ and ‘healthy food’, it’s almost like society has given license for orthorexia-type behaviours to be encouraged and even celebrated.

“We often get so much praise for engaging in what can, for many people, be incredibly dysfunctional behaviours.

“And so what starts off as wanting to align with the diet culture and the ‘clean eating’ movement can make it quite easy for someone to unknowingly slip into disordered eating patterns, which can increase the risk of developing orthorexia – or another eating disorder, for that matter.”

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What are the symptoms of orthorexia?

The symptoms of orthorexia go above and beyond a simple preference for or interest in healthy eating.

On top of the warning signs Dr Reynolds mentions above around significant obsession, anxiety and feelings of guilt, other signs include:

Social isolation as the person withdraws more and more from people, activities and situations that don’t align with their strict food rules.
Experiencing a heightened sense of self-worth or self-esteem when foods that are self-defined as healthy are eaten.
Spending so much time and energy thinking about, choosing and preparing “healthy food”, that it interferes with other aspects of life.

Where to go for help

“If you’re concerned about your eating patterns or behaviours, or a loved one’s eating patterns, you can reach out to Butterfly through our National Helpline,” Dr Utpala says.

Call 1800 33 4673 for free and confidential support.

You can also chat online.

Butterfly counsellors are available 8am to midnight (AEST/AEDT), 7 days a week.