What is the condition orthorexia?

Orthorexia is described by the eating disorder charity Beat (beateatingdisorders.org.uk) as an unhealthy obsession with eating ‘pure’ food. That in itself might not sound too terrible, but the problem is that rather than just trying to eat healthily, people with orthorexia can feel anxious, guilty or even unclean if they eat food they’ve come to regard as ‘unhealthy’, and as a result may end up cutting out essential nutrients or whole food groups, with rigid rules around what they can and can’t eat.

Tom Quinn, Beat’s director of external affairs, said: “Orthorexia describes an unhealthy fixation with eating food that’s considered pure or ‘clean’. Signs may include cutting out food groups, seeming fixated on having a healthy diet, or feeling anxious about mealtimes.

“While eating disorders are mental illnesses that don’t always have physical symptoms, people with orthorexia may also show signs of malnutrition, such as low energy levels or feeling cold more often.”

Orthorexia isn’t officially classified as an eating disorder in itself, so people with symptoms may receive a diagnosis like anorexia or ‘other specified feeding and eating disorders’ (OSFED), explains Quinn. And just because you’re following a very healthy eating plan or diet, it doesn’t mean you’ve automatically got orthorexia. Like other eating disorders, with orthorexia, the healthy or ‘clean’ eating involved is more complex and often used to help somebody cope with difficult thoughts and feelings, or to feel in control.

“Every person will experience an eating disorder differently to the next, and so each person will feel distress about different types of food,” says Quinn. “We know people with orthorexia often control food as a way of coping with difficult emotions, and can feel extremely anxious, guilty or stressed if they eat food they feel is ‘impure’ – often foods high in calories, sugar, or fat.”

Quinn says recovery from orthorexia is possible, and stresses that getting specialist treatment as early as possible is the best way to recover.

So what are the signs somebody might be affected by orthorexia? Cutting out ‘unhealthy’ foods; being obsessed with healthy eating; being judgemental about food; feeling powerless to stop; feeling guilty; suffering from low mood or depression, and have difficulty concentrating; losig weight; feeling weak and tired, feeling cold and not having much energy.

If you’re worried about your own or someone else’s eating, consult your GP or contact Beat, beateatingdisorders.org.uk/contact-us