Orthorexia nervosa: An eating disorder in disguise

Words by Allie
Written By Allie

Is there really such a thing as being too healthy?

During the years before I was diagnosed with an eating disorder, I thought that living a supremely healthy life was something to be admired. I thought that if I ate healthy foods and kept a consistent workout routine, I would be seen as having my shi*t together. People would see my lifestyle (and even my appearance) as something to strive for and might even come to me for advice.

But I eventually learned there is such a thing as being too healthy. And it can kill you.

Today, this obsession with weight, food, and exercise has a name. Originally coined in the 1990s, orthorexia nervosa has become more well-known in the past decade or so in the wake of extreme diets and an increased focus on the ingredients of what we eat. And although it is still not recognized by the DSM-5, orthorexia is a growing concern among eating disorders practitioners who see patients take diets too far, to an unhealthy place, and, sometimes, to a dangerous place.

What is orthorexia nervosa?

According to the Center for Discovery, orthorexia behaviors can include (but are not limited to):

  • consuming only “pure” foods or engaging only in “clean” eating

  • a fear of processed or “unclean” foods, or limiting foods that aren’t considered to be healthy

  • obsessive concern about the health consequences of certain foods (e.g., allergies, stomach problems)

Orthorexia can manifest itself through activities like overanalyzing the nutritional content of food and ingredients, compulsively counting calories, and/or isolating from friends or family members who don’t share the same food beliefs.

See more signs and symptoms of orthorexia.

You may be wondering, aren’t these the building blocks of most diets?

The answer is yes.

Most diet programs implore you to engage in some form of disordered eating, masking the danger with terms like “healthy” and “all-natural.”

IMPORTANT: Engaging in dieting does not mean you have a diagnosable eating disorder, but dieting can be a slippery slope to an unsafe place.

Orthorexia from a personal point of view

I was never officially diagnosed with orthorexia, but in hindsight, I absolutely can attribute some of my behaviors to this deceptive diet-adjacent disease.

I wanted to learn more, so I asked my dear friend and co-host of our recovery writing group, Jason Wood, who also founded Orthorexia Bites, to talk about his experience with this fairly new but fast-evolving eating disorder.

Scroll down to read more about his story.

Read Jason’s poem, “You are not me”, published on Recovery Writes in 2022!

The innocuous origins of orthorexia nervosa

Jason’s fixation on his body came as a teen, when he decided to join Weight Watchers to lose weight.

“As someone who battled bullying and insecurity about my appearance, I was immediately attracted to the attention I received by losing weight and the control I felt following a strict diet. What started as an innocent intention to lose weight soon became a lifestyle, an identity, and an obsession.”

After nearly 20 years of obsessive dieting and exercising, Jason’s behaviors started to disrupt his personal life and health: “I was tired of thinking about food and exercise 24/7. I missed seeing friends because my food rules got in the way.

“Once I realized something was wrong, I made an appointment with my primary care physician who would go on to diagnose me with an unspecified eating disorder, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

“The unspecified part of my diagnosis left me confused and also feeling like it may not be that serious.”

Read: How to spot diet dialogue (and what to say instead).

What is orthorexia? ‘A lightbulb moment’

When Jason began his recovery journey, he decided to take his uncertainty around the word “unspecified” into his own hands.

“Several months into recovery, I was reading a book on eating disorders when I stumbled upon the term orthorexia. Curious to know what it meant, I did a quick Google search. It was a lightbulb moment! I realized instantly that’s what I was up against.”

Finding support for orthorexia nervosa

Jason knew he had a long road of recovery ahead of him. He was a male who was suffering from what felt like a brand-new eating disorder, one that not many practitioners knew about just yet.

“Finding help was harder than asking for it! As a male with an unspecified eating disorder, I felt all alone, like I was the only person with this kind of eating disorder. 

“I ended up working with a therapist and nutritionist who were not very familiar with eating disorders but were willing to work through the underlying factors contributing to it.

“Fast forward to today, and I see a lot more people talking about orthorexia. It’s good to see providers taking the time to understand this type of eating disorder.”

Recovering from orthorexia in a diet-obsessed culture

“One of the hardest aspects of recovery is that we live in a diet-culture world.”

Like millions of others in recovery (including myself), Jason knew that fighting against and simultaneously trying to ignore diet culture is an uphill battle in a world where talking about dieting is part of natural human discourse. 

“Whether it’s an off-comment by a friend, calorie counts on a menu, or food labels with messages like ‘innocent’ or ‘guilt-free,’ I’ve learned there will be triggers everywhere I go, but in recovery, I’m learning the tools to be able to confront them.”

Read more about the blurry lines between dieting and disordered eating.

Life and lessons in orthorexia recovery

When I asked Jason to share lessons he has learned thus far in his orthorexia recovery journey, he had trouble choosing just one. But below are his top three:

  1. “I’ve learned about the strength of vulnerability. When I opened up and asked for help, I began to heal. This is far from what the stigma and stereotypes had me believe most of my life.”

  2. “I understand that we’re all going through something at some point in our lives. Recovery has opened my eyes to a community of support and healing out there. It’s good to know I never have to face my challenges alone.”

  3. “Most importantly, I’ve learned who I am. For years, I let dieting and exercise serve as my identity. I thought my weight and my diet were my worth. In recovery, I’ve had the chance to learn who the authentic Jason is, and that is pretty darn cool!”

Orthorexia nervosa recovery today

To end our chat, I asked Jason how he keeps his recovery from orthorexia nervosa on track. His top tools? Openness, vulnerability, and self-compassion.

“I’m open and honest with those around me. If I am having a tough day or feeling triggered, I’ll share that with my husband, a friend, or my therapist. Just voicing these challenges helps remove their power over me. 

“I also practice self-compassion and realize that I’m not always going to get it right 100% in recovery. There are going to be days when the eating disorder voice wins. And that’s okay because it cannot take away the progress I’ve made. I use the tough days as learning opportunities and motivation to keep pushing forward.”

To learn more about Jason and his memoir, Starving for Survival: One Man’s Journey With Orthorexia, visit Orthorexia Bites.

open notebook with a pen and a cup of tea

Pause & Prompt

How I practice (or can practice) self-compassion…

Allie https://www.recoverywrites.com
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