REDDING, Calif. — Healthy eating can be good for the body, but experts say an obsession with what goes into your body can have the opposite effect.
Research on orthorexia — described as an unhealthy obsession with healthy or “pure” eating — has been on the rise for the last 30 years, even though it is not officially recognized in the manual used by mental health providers to diagnose conditions like eating disorders.
Certified eating disorder specialist Becky Fogarty said orthorexia can start with a simple desire to clean up a diet or eat more nutritious foods, but it can spiral into something unmanageable that affects everyday thoughts and habits. That can include cutting out entire food groups and avoiding restaurants or social events, eventually taking over a large portion of a person’s life.
FILE- Eating disorder specialist talks about orthorexia, an obsession with healthy or ‘pure’ eating that becomes damaging to one’s well-being.
“It really falls under this like health and wellness and often times people don’t even know especially at the beginning that is something that they are experiencing because it looks like healthy eating and online especially with social media you can find anything you want on there to agree with what you’re feeling about food,” Fogarty said.
Fogarty said social media plays a large role in giving people positive reinforcement for their eating habits, which can make it difficult to recognize there is a problem and accept help.
According to the National Eating Disorders Association, prolonged restrictive eating can lead to malnutrition, cardiovascular issues, gastrointestinal issues, as well as neurological issues.
Fogarty said the first step in treating orthorexia is becoming aware of the issue, identifying fears around food, increasing tolerance to foods and involving a medical provider to help set up a plan.
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