About Orthorexia

  • Are you the kind of person who eats super healthy at all costs?
  • To the point where you avoid social outings, or “unclean” or “unsafe” foods?
  • Have you made a set of rules around eating and food?
  • Do you find yourself obsessed with the quality and nutritional value of the food you intake?

You may find yourself in the middle of Orthorexia without even realizing it. By now, you may view it as super healthy to have maintained such a rigid eating lifestyle and habits. You may even gain confidence from having nutrition “prowness” over others, making better choices than others or having better portion sizes. The sad truth is that this fixation may affect your personal relationships, make you prone to food intolerances from the routine habit of eating the same thing on a daily basis, missing out on social engagements, or making memories.

Even though orthorexia is not considered an “eating disorder” it is definitely diagnosed as unhealthy eating habits or behavior. Unlike anorexic or bulimic patients, those with orthorexia have an obsession with eating healthy over specifically losing/gaining weight.

You may want to ask yourself:

  • Do you have the desire to have complete control over your food?
  • Do you use healthy food to escape subconscious fears?
  • Do you obsess over healthy even for the strong desire to be thin?
  • Do you use healthy eating to boost your self confidence?
  • Do you use this lifestyle to create an identity for yourself?

If mostly yes, ask further:

  • Do you wish you could just eat without the stress of knowing the nutritional values of the food?
  • Do you wish you could spend less time preoccupied with food and more time living your life?
  • Do you think you could eat a whole meal that you did not control/prepare yourself?
  • Are you consistently checking how food might be unhealthy for you?
  • Do you find you are putting love, enjoyment and fun aside to live this eating regimen?
  • Do you feel guilty eating something that does not follow your diet?

If you have continued these behaviors and emotions to the point where you have avoided more social engagements than participated in, that you have scheduled your life around making sure you are in complete control of your meals. This is not only socially isolating but may lead you to the inability to eat intuitively or be able to identify physical hunger or how much their body needs at the time.

Many people think that orthorexia is hard to overcome because they think there is nothing wrong with wanting to eat healthy. BUT when it is taking up an unhealthy amount of your time from your life, avoiding work and other life issues or obligations can make it into an unhealthy disorder.

Through our directory of providers, you can replace these thoughts with positive self talk, journaling about what you feel grateful for the food you have, but have every right to deserve enjoying foods outside from your diet. You just need help from professionals experienced in the subject of orthorexia who can help you identify aspects of your life that trigger orthorexia and the need to remain in control of preparing your food. Reach out to us by phone or email (whichever you are most comfortable with) and we can help you get the help you need to beat this, get your life back and free you from the confined chains of obsessive clean eating! When you are ready, look through our directory and find and contact a provider specialized in orthorexia in particular! We have provided a directory to help you receive the best possible care to reach recovery and heal your mind. Just one phone call or email away can be the start of your improved health, both physically and emotionally! Call someone today!