The 10 signs of Orthorexia Nervosa

Orthorexia, or orthorexia nervosa is a term coined by Steven Bratman, a Colorado MD, in 1997, to denote an eating disorder characterized by excessive focus on eating healthy foods. In rare cases, this focus may turn into a fixation so extreme that it can lead to severe malnutrition or even death.

According to Dr. Steven Bratman, the word is derived from the Greek word “ortho,” meaning straight and correct, and refers to the condition of being obsessed with healthy eating. Bear in mind that the orthorexia concept is primarily based not on research but anecdotal observation, and is not yet a generally accepted syndrome. Nevertheless, it may have some usefulness for those who are so “seriously committed” to dieting that it is beginning to infringe on their lives. Bratman considers orthorexia to be a problem when food becomes a source not just of nutrition, but of virtue or self-worth, when eating “bad” food implies that one is a bad person, and when the diet becomes a source of either self-esteem or, conversely, guilt and self-loathing.

Dr. Bratman suggests that you may be orthorexic, or on your way there, if you:

• Spend more than three hours a day thinking about healthy food.
• Plan your day’s menu more than 24 hour ahead of time.
• Take more pleasure from the “virtuous” aspect of your food than from actually eating it.
• Find your quality of life decreasing as the “quality” of your food increases.
• Are increasingly rigid and self-critical about your eating.
• Base your self-esteem on eating “healthy” foods, and have a lower opinion of people who do not.
• Eat “correct” foods to the avoidance of all those that you’ve always enjoyed.
• So limit what you can eat that you can dine “correctly” only at home, spending less and less time with friends and family.
• Feel guilt or self-loathing when you eat “incorrect” foods.
• Derive a sense of self-control from eating “properly.”

Bratman suggests that if more than four of these descriptions applies to you, it may be time to take a step back and reassess your attitude toward what you eat. If they all apply, you’re in the grip of an obsession.

Again, orthorexia is not a generally accepted syndrome among weight-loss professionals, and Bratman allows that commitment and adherence to a diet can be warranted for the seriously overweight, even to the point of altering their lifestyle. But, he asks, “Isn’t it also important in life to have some spontaneity, some enjoyment?”

The short answer is almost certainly Yes. Dieting to live makes sense, but living for your diet? Not so much.