Eating Disorder Research

What Is Orthorexia Nervosa
by Sandra Kim Leong

The term “orthorexia nervosa” was coined by Steven Bratman, MD in 1997. It simply means “correct appetite”. There is much debate about whether to recognise orthorexia as a medical condition. Some experts deny its existence while others say that it is only marginally different from anorexia. In fact, some critics even suggests that Bratman came up with this term for the book that he wrote so that he could make a financial gain.

Bradman refers to orthrorexia as the condition whereby patients develop an obsession or fixation with healthy and “pure” food. Key to it is the continual obsession to having to eat healthily. An orthorexic patient is extremely disciplined in what they eat. He will only want to eat food that is organic, uncooked, and free from additives, pesticides and artificial ingredients.

An orthorexic patient spends much of his time thinking about his diet plan. He is concerned with minute details about the length of time the food has been out of the ground and the way it is packaged. He is also concerned about the way the food is prepared and insists on a high standard of cleanliness and sterilisation in the use of utensils for cooking. Adhering to these self-imposed rules gives him the feeling of being superior to others and a sense of being cleansed of impurities, self-righteousness and control.

Because of his obsession to avoid any unhealthy and contaminated foods, life becomes a constant battle to find and eat the “right” foods. He cannot help but develop feelings of guilt, disgust and imperfection whenever he needs to deviate from these rules.

An orthorexia patient would usually find it tough to enjoy eating out with his friends. His friends may not totally agree with his food choices. Because of his strict rules, he may find that he increasingly feels more isolated. The feelings of isolation is not unlike those with other eating disorders.

The difference between orthorexia and anorexia is that the former is focused on wanting to be healthy and cleansed while the lattar is more concerned about losing weight. Orthorexia patients are particularly obsessed over the type and quality of food rather than the quantity.

Additionally, patients of anorexia and bulimia tend to keep their illness a secret from others. Not the orthorexic patient, however. On the contrary, he is proud of his food choices and often enjoys sharing about them.

Although it would appear that orthorexia is a less dangerous condition compared to anorexia, the concern here is in the adequate intake of nutrition. “Right” foods may not mean sufficient
nutrition. And obsession to the point of losing friends and feeling isolated is never a good thing.

About the author:
Sandra Kim Leong writes about anorexia eating disorders. Please visit her website for more free research.

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