How can you tell if someone has orthorexia or healthy eating habits? To me they sound similar.
Usually for me the dividing line is obsessive level behavior about what to eat or not eat, the point where you just can’t take them anywhere or have to walk on eggshells otherwise just to have a meal with them. This is not “oh, I’m eating with a vegan friend so we have to eat vegan”, but more so that even after that adjustment they’re still picky and difficult about anything at all.
I think it can really be a fine line, since people might need to take a methodical or restrictive approach to eating when weight loss is the goal.
Basically, it should never feel like an obsession (intrusive thoughts, rumination, categorizing food as “good” or “bad”, etc), nor should it be tied to your self-worth (feeling shame around some aspect of your life not perceived as healthy). Healthy living should not limit your life by preventing you from doing things you love: going to restaurants, seeing specific people, attending certain events, etc. Those are all warning signs of orthorexia (and it’s not a damning diagnosis–many people are able to overcome it through therapy or even on their own).
I was orthorexic at one point. I remember thinking, for example: “I really don’t want to go on vacation because I’ll be eating out a lot, won’t be able to work out, and know I’m going to gain like 5 lbs.” That is a clear example of my commitment to healthy living infringing on my ability to enjoy life.
A disorder inhibits one’s ability to live their life and enjoy things that once brought them joy.
If one can not enjoy the birthday party of a loved one or a BBQ with close friends because of the presence of cake, hot dogs, and chips, that could be a sign that something is dysfunctional for that person. Whereas some one who perhaps is selective, but not experiencing a disorder, might be able to select the best option of what’s available, choose to eat later, or bring their own food - while still enjoying the celebration, unperturbed by the “unhealthy” food.
I’m not a doctor and this is likely an oversimplification but: Orthorexia is an unhealthy obsession to the point of being afraid of certain foods or choosing not to eat anything at all if there’s nothing that aligns with their definition of healthy.
Not a doctor, but a recovered Anorexic.
I think the massive difference is the person’s ability to stop the behavior/eating pattern. Most people, when presented with a logical explanation as to why something is bad for them, will usually be able to process that information and change the behavior. It becomes a big problem when the person refuses to or, otherwise can’t bring themselves to change the behavior.
Example - I was terrified, TERRIFIED of avocados. Because all I saw was fat. Even after my partner presented me with all the great health benefits, and all the reasons a human body needed dietary fat, my fear of fat and need to keep my calories as low as possible rendered me unable to eat avocados….and let me tell you, I LOVED avocados before I spiraled deep.
There are definitely some mixed signals out there, especially with how screwed up the fitness and health community is. Full blown Orthorexia in my opinion is pretty rare, but orthorexia inspired disordered eating is super common. Again, the difference is the person’s ability (or lack there of) to change their eating based on logical, factual information.
Well you as a lay person should not be trying to diagnose someone with an eating disorder, but if you are a concerned friend and they are receptive to the idea that their dietary habits are becoming an obsession, helping them see a psychologist would be an excellent start.
Ex-orthorexian here! I think the big thing that drew the line was my obsessiveness and twisting facts that I knew.For example: I wouldn’t eat bread. Not white bread, because the sugar was too simple. Not dark, because of malt and added sugar. No whole-wheat, because usually they’d add flour anyway. It came to the point where I’d eat 1/4th of a bread that was solely made of full grain (and crumble apart at touch) and call it a day.
Or another one: With milk, I first stopped buying 3,8% and bought 1,0%. Then 0,5%. Then 0,1%. Then I bought oat milk. (This is where it started to be weird:) Then oat milk without added sugar. Then oat milk without added sugar but added protein. Then switched to the blandest soy milk because it had two calories less but half a percentage more protein. I would drink exclusively this milk and refuse any other because I believed that other milk would made me sick, bloated and fat. I also thought of it as a treat.
On the other hand, when making a fried egg I eventually stopped using oil in the pan because “fats are bad” while on the other side I’d eat avocado for the “good fats”. When your mind is sick, it doesn’t care whether you got that info from a healthcare provider or Instagram.
It doesn’t have to go to this extreme but as soon as you’re restricting yourself in a way that might become harmful to your body or mind then you can tell somethings wrong. Food and workout was on my mind 24/7 and my only thoughts were “what will I eat next” or “how do I avoid this eating situation” with family and friends just to get the perfect macros.
Orthorexia is an eating disorder; a mental disorder defined by abnormal eating behaviors that negatively affect a person’s physical or mental health.
Healthy eating habits, on the other hand, revolve around a healthy relationship with food.
Everyone here has said some good thoughts. I honestly never knew about orthorexia until a family member pointed it out when I was 16 years old and I wouldn’t eat Taco Bell with the family because it wasn’t part of my unseasoned chicken, unseasoned potatoes, cucumbers, and oatmeal diet. Literally had only those foods for a year or two. I am impressed with people who eat healthy but then you see videos of people saying that they either actually have an eating disorder or get accused of having one.
Becoming obsessed with what goes in your body and having that affect your social life, basically control it, would probably mean that you have some kind of eating disorder. There is definitely a fine line between healthy eating and having orthorexia. One of the main reasons I’m afraid of keeping track of my caloric intake is because I’m too scared to go down that path again. I really don’t have a healthy relationship with food like I thought I did.
Orthorexia overlaps a lot with a form of eating disorder and should need medical attention. Healthy eating habits is not an eating disorder or needs medical attention.
I am not a medical professional to made that kind of judgement.
Coincidental timing. I was considering posting about how many users on this sub exhibit signs of orthorexia.
So many people here appear to totally forgo flavor and balanced eating in favor or an all or nothing approach.
i mean are you asking about yourself or other people? because if it’s other people it’s really none of your business (not being rude just truth) but in my opinion - since my obsession is with eating actually healthy food based on nutrient content - i don’t see why it’s even viewed as a problem.
Isn’t orthorexia just basically an anxiety disorder or a form of OCD, that just happens to be directed towards eating healthy? There’s no flexibility, so it often results in reduced quality of life and relationships.
Nothing wrong with putting healthy eating & lifestyle as a priority, if it doesn’t consume all of your thoughts. But it is a fact that eating is a pretty central part of human life and health. Most people should put a little more thought in to it. The ethical side as well.