Do You Have Orthorexia Nervosa?

The New Eating Disorder
By: Amy Dusseldorp, Nutritionist

Originally posted at The Food Coach website.

The latest eating disorder to come to our attention is orthorexia nervosa, otherwise known as an obsession for healthy food. There has been a significant increase in the number of people with the condition in Britain, which is described by experts as a "fixation on righteous eating". Sufferers tend to be aged over 30, middle class and well-educated, which probably explains the fact that this demographic is more likely to be aware of health trends and the importance of eating well, only have taken it to the extreme.

The condition was named by a Californian doctor in 1997 and involves rigid eating that may include such self-imposed rules as not touching sugar, salt, caffeine, alcohol, wheat, gluten, yeast, soya, corn, and dairy foods. The doctor who coined the term, Steven Bratman, states that obsession with healthy food can progress to the point where it crowds out other activities and interests, impairs relationships, and even becomes physically dangerous. When this happens, orthorexia takes on the dimensions of a true eating disorder, like anorexia nervosa or bulimia.

"I am definitely seeing significantly more orthorexics than just a few years ago," the London Telegraph quoted Ursula Philpot, chair of the British Dietetic Association's mental health group, as saying.

"There is a fine line between people who think they are taking care of themselves by manipulating their diet and those who have orthorexia," said Deanne Jade, founder of the National Centre for Eating Disorders. "I see people around me who have no idea they have this disorder. I see it in my practice and I see it among my friends and colleagues," she added.

While eating healthily is certainly important, so is living and enjoying life, even if that means indulging in a dessert while out to dinner, or treating yourself to a scrambled egg and bacon Sunday brunch after eating well throughout the week. Many nutritionists refer to this as the 80/20 rule: eating well 80 per cent of the time while the other 20 per cent is slightly more relaxed.

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