What are the 5 warning signs of Orthorexia

What are the 5 warning signs of orthorexia? In this blog we are going take a look. But let’s start with thinking about what orthorexia is.

What is Orthorexia?

Orthorexia is an unhealthy obsession with healthy eating. Whilst this on the surface may not sounds like a problem, in the case of orthorexia, it is it taken to extreme levels. Orthorexia symptoms can start of from someone going on a clean eating kick or following a wholefoods, unprocessed way of eating. It has a aspirational wellness, influencer ideal associated with it. Social media has certainly heightened this and fuelled it. With role models who life perfect pure lifestyles of food, exercise and spirituality, it can seem as if that ideal is achievable and realistic. Striving to achieve it leads to feelings of failure and guilt.

The name Orthorexia Nervosa actually comes from the Greek word for “right” or “correct”. Although the term was first described back in 1997, it has become more well-known in recent years.

Knowing what the 5 warning signs of orthorexia are could help someone who is reaching out for help or who needs help and support. You may notice some of these symptoms of orthorexia in loved ones or in yourself. If this is the case then please do seek help from your GP first or the BEAT helpline.

Differences between othorexia and healthy eating

Unlike anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder, orthorexia isn’t categorised as a clinical eating disorder. This can diminish the danger and make it feel like it’s not a dangerous route. So let’s highlight that orthorexia is still a serious condition that can impact your mental health, physical health and wellbeing.

What counts as a “pure” or “clean” food will differ from one person to the next. Additionally, following a healthy, balanced diet doesn’t necessarily indicate orthorexia either. For example, going gluten free or vegan may be a sign of restriction in one person, but a legitimate choice for ethical or medical reasons for someone else. Instead, it is the degree to which these food rules impact someones life, and the impact on your mental health that are more relevant.

Orthorexia may cause the range of acceptable foods to become increasingly limited over time. These feelings and fears around food are often less about the food, and more about coping mechanisms and a means to find control. So even if food choices start off appearing to be healthy, food choices can become so restrictive that it ends up being detrimental to health.

The 5 warning signs of Orthorexia:

Let’s dive into what the 5 warning signs of Orthorexia are. These have come from a test devised by Steven Bratman, the man who coined the phrase Orthorexia. Take a read through to see how much you identify with these signs.

1. Food Obsession

Orthorexia has a level of Food Obsession?. This can take over life. Maybe the person is tracking, counting, weighing and measuring everything. They may be unable to eat out or eat anything without scrutinising the label. This isn’t just an interest in nutrition but an obsession. It can take hours of planning and preparation for someone suffering from Orthorexia. This level of food obsession can interfere with relationships, work and socialising.

2. Extreme food rules and dietary rules.

If you suffer from Orthorexia you may have rules about what foods can and cannot be eaten. This may mean that foods with certain levels of salt, fat or sugar may not be acceptable. Additives or artificial flavours in foods may lead to anxiety. Often foods that are ultra processed (cereal bars, cakes, biscuits) may be excluded from the diet. Orthorexia can lead to strict black and white categories around foods. Good foods are commonly pure, viewed as unprocessed, made from scratch, organic, with as few ingredients as possible. Bad foods are classed as those with additives, artificial colourings, foods that are higher in fat, salt and sugar and are more processed.

3. Anxiety, mood swings and emotional distress

Breaking food rules or eating foods that are not on the acceptable list can lead to emotional distress. Feelings of guilt, anxiety, overwhelm and stress can be common. You may feel unclean or impure. This can feel so very hard to deal with and reinforces the idea that eating these foods is unnecessary. What you eat can affect your personal sense of happiness, joy, peace and wellbeing.

4. Over time, the rules get stricter

Over time these rules around food can get stricter leading to more and more foods or food groups being eliminated. This is with the pursuit of health to try and improve or enhance your health and wellness. You may have a mixture of food beliefs and rules that you cannot break. This can start to affect your health leading to signs of under-nutrition such as hair loss, feeling cold, loss of periods or skin problems as some examples.

5. Affects social eating

As you can imagine having these foods rules can lead to a large affect on social eating. People suffering from Orthorexia may find it super hard to eat out, to have meals cooked for them or to choose a snack from a coffee shop for example. Whilst you may want to relax these rules you find you just can’t.

Why should I take heed of the 5 warning signs of orthorexia? Is orthorexia a problem?

Although on the surface a diet may sound healthy, when you dig down it is usual to find nutritional deficits in the diet. A lack of calcium for example, that can affect bone health. A lack of essential fatty acids, affecting brain function, skin and blood flow. Without a varied and balanced diet, there is a risk of nutrient deficiencies, leading to health conditions such as anaemia, weakened immune system and poor bone health, to name a few. If someones calorie intake is too low (this can especially happen with overexercising), unhealthy weight loss can also occur.

Both mental health and physical health can be affected by orthorexia nervosa. It can lead to intense fear or stress around foods and situations that feel out of a person’s control. It can impact relationship and lead to a poor quality of life, isolation and anxiety. This is why it is so important to seek out help as all of this can be reversed with treatment.

Orthorexia vs anorexia?

Orthorexia and anorexia can be linked, with one condition potentially leading to the other. However there are some key differences. Where orthorexia involves a focus on only eating foods that fit that are “clean” or “healthy”, anorexia can involve restriction of a greater range of foods. Although restriction of calories can be seen in orthorexia, at least initially the focus tends to be on the perceived quality of food rather than quantity. In anorexia nervosa the focus can be specifically on calories and/or exercise.

What are the 5 warning signs of orthorexia… the symptoms.

Let’s now break down the 5 warning signs of Orthorexia into some signs and symptoms:

• Cutting out foods or food groups
• Fear of foods that don’t fit into a set of rules or beliefs
• Unable to eat socially due to food rules
• Reduced concentration
• Feel cold when others don’t
• Hair loss, changes in nail strength and skin
• Judging other’s food and lifestyle choices
• Food obsession
• Feelings of guilt around food
• Impacted relationships or difficulty joining social occasions
• Depression or low mood
• Low energy
• Muscle weakness
• Being unwell more often than normal

Treatment and support for the 5 warning signs of Orthorexia:

Getting support from a professional is so important and a key part of recovery. This involves breaking those food rules and starting to reintegrate all foods back into your diet. Which can feel terrifying, which is why working with someone who can guide you, helps.

A specialist dietitian or therapist can help to build a recovery plan. Everyone is individual and so recovery can look different from one person to the next. Feelings of anxiety, guilt and shame can come up. It is key to have some psychological support as well as the nutrition support too. As a dietitian I may give nutrition education, help you work through that list of fear foods and food rules. We may use breathing techniques and work on things like core beliefs to help too. Remember you cannot compare yourself to anyone else in recovery. Everyone’s recovery process is unique, and takes its own timeframe.

Top tips for Orthorexia:

If you identify with the 5 warning signs of orthorexia or the symptoms, then here are some steps you can take to help. I highly recommend these are done with the support of a therapist and dietitian.

1. Unfollow anyone on social media who fuels the thoughts of having to eat a pure diet/lifestyle. Or try a social media detox for a week.
2. Focus on eating a variety diet. There are no wrong or right foods it is all about the balance and variety that you eat. Nothing is off limits. Nothing is wrong to eat. 
3. Work with someone qualified in this area to redefine healthy for you. This may include food, movement, quiet space, social time, family time.
4. Develop alternative coping skills. Can you see how food helps you feel in control and also makes you anxious? Using distraction after a meal and journalling your thoughts can be a good initial step.
5. Write out a list of your food rules/beliefs. These need to be challenged.
6. Only allow yourself to get your nutrition knowledge from someone with a minimum of a degree in nutrition  –  a registered nutritionist or dietitian.
7. Stop tracking your nutrition. This may take time to do so start with doing it at one meal at a time. 

Getting help

Need support? Get in touch for support from our specialist Dietitians or you can join the Recovery Tribe, our 12 week Recovery Course with Group Coaching and Community group.