When Healthy Eating Turns Obsessive: The Rise of Orthorexia Nervosa

The piece explores how the quest for an immaculate diet can evolve into orthorexia nervosa, a compulsive obsession with "clean" eating that harms both physical and mental health. Vasia Lampadari, a pathology-endocrinology professor at the University of Athens, identifies key signs such as severe anxiety about food choices, hours spent selecting and preparing meals, avoidance of foods deemed unhealthy, refusal to eat meals prepared by others, and increasing social isolation.

Psychiatrist Frankiskos Gonidakis adds that the disorder can dominate daily routines, limiting professional and personal activities and potentially leading to nutrient deficiencies, though its motivations differ from those of anorexia. Orthorexia is not officially recognized in DSM-5-TR or ICD-11, but a 2022 consensus of 47 specialists proposed its inclusion under eating-disorder categories. Social-media trends amplify pressure for "pure" diets, especially among younger individuals, making early detection difficult because sufferers often view their habits as healthy and rarely seek treatment.