A healthy and balanced diet is of great importance for people to live a healthy life. In some cases, people may be overly concerned about healthy eating, prepare strict diet lists for themselves, and question the quality of the food they eat. Although all of these may seem normal up to a point, at some point this situation can become harmful to the person. The concept of orthorexia nervosa, which we will discuss in today’s article, also points to this issue.
What is Orthorexia Nervosa?
Orthorexia nervosa, in its simplest form, can be defined as a person’s obsession with healthy eating. In orthorexia nervosa, a person thinks intensively about the naturalness, quality, and ingredients of the foods they consume; they pay a lot of attention to these issues. The methods of preparation of the dishes they eat and the way they cook are very important to them. Because of this, a person can spend long hours preparing food and shopping. They may avoid eating out or refuse any food that they think is unhealthy. They may also not prefer foods that contain substances considered unhealthy (Oğur, Aksoy, & Güngör, 2015).
The substances they avoid generally include fat, salt, sugar, and chemical additives. Since they think that these substances may be found in prepared foods bought from outside, they may prefer to eat dishes that they prepare themselves at home. Additionally, since they believe that the nutritional values and naturalness of food may be impaired during cooking, they can consume foods raw (Karataş & Uzunkaya, 2024).
In orthorexia nervosa, although individuals are not obsessed with their weight and body shape, they may experience weight loss due to the diet they follow. Since there are also possibilities of malnutrition, their health may be negatively affected, and they may become ill (Oğur, Aksoy, & Güngör, 2015).
If healthy eating routines are disrupted, people may feel intense feelings of guilt. In other words, it can also be said that dieting comes to the fore as a way of life for people with orthorexia nervosa (Yeşil, Turhan, et al., 2018).
Factors in the Development of Orthorexia Nervosa
Perfectionism: Perfectionism, which has an important role in the continuation of other eating disorders, also occurs in orthorexia nervosa. Spending too much time on issues such as controlling the food a person eats and meal planning can be seen more in a perfectionist personality. The inability to tolerate even the slightest deviation in the diet is also among perfectionist characteristics. The high need for control and anxiety about disruption of order may prepare the ground for the emergence of orthorexia nervosa (Generous, 2024).
Culture and Society that Encourages Being Thin and Dieting: Cultural and social factors are important in the emergence of eating disorders. A culture that encourages concepts such as dieting and healthy eating and rewards people who follow them may play a role in the development of orthorexia nervosa (Oğur, Aksoy, & Güngör, 2015).
Mass Media: Mass media encourages healthy eating and dieting and plays an important role in product marketing for it. Therefore, it may also contribute to the development of orthorexia nervosa (Oğur, Aksoy, & Güngör, 2015).
Desire to Protect Health: Since orthorexia nervosa involves adopting a healthy eating lifestyle, people’s desire to be healthy and avoid illness may be a factor in the development of this disorder. Behaviors aimed at nutrition for the desire to be healthy, ensuring that the content of nutrients is natural, and avoiding any substances that may be harmful can prepare the ground for orthorexia nervosa (Karataş & Uzunkaya, 2024).
Who Is More Likely to Have Orthorexia Nervosa?
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Like other eating disorders, orthorexia nervosa may be more common in women. This may be because women are more encouraged to follow diet culture and are expected to pay more attention to what they eat (Oğur, Aksoy, & Güngör, 2015).
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Young adulthood and adolescence are risky periods in orthorexia nervosa, as in other eating disorders. During these life periods, there may be a risk of being influenced by culture and society and developing an eating disorder (Yeşil, Turhan, et al., 2018).
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There may be a tendency to develop orthorexia nervosa in people with a low body mass index (BMI). In some studies, it has been shown that the tendency to orthorexia nervosa increases as BMI decreases (Yeşil, Turhan, et al., 2018).
Conclusion
Healthy eating is important for people to maintain their lives in a healthy way. In addition, making healthy eating a lifestyle and doing intensive research on the content of every food they consume, spending hours on meal planning and meal preparation can be signs of orthorexia nervosa.
Orthorexia nervosa is a disorder in which people make healthy eating the center of their lives, and everything they eat should be healthy, natural, and beneficial foods. The factors in the development of orthorexia nervosa are culture, mass media, and the perfectionism of people who encourage dieting. Although this disorder can be seen in everyone, it is more common in women, teenagers, and people with a low body mass.
References
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Oğur, P., Aksoy, A., & Güngör, B. (2015). Determination of the tendency of orthorexia nervosa in university students. Bitlis Eren University Journal of Natural Science.
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Karataş, E., & Uzunkaya, H. (2024). An Investigation of the Effect of Perfectionism and Obsessive Beliefs on Orthorexia Nervosa Tendency. Aydın Human and Society Journal, 10(1), 31-48.
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Uzdil, Z., Kayacan, A. G., Özyıldırım, C., Kaya, S., Kılınç, G. E., Nation, C. A., & Rock, P. S. (2019). Investigation of the presence of orthorexia nervosa and eating attitude in adolescents. Samsun Journal of Health Sciences, 4(1), 8-13.
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Yeşil, E., Turhan, B., Tatan, D., Şarahman, C., & Saka, M. (2018). The effect of gender on the tendency to orthorexia nervosa.