Healthy Life

Orthorexia: Understanding and Overcoming an Obsession with Healthy Eating

Healthy eating is a goal for many people. (Getty Images) However, sometimes this avid interest crosses over into an eating disorder called orthorexia nervosa, which is an extreme obsession with healthy eating that often leads to malnutrition and impairs daily functioning. First coined in 1997, the term orthorexia describes an unhealthy, highly restrictive diet based on nutritional quality rather than quantity like most diets. This condition can become a detriment to someone’s mental and physical well-being. Their ability to live and enjoy life is hindered by the limitations placed on them by their own strict dietary rules. These rules interfere…