ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM ORTHOREXIA?

Orthorexia is defined as an unhealthy obsession with healthy foods. Originally coined by Dr Steven Bratman in 1997, it isn’t officially recognised by medical bodies but in a world consumed with Instagramming every time you #eatclean and raw food diets promising to make you feel healthy, orthorexia is becoming increasingly common. So when does “eating clean” become an eating disorder? And how do you know when you have it? Here are the top five signs to look out for.

Fixating on righteous eating

Do you think about the virtue of your food – how healthy it is and how it will look to others? Do you separate foods into “good” and “bad” and feel guilty if you have a slip-up? Do you battle against voices in your head?

Feeling under pressure to look a certain way Do you get a serotonin boost when you receive a compliment on the way you look? Do you enjoy the validation? Do you feel hyper aware of the way you look – and feel like you have to stick to a restrictive diet in order to look a certain way?

Exerting control at all times

Are you consumed with what, and how much, you should eat? Do you feel “in control” when you stick to the “correct” diet? Are you constantly assessing the ways foods are unhealthy for you?

Ruled by when you should eat and exercise Do you plan your life around food? If a friend suggests meeting when you’re supposed to be at the gym, do you freak out? Do you wish you could just eat what you want and not worry about food quality?

Wondering how others can possibly eat the foods they eat Have you put yourself on a nutritional pedestal? Does it seem beyond your ability to eat a meal prepared by someone else and to not be in control?