Orthorexia nervosa is an excessive preoccupation with healthy eating that results in negative social consequences and severe psychological distress, particularly when elements of the diet deviate from someone's perception of “healthy”. Orthorexia nervosa may involve rigid dietary rules about how foods are bought, prepared, and consumed and strict avoidance of foods or ingredients that are perceived to be unhealthy, impure, or harmful. These self-imposed dietary rules may escalate over time. The ideas of “healthy” versus “unhealthy” eating habits in orthorexia nervosa are generally based on someone’s own perceptions rather than more objective definitions of healthy eating (such as published dietary guidelines). Despite this lack of objectivity, people with orthorexia nervosa may view their eating habits as superior to those of others.[1][2]
Orthorexia nervosa is associated with health anxiety, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, low physical self-esteem, and perfectionism. First identified in 1997, orthorexia nervosa is not yet classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), and research is still in the process of determining whether orthorexia nervosa is a standalone disorder or a subtype of a pre-existing disorder such as anorexia nervosa or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).[2][3]