What is Orthorexia, and How Does It Develop?

Military personnel are expected to uphold a high standard of discipline, control, and fitness. Many military families are also expected to uphold this level of discipline—at home and at the dinner table.

While eating whole foods, fruits, and vegetables is not in itself a bad thing, there is a fine line between “healthy eating” and disordered eating.

Specifically, “clean eating” can lead to orthorexia, a life-threatening eating disorder.

In this article, we answer questions like:

• What is orthorexia?
• How do people develop orthorexia?
• Does military life increase the risk of orthorexia?
• What should you do if you or someone you love may be suffering with an eating disorder?

What is  Orthorexia?

Orthorexia, as defined by the National Eating Disorders Association, is an eating disorder (which is a mental health disorder, not a physical one) that involves an obsession with “clean eating” to the point where it interferes with your daily life.

It is completely throwing your diet off balance for the sake of having the perfect foods at the perfect times. Sufferers of this eating disorder can become so fixated on the quality and purity of food that their diet becomes restrictive, unsustainable, and impacts physical and psychological health.

Signs and Symptoms of Orthorexia

Look out for these signs of orthorexia, so you can tell the difference between a balanced lifestyle and a restrictive eating disorder:

• Obsession with avoiding foods that have salts, sugars, fats, food coloring, dye, pesticides, and/or additives of any kind
• Avoidance of food that you have not prepared yourself
• Intense anxiety about how food is prepared
• Spending extreme amounts of money on meal planning and ingredients
• An extreme limitation of foods, to the point where your list of “allowed” foods becomes very short (e.g. ten items of “allowed” foods)
• Feeling virtuous or victorious when consuming only clean foods
• Feeling extreme guilt or anxiety when consuming something other than clean foods
• Looking down on those who do not engage in clean eating
• Scheduling your day around food, rather than the other way around
• Spending a lot of time thinking about foods, meals, and the next thing you will eat
• Feeling intense worry about undiagnosed allergies, gastrointestinal problems, asthma, and other medical diseases
• Refraining from being around unclean foods, to the point where you avoid social events that do not serve any “allowed” foods

Factors that Contribute to Orthorexia

1. Physical Weight and Shape Expectations

Military members have to be fit to perform their duties, of course, but there is a huge focus on weight and shape in the military, even though weight alone does not determine fitness levels.

To meet weight and shape expectations, many military personnel turn to extreme “clean eating.”

Many sources that try to encourage “healthy eating” and wellness use the kind of language that promotes negative associations with certain foods and the kind of people that eat those foods.

2. Perfectionism

Many individuals who go into the military are natural perfectionists. Military personnel may also develop perfectionism due to military culture and philosophies. Perfectionists need to have the “perfect foods” and won’t settle for anything less than an incredibly unsustainable standard.

Relatives and children of military members may also feel the pressure to have the perfect body and/or perfect food.

Related: This is the relationship between perfectionism and eating disorders.

3. Rigidity and Need for Control

Military life is full of rigid structures, processes, and schedules. Military and family members can adopt this level of rigidity around what kinds of food are “allowed,” where those foods come from, how the food is prepared, and/or when this food is consumed.

A common example of this is what type/amount of oil is used to cook with. Many people view butter and margarine as “bad fats” or “worse choices” than ingredients like olive or grape seed oil. This is not actually true, since there is no moral value of food—food can’t be “good” or “bad.” All foods have a place in your diet.

A lot of people who see butter or margarine as “bad” will use them anyway, if other options are too expensive or unavailable, but some people with orthorexia will refuse to cook with butter or margarine, even if that’s all that they can find or afford.

What should you do if you suspect orthorexia?

If you (or someone you love) is rigid about food, talk to an eating disorder treatment professional. They can help you overcome orthorexic thoughts and beliefs. They can also help you do some exposure therapy to expand your list of “allowed” foods and routines.