Today’s Health Tip ~ Are You Too Concerned with Eating Healthy?

It is Possible to be too Concerned with Eating Healthy

In recent years, researchers have recognized that people can become overly fixated on healthy eating, to the point where it could become detrimental to their well-being. A new term has emerged for this behavior: orthorexia nervosa. “Orthorexia” literally means “proper appetite.” This describes a pathological obsession with eating “clean” or “healthy” food.

People living with orthorexia engage in restrictive or ritualized eating behaviors and avoid certain foods that don’t fall within their definition of “clean” or “healthy.” These diets can be so strict that they impact the physical or mental health of the people who follow them.

Psychologist Kasey Goodpaster explains that the line between a commitment to healthy eating and orthorexia really lies with the ability — or inability — to practice moderation, and whether the drive to eat healthily creates distress. “Eating is so complex that it is downright impossible to be perfect,” Dr. Goodpaster notes. “A more sustainable, healthy lifestyle comes from recognizing that deviating from intentions to eat in a particular manner is completely normal and not a sign of personal failure.”

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