Orthorexia: Is this you (or your loved one)?
Typical Orthorexia emotions & behaviour
- An obsession with eating healthy food or food that you feel is safe or correct for your body type.
- Eating food not on your list, such as animal foods or fats would make you extremely anxious or disgusted.
- There may be a history of anorexia or bulimia or fear of weight gain.
- Denial that there is a problem, often getting angry with loved ones who express concerns about eating behaviour.
- Rigid and obsessive behaviour with food accompanied by a self-critical inner voice demanding perfection and obedience.
- Withdrawal from normal life and spending a lot of time worrying and thinking about food. Depression, anxiety, poor self-confidence and body image.
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Physical consequences
Eating a very unbalanced diet affects every part of the body. The main effects depend on what is excluded from your diet and include:
- Poor immunity
- Brittle bones
- Poor thyroid function
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Getting help
People with severe orthorexia have underlying anxiety and may have a poor quality of life with food obsessions and avoidance affecting everything they do. Orthorexia treatment is possible with the right support.
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Recovery aims
Orthorexia treatment is forward-looking and not just about food and weight. Recovery is about building a kinder relationship with food of course, and is also about emotional strengthening, raising self-worth and finding better ways of feeling in control. A good, trustful relationship is perhaps the most important part of recovery and our therapists are trained to understand orthorexia, how it differs from healthy eating, and what it means. We start with a full assessment to help build a personalised treatment plan.
Treatment takes time and will focus on:
- Gaining insight into orthorexia, plus building motivation and commitment to change.
- Nutritional guidance to address some of the physical and mood imbalances in a gentle and collaborative way.
- Coping well with life and people; managing fear, panic, stress and unhappiness.
- Managing perfectionism and orthorexic thoughts.
- Self-worth and body image healing.
The next step
Would you like to know HOW you developed your eating problem and WHAT can be done?
The first step is to have a no-obligation assessment (only £65) in person, by phone, by Skype, with someone who cares. The first step starts here.