Orthorexia

Whereas approximately two thirds of the population in the United States is overweight or obese [Page 2401]and would benefit from healthier eating habits, there is a smaller group of individuals for whom healthy eating has become problematic. Orthorexia nervosa is a term used to describe disordered eating behavior and a pathologically unhealthy obsession with consuming healthy food. Defined by Steven Bratman in 1997, the term orthorexia was coined from the Greek word orthos meaning “right or correct” and orexis meaning “hunger or appetite.” Many of the behaviors and serious complications of orthorexia may be similar to the better known and researched eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa, but a distinguishing characteristic that triggers and maintains orthorexia is the impetus for the ...