Tags: orthorexia | clean | eating | healthy | obsession

This 'Clean' Eating Disorder Is on the Rise

one pea on plate with knife and fork
(Dreamstime)

By    |   Thursday, 14 March 2024 06:05 PM EDT

Sometimes eating “clean” can go too far. Clinicians are seeing a rise in orthorexia, a fixation on eating only certain foods deemed healthy enough, at the exclusion of other foods that may be necessary for well-being. This could include eating only vegetables, obsessively reading labels to avoid added sugar, and avoiding social situations involving food.

According to CNN, orthorexia isn’t recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM, which is the formal guide for clinical assessment of mental health conditions. But therapists are seeing a steady rise in the condition. In a 2023 systematic review, three out of 10 study participants showed orthorexia symptoms.

Lyssie Lakatos, a registered dietitian and her sister Tammy Lakatos Shames, also known as The Nutrition Twins, have counseled many clients suffering from this eating disorder. 

“While some people may choose to avoid sugar, processed foods or seed oils, eat a plant-based diet or make other dietary changes to improve their health, it may start off this way for a person with orthorexia but becomes an obsession that takes over their lives and thoughts,” Lakatos tells Newsmax. “What begins as a healthy behavior starts spiraling down, and sufferers begin eliminating more foods because they aren’t ‘pure’ enough, and become increasingly anxious about their food choices, restricting more foods, and becoming malnourished as well. The problem spills over to other aspects of their lives as social engagements and even work commitments that have them eating away from a controlled environment trigger additional stress and fear.”

One of Lakatos’s clients became obsessive about avoiding all forms of sugar and processed foods when a relative who drank a lot of sugar-filled soda died of cancer.

“One thing led to another, and the client became obsessive about reading labels, trying to reduce all risks of getting cancer,” Lakatos says.

If you or a loved one needs help for orthorexia, the good news is that treatment follows a similar path to established plans for eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia nervosa. The challenge is to find therapists who are experienced with the disorder, says Jennifer Rollin, founder of The Eating Disorder Center in Rockville, Maryland. People with orthorexia may need a team of experts, including therapists and dietitians, to help release the grasp of the disorder.

It may also take educating friends and family members on why certain food obsessions have taken over your life. “It’s a process but one that is ultimately rewarding when you learn to have compassion for yourself and reframe your idea of what’s healthy for you,” says Lakatos.

Lynn C. Allison

Lynn C. Allison, a Newsmax health reporter, is an award-winning medical journalist and author of more than 30 self-help books.

© 2025 NewsmaxHealth. All rights reserved.


Health-News
Sometimes eating "clean" can go too far. Clinicians are seeing a rise in orthorexia, a fixation on eating only certain foods deemed healthy enough, at the exclusion of other foods that may be necessary for their well-being. This could include eating only vegetables,...
orthorexia, clean, eating, healthy, obsession
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2024-05-14
Thursday, 14 March 2024 06:05 PM
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